Program Overview

University Prep Chemistry Program

The University Prep Chemistry program is designed for students who have never taken chemistry or want to improve their knowledge before taking a university chemistry course. This 8-week online self-paced course is accepted by Dalhousie in place of NS Grade 12 Chemistry and may be used as the prerequisite for all Dalhousie first-year Chemistry classes.

Course Description

The course covers various topics, including:

• The different types of matter, properties of matter, and changes in matter
• Atomic theory
• The periodic table and trends in properties of the elements
• Chemical bonding, including intermolecular bonding
• Balancing chemical equations, types of chemical reactions, and nomenclature
• Introduction to chemical kinetics
• The mole, including stoichiometry, limiting reagents, mole conversions, percentage composition, empirical and molecular formula, and percent yield
• Solutions, including solubility and formation of precipitates and concentration of a solution
• Chemical equilibrium, including writing the equilibrium constant K, calculating K, and Le Chatelier's principle
• Oxidation and reduction, including oxidation number, oxidizing and reducing agents, and the activity series of metals
• Acids and bases, including properties, Bronsted-Lowry theory, conjugate acids and bases, acid-base neutralization equations, titration problems

Course Outline

The course is structured to provide students with a solid foundation in chemistry. Students will learn the major concepts of Grade 11 and 12 Chemistry.

What You Will Learn

By the end of the course, students will have gained a solid understanding of the subject matter, including the major concepts of Grade 11 and 12 Chemistry.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Recommended For

This course is recommended for students who have never taken chemistry or want to improve their knowledge before taking a university chemistry course.

Course Details

• Delivery Options: Online Self-Paced
• Faculty: Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development
• Total Learning Hours: 120.0
• Instruction Delivery Method(s): Online Self-Paced
• Course Fee(s): $795.00 (non-credit)

Sections Available for Registration

The course is offered in multiple sections:

• OLCD-UPCM0010 - 038: Winter 2026, January 12, 2026, to March 06, 2026
• OLCD-UPCM0010 - 039: Spring/Summer 2026, April 06, 2026, to May 29, 2026
• OLCD-UPCM0010 - 040: Spring/Summer 2026, June 29, 2026, to August 21, 2026

Instructor

The course is taught by Rob Nalepa, BSc Hons (Chem), MSc (Chem), BEd, MCIC, who has over 30 years of experience teaching High School Chemistry. He is the author of several Chemistry textbooks, including the textbook used for the University Prep Chemistry course.