Biochemistry

Total Courses Required

Nine and three-quarters

Core Courses

CHEM 120, CHEM 130, CHEM 170, CHEM 240, CHEM 260, CHEM 320, CHEM 343, CHEM 440

Other Required Courses

Two course credits from the following list, with at least one course credit in the Molecular Biology Cluster and one course credit in the Chemistry & Biochemistry Cluster:

• Molecular Biology Cluster: BIO 315, 325, 381, 385
• Chemistry & Biochemistry Cluster: BIO 250, 320, 361, 390*, 415, 490*, and any CHEM courses at the 300 or 400 level

Number 300 & 400 Level Courses

Four and one-half course credits

Senior Requirement & Capstone Experience

Completion of CHEM 490, Senior Capstone or CHEM 405, Thesis, with a grade of C- or better, and satisfactory attendance at departmental seminars during the junior and senior years are required.

Additional Information

* BIO 390 and CHEM 342 are topics courses; check with your advisor to see if and how a specific offering applies to the biochemistry major. With the approval of their advisor, students may apply up to 0.5 course credit of research (CHEM 395 or BIO 490) toward the ¿other required courses¿ (such courses should have a biochemical emphasis).

Writing in the Major

Scientists write for a variety of purposes and audiences. Sometimes the writing is formal, such as an article or poster conveying the results of a research project to an audience of knowledgeable peers. Other times the writing is informal, used to facilitate the research process when the audience is limited to the author and his or her research partners. This could be in the form of brief research reports, or sharing laboratory notebooks. At other times, scientists write for a general audience of intellectually curious non-scientists. Just as the practice of science requires careful design of experiments, and precise and accurate measurements, a scientist must have command of the written word in a manner appropriate for diverse purposes and audiences.

Writing instruction in the department parallels the vertical nature of our curriculum, in which upper-level courses build on concepts learned in introductory courses, to build and reinforce skills in writing across a student's four years. Students in our introductory courses learn to maintain a laboratory notebook and to report the results of their laboratory work in a journal article format. Writing instruction at this level is carefully structured to give attention to different purposes and audiences. Particular attention is given to the design of tables, graphs, and figures that summarize results and illustrate ideas, and to the effective use of such devices in clearly communicating information and supporting the written narrative. As students progress through the curriculum, their laboratory work becomes more independent, open-ended, and complex, and their written reports become correspondingly more demanding and require greater sophistication. At all levels, the department's focus is on carefully organizing and presenting information, constructing meaning from complex data, and effectively communicating the results of scientific experiments.

Writing in the Major (WIM) will be completed through specific WIM assignments in your upper-level classes. You must receive a C or better on three of four WIM assignments to complete this requirement. For Biochemistry majors, there will be two WIM assignments available in Chem 310 and one assignment each in Chem 343 and Chem 440. For Chemistry majors, there will be one WIM assignments each in Chem 320, Chem 331, Chem 450 and Chem 460.

Total Courses Required

Five and one-quarter

NOTE: Chemistry majors may not earn a minor in Biochemistry.

Core Courses

CHEM 120, CHEM 170, CHEM 240, and CHEM 260.

Other Required Courses

One course credit chosen from: CHEM 320, CHEM 343 or CHEM 440 and one course credit from CHEM 342, BIO 250, BIO 315, BIO 320, BIO 325, BIO 361, BIO 381, BIO 385, BIO 415 or BIO 490*.

300 and 400 level courses: 2.

Number 300 & 400 Level Courses

2