Biochemistry, BS

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The degree program in biochemistry is approved by the American Chemical Society. Students with this degree have entered graduate or professional programs in medicine, dentistry, chemistry, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, wood products chemistry, genetic counseling, materials science, chemical life sciences, and others. Graduates have embarked on professional careers in industries related to health care, clinical analysis, pharmaceuticals, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, biotechnology, nutrition, and biochemical informatics, to name a few.

Our students benefit from the department’s dedication to its mission and from the capstone experience that initiates with a seminar course in which students engage with a contemporary problem in chemistry or biochemistry. In subsequent quarters, students address questions raised in their initial investigations by performing research in collaboration with a faculty mentor or with one of several local companies. The experience culminates with a seminar course in which written and oral presentations of the research are shared by all.

Requirements

In order to earn the bachelor of science degree with a major in biochemistry, students must complete a minimum of 180 quarter credits with a cumulative and major/department grade point average of 2.00, including the following:

I. Core Curriculum Requirements

Module I: Engaging Academic Inquiry

UCOR 1100 - Academic Writing Seminar
UCOR 1200 - Quantitative Reasoning (satisfied in major)
UCOR 1300 - Creative Expression and Interpretation
UCOR 1400 - Inquiry Seminar in the Humanities
UCOR 1600 - Inquiry Seminar in the Social Sciences
UCOR 1800 - Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences (satisfied in major)

Module II: Engaging Jesuit Traditions

Module III: Engaging the World

II. Major Requirements

64 credits of chemistry, including:

Choose option a, b, or c:

Option a:

CHEM 4000 - Instrumental Analysis

Option b:

Option c:

III. Other Major Department Requirements

Choose 10 credits from the following six options:

NOTE:

All students earning a B.S. in Biochemistry complete the American Chemical Society certified degree. CHEM 3500 and CHEM 3520 /3521 are highly recommended electives for students planning graduate work in biochemistry.