Biochemistry
Academic Bulletin
General Principles to consider in advising a student for Biochemistry:
The Biochemistry Major is a highly hierarchical major and requires 64 credits (17 courses) to complete. This means that students interested in a Biochemistry Major will need to begin the foundational Natural Science courses early in their career. The General Chemistry, Introductory Biology and Introductory Mathematics sequences are all pre-requisites to intermediate and advanced courses in the Major and, as such, should be completed by the end of fall semester in a student’s sophomore year.
Students who come in with weaker academic backgrounds should be cognizant of the need to complete prerequisites in a timely manner so that they do not end up with schedules in their junior and senior year that are unrealistic or impossible to schedule due to time constraints and conflicting course times.
In general, a student who does not feel ready to take more than one Natural Science course a semester is not likely to be able to handle three or four such courses in their Junior and Senior years. A 17 course major equates to an average of just over two courses each of eight semesters. Thus, advising a student to take only one NS course a semester during the first and second year makes it difficult for them to complete the Biochemistry Major in four years. Some students may need to consider taking summer courses for transfer, or planning for an extra semester or year to complete the Major. This is especially true if a student takes only one NS course each of their first 2-3 semesters or if they start the courses for the Major later than the sophomore year. Students should be made aware of this reality if they are advised to limit their NS courses to one per semester in the first three to four semesters.
If a student expresses an interest in a Junior Year abroad experience, it is very important that they speak with a member of the Biochemistry program faculty for guidance during their first year or early in their sophomore year. Depending on the experience they wish to pursue, it may be important for them to consider taking their Jr. Seminar in the sophomore year. In addition, any courses they hope to transfer from the Jr. Year abroad experience to count towards the Major will need to be carefully selected with the guidance of a Biochemistry faculty member.
Finally, any student considering a Biochemistry Major is strongly encouraged to meet with a member of the Biochemistry faculty prior to scheduling classes for their Sophomore or Junior year.
Typical four-year road map
Pre-requisite courses (should be completed in the first three semesters)
Course (take all) |
Pre-reqs |
Semester |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
VIII |
MATH 151, Calculus 1 |
placement exam |
X |
|
x |
|
|
|
|
|
MATH 152, Calculus 2 |
MATH 151# |
|
X |
|
x |
|
|
|
|
PHYS 110, Physical Concepts 1 |
MATH 151 |
|
|
X |
|
x* |
|
|
|
CHEM 120,Chemical Concepts 1 |
Placement in MATH 151 |
X |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHEM 122, Chemical Concepts 2 |
CHEM 120# |
|
X |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
BIO 220, Organis, Physiol & Ecol |
CHEM 120 |
|
X |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
BIO 221, Genet, Devel & Evol |
BIO 220 |
|
|
X |
x |
|
|
|
|
CHEM 231, Organic Chemistry 1 |
CHEM 122# |
|
|
X |
|
x |
|
|
|
X = students starting in MATH 151, x - students starting in MATH 140
#Pre-requisite must be met with a C or better, *PHYS 101
Sophomore Seminar (should be completed in the sophomore year)
Course (Choose 1) |
Pre-reqs |
Semester |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
VIII |
FSBIO 201 |
BIO 220 |
|
|
|
Xx |
|
|
|
|
FSCHEM 201 |
CHEM 122# |
|
|
X |
|
x |
|
|
|
Intermediate Courses (should be completed by first semester senior year
Course (take all) |
Pre-reqs |
Semester (take during one designated semester) |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
VIII |
CHEM 253, Biochemistry |
CHEM 231# |
|
|
|
X |
X |
x |
|
|
CHEM 242, Physical Chemistry |
MATH 152 & CHEM 122 |
|
|
|
|
Xx |
|
Xx |
|
BIO 305 (Molecular Biology) |
BIO 221 & FSBIO# or CHE 201 |
|
|
|
|
Xx |
|
Xx |
|
Junior Seminar (should be completed Junior Year)
Course (Choose one) |
Pre-reqs |
Semester |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
VIII |
BIO 580 (designated sections) |
BIO 221 & FSBIO# or FSCHE 201 |
|
|
|
|
Xx |
Xx |
|
|
BIO 584 |
FSBIO or FSCHE 201 |
|
|
|
|
Xx |
|
|
|
Upper Level Electives (should be completed as soon as possible)
Courses (one from each department) |
Pre-req |
Semester (take during one designated semester |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
VIII |
CHEM: 354, 357, 361, 43X, 45X, 46X |
Various |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
Xx |
Xx |
BIO: 300, 310, 320, 325, 360 |
Various |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
Xx |
Xx |
Course (take both) |
Pre-reqs |
Semester |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
VII |
VIII |
BIOCHEM 600 (2 credits) |
BIO 580 or CHEM 584 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Xx |
|
BIOCHEM 610 (4 credits) |
BIOCHEM 600 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Xx |
Timing of Courses
|