Biochemistry

The Natural Sciences Department offers a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, both a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, and minors in Biology, Biochemistry, and Chemistry. A Master of Arts in Teaching Biology is available in collaboration with the School of Education and Leadership.

Degrees in the Department lead directly to employment, graduate study, or entrance into professional schools in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, allied health, or education. The Department offers a selection of courses satisfying Core Curriculum Requirements and encourages students in other majors to pursue a minor in the Natural Sciences.

The undergraduate degree in Biochemistry is a foundation for careers in laboratories either in industry such as biotechnology or in the academic world. The major prepares the student for graduate study directed toward biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacy, or other biomedical areas of specialization. Pre-medical, pre-dental, and pre-pharmacy students will also find that the Biochemistry major provides a good preparation for most medical schools. See the section on Pre-professional Preparation in Medicine.

Bachelor of Science: Biochemistry

In addition to major requirements, students must meet Core Curriculum Requirements and General Degree Requirements.
Prerequisites		Units
BY001A/B	General Biology	8
CH002A/B	General Chemistry	8
CH117A/B	Organic Chemistry	8
MA020A	Calculus I	4
MA020B	Calculus II (recommended)
MA102	Statistics	3
PH004A/B	Physics for Scientists	8
Total Prerequisites		39
Major Requirements		Units
BY116	General Microbiology	5
BY152	Cellular and Molecular Biology	4
CH105	Chemical Analysis and Instrumental Methods	5
CH150A/B	Biochemistry	8
CH198	Research	3
Upper-division elective in Chemistry or Biology approved by the advisor		4
Total Major Requirements		29
Other Degree Requirements* and General Electives * Other degree requirements include Core Curriculum Requirements and General Degree Requirements (e.g., Career Development, U.S. History).		56
Total Unit Requirement		124
MA020B Calculus II, MA030 Calculus III, CH132 Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences, and courses in Computer Science are strongly recommended, especially for students planning graduate study. CH198 may be fulfilled by a CD198 internship involving laboratory work and an additional elective. CH149L Laboratory Assistant and SM085/185 Divisional Seminar are recommended. Students anticipating graduate study or pharmacy school should consult the individual schools to which they intend to apply for specific undergraduate course requirements.

Minor Requirements: Biochemistry

Required Courses		Units
BY001A/B	General Biology	8
CH002A/B	General Chemistry	8
CH117A/B	Organic Chemistry	8
CH150A/B	Biochemistry	8

Minor Requirements: Chemistry

Required Courses		Units
CH002A/B	General Chemistry	8
Plus 11-13 upper-division units in Chemistry from the following, with the approval of the Program Advisor:
CH105 or CH132	Chemical Analysis and Instrumental Methods (5) Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences (3)	3-5
CH117A/B	Organic Chemistry	8

Chemistry Courses

Courses may be taken as lecture only or laboratory only for the appropriate units with permission of instructor. A chemistry placement exam is administered to verify preparation for CH002A/B. All courses are open to non-majors who have fulfilled the prerequisites. See Placement and Diagnostic Tests for an explanation of the Math Placement Levels.

CH001/401 Introductory Chemistry (3)
Prerequisite: Math Placement Level 2.
Three hours lecture. Gives an introduction to the principles of chemistry. Topics include elements, molecules, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, acids and bases, and energy. Stresses mathematical skills required for General Chemistry.

CH002A/402A General Chemistry (4)
Prerequisites: Math Placement Level 2. High School Chemistry or CH001 and satisfactory score on Chemistry Placement exam.
Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory. This is the first course in a two-semester sequence on fundamentals of chemistry. Subjects include nomenclature, atomic and molecular theory, chemical reactions, bonding, solutions, stoichiometric calculations, and kinetic theory.

CH002B/402B General Chemistry (4)
Prerequisites: Math Placement Level 2, CH002A.
Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory. This is the second course in a two-semester sequence on fundamentals of chemistry including qualitative analysis. Subjects include acids and bases, oxidation and reduction, chemical equilibrium, and thermodynamics.

CH005 Summer Reading Program (1)
Students read from books, journals, and reprints selected in consultation with Program Advisor. May be repeated for credit.

CH105/405 Chemical Analysis and Instrumental Methods (5)
Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in CH002A/B and CH117A. MA102 recommended.
Three hours lecture, six hours laboratory. Introduces the study of methods of quantitative analysis, instrumental design, and applications. Topics include gravimetric, volumetric, chromatographic (HPLC), spectroscopic, and potentiometric methods.

CH117A/417A Organic Chemistry (4)
Prerequisites: CH002A/B.
Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory. This is the first course of a two-semester sequence. Introduces the study of organic compounds and their reactions: acyclic and cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons, alkenes, alkynes, and alkyl halides. Emphasizes hybridization, isomers, conformational analysis, stereochemistry, optical activity, reaction mechanisms, and structure determination using IR and NMR spectroscopy. Laboratory includes techniques in synthesis, isolation (extraction, recrystallization, distillation), and analysis by GC, UV-Visible, and IR.

CH117B/417B Organic Chemistry (4)
Prerequisite: CH117A.Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory. This is the second in a two-semester sequence studying compounds and their reactions: aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, amines, and carboxylic acids and their derivatives with an emphasis on biological applications to carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and DNA. Introduces additional methods of structure determination including ultraviolet and mass spectroscopy. Laboratory includes further techniques in isolation and synthesis with emphasis on microscale and advanced projects.

CH132/432 Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences (4)
Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in CH117A/B, MA020A or MA022, or permission of instructor (PH004A recommended).
Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory. Introduces elements of physical chemistry most useful for students of life sciences: thermodynamics, heterogeneous equilibria, chemical kinetics, macromolecular solutions, and electrolytes. Laboratory includes centrifugation, electrophoresis, viscosity measurement, and spectroscopy.

CH149L/449L Laboratory Assistant (1-3)
Prerequisites: CH002A and permission of instructor.
Provides an opportunity for Natural Science majors to earn credit assisting instructors. Recommended as an upper-division elective in the Biochemistry major.

CH150A/450A Biochemistry (4)
Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in CH117A/B and BY001A/B.
Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory. Examines protein structure and function in detail, including enzyme mechanisms and kinetics, lipids and membrane structure, carbohydrates, the enzymes, chemical reactions and regulation of metabolic pathways (primarily the catabolic processes involving carbohydrates and lipids), and gives an overview of nucleic acids, the flow of genetic information, and molecular modeling. Emphasizes the experimental bases of our knowledge of biochemistry. Laboratory includes buffer preparation, protein purification and analysis, enzyme assays, UV/Visible spectrometry, liquid column chromatography, centrifugation, gel electrophoresis, and Western blotting.

CH150B/450B Biochemistry (4)
Prerequisites: CH150A.
Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory. Focuses on study of the enzymes, chemical reactions and regulation of glycogen, amino acid, nucleotide and lipid metabolism, including DNA replication and repair, RNA synthesis and splicing, protein synthesis, chromosome structure, and control of gene expression. Emphasizes the experimental bases of our knowledge of biochemistry. Laboratory includes ion exchange chromatography, study of the use of radioactive tracers, molecular modeling, and methods of recombinant DNA.

CH198/498 Research (1-3)
Prerequisites: CH117A/B.
Provides practical experience with biochemical research carried out under close supervision of a faculty member. Includes experimental design, library research, laboratory work, and presentation of results. May be repeated for credit.

CH199 Independent Study in Biochemistry (1-3)
Provides an opportunity for individual study or research under direction of an instructor. See Undergraduate Policies and Procedures section on Independent Study.

CD198 Cooperative Education - Internship in Biochemistry (1-3)
Provides students with opportunity to gain career related experience. See Career Development section for details.