Biochemistry, BS

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(Certified by the American Chemical Society)

The B.S. degree in biochemistry is appropriate for students interested in the medical fields, graduate study in chemistry or biochemistry, or employment in the biochemical, pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries. All courses in the major core, major electives and supporting courses must be taken in the traditional grading mode (A-F). Undergraduate research is required for the B.S. degree in biochemistry. Transcripts will be noted as approved by the American Chemical Society.

Program Learning Outcomes

By the completion of our degree programs, students will demonstrate the ability to:

Apply both the concepts and mathematics of basic thermodynamic properties and the three laws thermodynamics. This includes enthalpy, entropy and free energy (ΔG = ΔH – TΔS)
Differentiate between thermodynamics and kinetics as it pertains to the fate of a reaction.
Identify the components of solutions and utilize their knowledge prepare and dilute solutions.
Describe and the concepts of acids and bases, neutralization and buffers and apply those concepts to chemistry problems.
Utilize stoichiometry, write appropriate chemical equations to describe chemical processes, to categorize chemical reactions, and gain a fundamental understanding of chemical reactivity.
Appropriately manipulate and interpret data.
Work safely and ethically in lab including maintaining a good lab notebook, performing basic lab skills, designing and troubleshooting experiments, and reporting conclusions.
Effectively utilize instrumentation and computer.
Describe and utilize basic chemical bonding theory including drawing Lewis dot structures, recognizing hybrid orbitals, and molecular orbital theory.
Read and interpret chemical literature and communicate science effectively in both oral and written formats
Implement career planning

Learning Outcomes Specific for BS Biochemistry
Implement advanced lab techniques and skills.
Implement experiments for a novel research problem and demonstrate scientific independence.
Describe and apply the relationship between structure and function for biological molecules and how these relationships dictate chemical reactivities in metabolism and life.

Degree Requirements

See the “Degree Requirements ” in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements.

General Education Requirements (48 units)

See the “General Education Program ” requirements in the University Catalog for information on General Education requirements. Some major requirements may double count for GE requirements.