The Biochemistry Program is a joint program between the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Division of Biological Sciences. Biochemistry is an interdisciplinary science that integrates chemistry and biology to understand the basis of life at the molecular level. The program offers a B.S. in Biochemistry and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biochemistry & Biophysics.
Program faculty come from both the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Division of Biological Sciences. Faculty expertise encompasses structural biology, enzymology, prion biochemistry, protein dynamics, RNA biology and the molecular genetics of pathogenic organisms.
Undergraduate majors receive a solid foundation in both chemistry and biology. Biochemistry courses start in the freshman year and Advanced Biochemistry is taken in the junior year allowing majors to become involved in research with faculty and take electives in their senior year. The major also introduces students to computer science and bioinformatics, essential tools in modern biochemistry. The B.S. in Biochemistry prepares students for advanced degrees in biochemistry, for medical or veterinary schools and for careers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. A Health Professions option is also offered within the B.S. in Biochemistry for students whose career goals are in fields related to biochemistry.
The graduate degrees in Biochemistry & Biophysics prepare students to be independent researchers in academic laboratories or in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Through coursework and independent research, graduate students in this program will become adept at the physical and structural methods necessary to probe important problems in the life sciences at the molecular level. Besides the core program faculty, graduate students may pursue their thesis work with any member of the Center for Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics. The Center for Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics supports state-of-the-art facilities for research in biochemistry, biophysics and structural biology.