An Emphasis in Biochemistry may be completed by students who major in either Biology and/or Chemistry. Adding an Emphasis in biochemistry allows students to unify these two fields through coursework focused on the molecules and chemical reactions of life. Students choosing to complete an Emphasis in Biochemistry will have this noted on their transcript (e.g. Biology Major with Added Emphasis in Biochemistry; Chemistry Major with Added Emphasis in Biochemistry).
Requirements for a Biology Major with Added Emphasis in Biochemistry
Students with a strong interest in pursuing more in-depth study of biochemistry may want to major in biology with an added emphasis in biochemistry. This emphasis may also be a good option for students aspiring to attend medical school and/or graduate study in any biomedical field. Students choosing this option will have this noted on their transcripts as: Biology Major (Biochemistry). To earn an emphasis in biochemistry, biology students must complete all of the requirements of the biology major, with two of the upper-level electives being BIOL 351 – Biochemistry I and BIOL 352 – Biochemistry II. In addition, students must take CHEM 212 – Organic Chemistry II, and one additional elective from the list below or as approved by the Biology chair. Students interested in pursuring graduate studies in Biochemistry and/or Biophysics should take CHEM 311 – Thermodynamics and Kinetics as their additional elective; note that CHEM 311 has MATH 137 – Applied Multivariable Calculus II and PHYS 227 – Principles of Physics II as prerequisites, and students should plan their math and physics course(s) accordingly.
Required Biology Courses
- BIOL 170 – Ecology and the Environment
- BIOL 180 – Biodiversity and Evolution
- BIOL 190 – Genetics
- BIOL 200 – Cell Biology
Required Supporting Courses
- CHEM 111 – General Chemistry I: Structure and Equilibrium
- CHEM 112 – General Chemistry II: Energetics and Reactivity (CHEM 115 – Accelerated General Chemistry – may be taken in place of CHEM 111 and CHEM 112
- CHEM 211 – Organic Chemistry I
- CHEM 212 – Organic Chemistry II
Four Required Electives – At least two must have an associated laboratory component
One additional biochemistry elective from the following list or as approved by the chair:
- CHEM 222 – Analytical Chemistry
- CHEM 311 – Thermodynamics and Kinetics
- CHEM 361 – Advanced Organic Chemistry
- CHEM 411 – Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
- BIOL 312 – Microbiology
- BIOL 316 – Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- BIOL 322 – Advanced Genetics
- BIOL 357 – Immunology
- BIOL 364 – Neuroimmunology
- BIOL 366 – Plant Ecophysiology
- BIOL 400 – Seminar in Neuropharmacology
- BIOL 404 – Seminar in Genome Editing
- BIOL 406 – Seminar in Immunology
- BIOL 410 – Seminar in Stem Cell Biology
- BIOL 412 – Seminar in Cancer Biology
- BIOL 472 – Research in Molecular Biology
- BIOL 473 – Research in Immunology
- BIOL 320 – Computational Biology/CHEM 320 – Computational Chemistry
- BIOL 353 – Molecular Medicine/CHEM 353 – Molecular Medicine
- BIOL 354 – Chemical Biology/CHEM 354 – Chemical Biology
- BIOL 474 – Research in Biochemistry/CHEM 474 – Research in Biochemistry
One additional upper level Biology course
Requirements for a Chemistry Major with Added Emphasis in Biochemistry
Another option for students with a strong interest in pursuing more in-depth study of biochemistry is a major in chemistry with an added emphasis in biochemistry. Students choosing this option will have this noted on their transcripts as: Chemistry Major with Added Emphasis in Biochemistry. To earn an emphasis in biochemistry, chemistry majors must complete all of the requirements of the chemistry major plus BIOL 190: Genetics, BIOL 200: Cell Biology, BIOL/CHEM 351: Biochemistry I. and either BIOL/CHEM 352: Biochemistry II or another advanced course at the interface of chemistry and biology approved by the Chemistry Department chair. The Chemistry Department encourages advanced electives in chemistry or biology.
Required Chemistry Courses
CHEM 111: General Chemistry I and CHEM 112: General Chemistry II
or, CHEM 115: Accelerated General Chemistry may be taken in place of CHEM 111 and 112
CHEM 211: Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 212: Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 222: Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 311: Thermodynamics and Kinetics
CHEM 312: Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy
CHEM 411: Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 300: Chemistry Seminar (four semesters)
Required Supporting Courses
BIOL 190: Genetics
BIOL 200: Cell Biology
MATH 137: Single Variable Calculus
MATH 236: Linear Algebra
PHYS 226: Principles of Physics I
PHYS 227: Principles of Physics II
Required Electives
BIOL/CHEM 351: Biochemistry I
BIOL/CHEM 352: Biochemistry II