Biochemistry

Biochemistry  
Academic Bulletin

Area of Study: Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Major/Minor Exclusions: A student majoring in Biochemistry may not minor in Biology or Chemistry

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 Mathematics and Natural Sciences 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

For students starting in Math 140

For students starting in MATH 151

Timing of Courses
Most courses are taught each year and some are taught each semester as indicated in the following table. Staffing may necessitate changes to this schedule so Self-Service should be consulted for actual courses taught each semester
 

 Important Considerations

• Placement into MATH 151 is a pre-requisite for starting CHEM 120 in the first semester. Although students do NOT need to co-enroll in math and chemistry, co-enrollment is HIGHLY recommended so that pre-requisite courses can be finished in a timely manner.
• Enrollment in PHYS 110 (Fall semesters) is restricted to first-years & sophomores. When scheduling constraints necessitate it, PHYS 110 may be replaced by PHYS 101; PHYS 101 is open to students in any class.
• In planning, students should pay attention to pre-requisites for core and upper-level courses.
• Students hoping to do a senior project with a Biology faculty member should enroll in a Biology Jr. Seminar course and those hoping to work with a Chemistry faculty member should enroll in the Chemistry Jr. Seminar.
• 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.