Biochemistry Minor

The minor in biochemistry provides you with a sufficient concentration of chemistry and biology courses to be able to understand a wide range of biochemical phenomena and appreciate the underlying chemistry responsible for the behavior of living systems.

Coursework & Duration

Prerequisites

Course Number	Course Name	Credits
CH 101/CH 102 or CH 111/CH 112	General Chemistry I and II or Principles of Chemistry I and II	3 credits each
CH 103/CH 104 or CH 113/CH 114	General Chemistry Laboratory I and II or Principles of Chemistry Laboratory I and II	1 credit each
MA 107 and MA 110	Precalculus and General Calculus  Note: MA 122 - Calculus I may be substituted for MA 110	3 credits each
PY 201/PY 202 or PY 211/PY 212	Introductory Physics I and II or Physics I and II	4 credits each

Required Courses

Course Number	Course Name	Credits
BS 461 or BS 466	Cell Biology or Genetics	4 credits each
CH 201/CH 202 or CH 211/CH 212	Organic Chemistry I and II or Principles of Organic Chemistry I and II	3 credits each
CH 203/CH 204 or CH 213/CH 214	Organic Chemistry Laboratory I and II or Principles of Organic Chemistry Laboratory I and II	1 credit each
CH 341 or CH 346	Molecular Structure in Biochemistry or  Biochemistry	3 credits 4 credits
CH 342 or CH 343 or CH 356	Nucleic Acid Biochemistry or Intermediary Metabolic Biochemistry or Molecular Biology and Genetics	3 credits (See note “a” below) 3 credits 3 credits
CH 444	Biochemistry Laboratory I	1 credit

Elective Courses

Enough additional credits from the following courses to meet the 12-credit “outside the major” requirement in the General Requirements below. Other electives as approved by the department chair.

Course Number	Course Name	Credits
BI 450	Bioinformatics I	3 credits
BI 475	Proteomics	3 credits
BS 461 or BS 466	Cell Biology or Genetics	4 credits each
CH 320 or CH 321	Essentials of Physical Chemistry or Physical Chemistry I	4 credits each
CH 342 or CH 343	Nucleic Acid Biochemistry or Intermediary Metabolic Biochemistry	3 credits each
CH 361 or CH 366	Analytical Chemistry or Principles of Analytical Chemistry	3 credits each
CH 363	Analytical Chemistry Laboratory	1 credit
CH 411	Medicinal Chemistry	3 credits
CH 414	Structure/Activity Relationships (SAR)	3 credits
CH 445	Biochemistry Laboratory II	1 credit
CH 448	Computer-Aided Drug Design	3 credits
CH 450	Undergraduate Research	1-3 credits

Notes:
Students who take the CH 346/CH 356 sequence may not apply CH 341, CH 342, or CH 343 as electives toward the minor. CH 342 has CH 341 and BS 446 as prerequisites. BS 466 has CH 341 or CH 346 as prerequisites. BI 450 has CH 341 as a prerequisite. BI 450 is a prerequisite for BI 475. MA 221 is a prerequisite for CH 320 and CH 321. CH 411 and CH 448 have CH 341 as a prerequisite. A maximum of 3 credits of CH 450 can be used to satisfy the elective requirement.

Requirements & Expectations

Not counting prerequisites, a minimum of 20 credits, including 19 credits of required courses and at least 1 credit of elective courses, is required for the biochemistry minor.

Interested students should apply to the minor program early in their academic career, usually by the fifth semester of college work, but no later than the end of the drop/add period of the first semester of their last year of didactic work.

General Requirements for all minors at USciences

• A minimum of 12 credits of minor coursework must be completed in addition to any courses (required courses or program electives) included in the major curriculum.
• Up to 6 credits of coursework, with an earned grade of “C” or better, taken at another accredited institution, may be applied to the course requirements of the minor upon prior approval of the department chair.