BS in Biochemistry

Biochemistry is an interdepartmental major for students interests in the chemistry of living systems, and is offered jointly by the Department of Biology and the Department of Chemistry.

Program Requirements and Policies

• Sixteen courses of 3 semester-hour credits (SHUs) or more are required to complete the major.
• No major course may be taken Pass/Fail.
• If you have more than one major, please see Bulletin for rules on double-counting courses across majors.
• If you have a minor, no more than two courses (regardless of Units) used toward the minor may be used toward foundation, distribution, major, or other minor requirements.

Course Requirements

There are sixteen courses required. These include the following:

Biology Courses

• Biology 13: Cells and Organisms*
• Biology 15: Cells and Organisms Lab*
• Biology 41: General Genetics
• Biology 105: Molecular Biology

Chemistry Courses

• Chemistry 1: Chemical Fundamentals w/lab OR Chemistry 11: General Chemistry OR Chemistry 16: Chemistry of Materials
• Chemistry 2: Chemical Principles w/lab OR Chemistry 12: General Chemistry
• Chemistry 31: Physical Chemistry I **
• Chemistry 43/45: Bioanalytical Chemistry w/ lab (Recommend) OR Chemistry 42: Quantitative Analysis)***
• Chemistry 51: Organic Chemistry I
• Chemistry 52: Organic Chemistry II
• Chemistry 53: Organic Chemistry I w/lab
• Chemistry 54: Organic Chemistry II w/lab
• Chemistry 171: Biochemistry I
• Chemistry 172: Biochemistry II

Other Required Courses

• Experiential Laboratory Research, selected from:*** 
  • Biology 50: Experiments in Molecular Biology
  • Biology 52: Experiments in Cell Biology
  • Biology 54: Molecular Genetics Project Lab
  • Biology 193/194: Independent Research in Biology
  • Biology 199: Senior Honors Thesis
  • Chemical & Biological Engineering 163: Recombinant DNA Technology
  • Chemistry 82 or higher: Research II–VIII
  • Chemistry 195/199: Senior Thesis I/II
• Math 34: Calculus II**
• Physics 2: Introductory Physics II w/lab OR Physics 12: General Physics II w/lab **

Notes:

*As of Fall 2023, A&S students taking Biology 13 must take both BIO 13 (lecture) and BIO 15 (lab) in the same semester, as they are linked courses. A&S students must add both courses to their SIS cart when enrolling in BIO 13 + 15. Students who took BIO 13 before 2023 already have lab automatically included in Bio 13.  Engineering students should note that the requirement to take the lab differs by major.

**Chem 31 (Physical Chemistry) has Math 34 and Phys 2 prerequisites. Thus, the timing for completion of Math 32, Math 34, Phys 1 and Phys 2 (or their equivalents, such as AP credit) is flexible, but must be completed in the first three years.

*** Effective for classes graduating after May 2024, the Biochemistry major will require at least one semester of a graded, experiential laboratory course. This change will remove the Bio 50 substitution petition and provide students with additional flexibility to support their learning of laboratory research. 

This laboratory requirement can be fulfilled in one of two ways:

1. Students complete CHEM 43/45 and any of the following: BIO 50, BIO 52, BIO 54, ChBE 163, or a graded independent research course in either Chemistry or Biology. Bio 50 is offered during the Fall semester of academic year. ChBE 163 is a summer course. Bio 54 is offered in the Spring semester of the academic year.

2. Students complete CHEM 42 and one of the following laboratory courses that includes molecular biology techniques: BIO 50, BIO 52, BIO 54, ChBE 163, or a graded independent research course in Biology (BIO 193, 194, 199) or petition to count graded research done in the Chemistry Department (CHEM 82 or higher) that includes a biological component. Bio 54 will be limited to freshman, sophomores and juniors starting 2024. Therefore, seniors should not plan on taking it spring of their senior year to fulfill the Biochemistry lab requirement.

Suggested Course Sequences for Biochemistry Majors

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Note: Students who deviate from the proposed course sequences should check for class time overlap. For example, BIO 41 (Genetics) and Chem 52 (Organic Chemistry 2) are typically offered in the same time block in the Spring semester.