Undergraduate Program

Course Work/Curriculum

The biochemistry curriculum, flexible enough to design a program to meet your particular career plans, is a rigorous program that prepares you to compete successfully in your future professional career. A faculty adviser will help you plan your program from the following course work areas and others that fulfill your desired career objectives.

  • Biochemistry (10 hours): General biochemistry; biochemistry laboratory.
  • Biochemistry Research (3-6 hours): Honors research; special studies.
  • Chemistry (23-25 hours): General chemistry; organic chemistry; physical chemistry; laboratory analysis .
  • Physics (8 hours): General physics.
  • Mathematics (13-15 hours): Calculus; statistics and/or computer science.
  • Life Sciences (22-24 hours): General biology; genetics; microbiology; life sciences electives (11-12 hours)

A total of 120-128 hours is required to graduate with a degree in biochemistry.

Here is the suggested curriculum from the Undergraduate Catalog.

Co-Curricular Activities

You are invited to join the undergraduate Biochemistry Club. The club is designed to foster fellowship, stimulate interest in biochemistry, increase awareness of career opportunities and provide advice for students seeking professional careers.

Research Emphasis

The following areas of research are available for study: bioinorganic chemistry (RNA/Metals interactions), cell cycle regulation, X-ray crystallography, DNA replication, hormone-receptor interactions, NMR spectroscopy, plant biology, protein folding and assembly, protein-protein interactions, protein-nucleic acid interactions, ribosome structure and mRNA translation, RNA structure/folding, RNA replication, translational control of gene expression, viral assembly, and viral gene expression. The Faculty and Research pages have more information about these research areas.

Advising

Please see our undergraduate advising page.

Career Development and Placement Services

In addition to faculty advisers who are available to provide information about career and employment opportunities, graduates and alumni receive assistance from the Agriculture and Life Sciences Career Development and Placement Office. Undergraduates are informed about summer internships and co-op opportunities in their career fields and are assisted with applying for such positions. Services are also provided to help students with resume writing and interviewing skills. On-campus interviews are arranged for prospective graduates and employment opportunities are widely publicized to students. Alumni are also able to take advantage of these services and are informed about employment prospects through a monthly placement bulletin.