CH Registration FAQ

These seats are reserved for specific student groups. As a few examples: CH 120K is reserved for students who are following certain pre-health tracks, CH 328M/N are reserved for certain Engineering majors, and sections designated as “FRI” are reserved for students in that program. If you are unable to register for an “open; reserved” section, that most likely means the course is intended for another population of students. 

No, the general chemistry labs CH 104M and CH 104N may not be taken concurrently. The prerequisites for CH 104N are strictly enforced, requiring C- or higher credit in General Chemistry I Lecture (CH 301 or equivalent) and Lab (CH 104M or equivalent). 

That said, we typically offer a combined version of the labs as “CH 204” over the nine-week session in summer. If you are interested in this option, discuss with your academic advisor how the course will count toward your degree.

No, the full general chemistry lab sequence must be completed before taking any of the organic labs (CH 220C, CH 120K, CH 128K, and CH 128L). This is strictly enforced. 

We do not reserve seats for students on the front-end. We encourage you to register for the lab during your assigned registration period, just as you would for any other course, and waitlist yourself for sections if needed. The waitlists will become available on the final day of early registration, when everyone has access to registration. You can find the registration dates on the Registrar’s course schedules site. 

If you are following one of the three pre-health tracks mentioned, you are eligible for the CH 120K lab. You can use this survey to request to be added to the list. Once added, you will receive confirmation whether you are allowed to register for the course. 

If you are not following one of the three pre-health tracks mentioned above, it is likely you will need to take CH 220C instead. The Health Professions Office is a great resource to check which courses you will need. You may also reach out to your academic advisor for clarification.

CH 128K and CH 128L are restricted to Chemistry and Chemical Engineering majors only. If you are not one of those majors and need to take organic chemistry lab, you will most likely need to take CH 220C instead. Read the FAQ here, visit the Health Professions Office site, and/or consult with your academic advisor if you have further questions on which organic lab to take.

The enforced prerequisites are below; concurrent enrollment in any of these prereq courses is not allowed. Our department is working to update the official prerequisites so that the course schedule matches the enforced prerequisites below. We appreciate your patience in the meantime.

The current enforced prerequisites for CH 353M: 

• C- or better in M 408C, M 408K, M 408N, or M 408R
• C- or better in CH 302 or CH 302C
• C- or better in Physics 1 lecture and lab (PHY 301 + 101L; or PHY 303K + 105M; or PHY 317K + 105M)

The current enforced prerequisites for CH 353: 

• C- or better in M 408D or M 408M
• C- or better in CH 302 or CH 302C
• C- or better in Physics 1 lecture and lab (PHY 301 + 101L; or PHY 303K + 105M; or PHY 317K + 105M)

With approval from the faculty member you are working under (your PI), you can receive course credit through CH 206K or CH 369K. These research courses are offered in the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.

• Chemistry majors may receive credit if working under a UT faculty member’s lab within or outside the Chemistry department. If outside the Chemistry department, approval from the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Education is required (email CSS for more info).
• Non-chemistry majors may receive credit only if researching under a UT Department of Chemistry faculty member. 

If you meet the criteria above and have approval from your PI, email Chemistry Student Services (css@cm.utexas.edu) to request registration access. 

You may not substitute work in any research labs for chemistry lab credit, regardless of the scope of research. For example, working in an organic chemistry research lab on campus may not substitute for CH 220C credit.