Biochemistry, B.S.
Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry.
The Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry prepares students for excellence in graduate or medical school, and employment in the chemical, biotechnological, or pharmaceutical industries. Students learn a wide array of topics in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. In upper division studies, Biochemistry majors learn to apply biochemical principles to real-life situations via problem-based approaches in their courses. Laboratory courses give students the tools they will need as biochemists to pursue research. Accomplished majors are encouraged to pursue independent research with a professor, and to present their work internally and at national meetings.
Undergraduate Contact Information:
Dr. Robert Sanders, Chair
Biology-Life Sciences Building, Room 255
215-204-8851
Dr. Dan Strongin, Chemistry Chair
Beury Hall, Room 130
215-204-7118
Dr. Angela Bricker, Faculty Advisor, Biology
Biology-Life Sciences Building, Room 248C
215-204-8578
abricker@temple.edu
Dr. Steven Fleming, Faculty Advisor (Last names A-C), Chemistry
Beury Hall, Room 344
215-204-0359
sfleming@temple.edu
Dr. Roy Keyer, Faculty Advisor (Last names D-G), Chemistry
Beury Hall, Room 440
215-204-7286
roy.keyer@temple.edu
Dr. Spiridoula Matsika, Faculty Advisor (Last names H-K), Chemistry
Beury Hall, Room 242
215-204-7703
spiridoula.matsika@temple.edu
Dr. Andrew Price, Faculty Advisor (Last names L-M), Chemistry
Beury Hall, Room 222C
215-204-1048
acprice@temple.edu
Dr. Vince Voelz, Faculty Advisor (Last names N-R), Chemistry
Beury Hall, Room 240
215-204-1973
vincent.voelz@temple.edu
Dr. Vladi Wilent, Faculty Advisor (Last names S-T), Chemistry
Beury Hall, Room 440
215-204-7186
vladi.wilent@temple.edu
Dr. Michael Zdilla, Faculty Advisor (Last names U-Z), Chemistry
SERC, Room 656
215-204-7886
michael.zdilla@temple.edu
Note: Due to restricted access to the 6th floor of SERC, please email Dr. Zdilla to set up an appointment.
Bachelor of Science
Summary of Requirements for the Degree
- University Requirements (123 total s.h.)
- MATH 0701 (4 s.h.) and/or ENG 0701 (4 s.h.), if required by placement testing.
- All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses at Temple as part of their major. Following is a list of courses that can be used to satisfy the writing-intensive requirement:
Course List Code Title Credit Hours BIOL 2296 Genetics (S) 4 BIOL 3096 Cell Structure and Function (F) 4 CHEM 4196 Techniques of Chemical Measurement II 5 - Students must complete the General Education (GenEd) requirements.
- See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the GenEd curriculum.
- Students who complete CST majors typically receive a waiver for 2 Science & Technology (GS) and 1 Quantitative Literacy (GQ) GenEd courses.
- Students must satisfy general Temple University residency requirements.
- College Requirements
- 45 Upper Level (2000+) credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).
- 90 credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).
- Major Requirements for Bachelor of Science (78-81 s.h.)
At least 10 courses required for the major must be completed at Temple. At least 4 Biology and 4 Chemistry courses must be completed at Temple.Course List Code Title Credit Hours Chemistry Select one of the following: 4 General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry Laboratory IHonors General Chemical Science I
and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory I (F)Select one of the following: 4 General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry Laboratory IIHonors General Chemical Science II
and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory II (S)Select one of the following: 4 Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory IOrganic Chemistry for Majors I
and Organic Majors Laboratory I (F)Organic Chemistry for Honors I
and Organic Honors Laboratory I (F)Select one of the following: 4 Organic Chemistry II
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory IIOrganic Chemistry for Majors II
and Organic Majors Laboratory II (S)Organic Chemistry for Honors II
and Organic Honors Laboratory II (S)CHEM 3103
& CHEM 3105Techniques of Chemical Measurement I
and Introduction to Chemical Research Techniques4 CHEM 3301 Physical Chemistry Lecture I 3 or CHEM 3405 Physical Chemistry of Biomolecules CHEM 4401 Biochemistry I 3 Biology BIOL 1111 Introduction to Organismal Biology 4 or BIOL 1911 Honors Introduction to Organismal Biology BIOL 2112 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology 4 or BIOL 2912 Honors Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology BIOL 2296 Genetics (S) 4 BIOL 3096 Cell Structure and Function (F) 4 BIOL 3324 Molecular Biology (F) 3 BIOL 4344 Research Techniques in Biochemistry (S) 4 BIOL 4376 General Biochemistry II (F) 3 Biochemistry Electives Select two of the following: 1 6-9 Human Genetics (F) Developmental Biology (F) Advanced Cell Biology (Not offered every year) General Microbiology (S) Research Techniques in Molecular Biology (S) Immunology (S) Virology (F) Mammalian Physiology (S) Systems Neuroscience Mammalian Development (Not offered every year) Endocrinology (F) Biology of Cancer (S) Cell Proliferation (S) Physical Biochemistry (S) Contemporary Biology Inorganic Chemistry Physical Chemistry Lecture II Techniques of Chemical Measurement II Physical Chemistry Laboratory I
and Physical Chemistry Laboratory IIOrganic Structure and Mechanisms (F) Mathematics MATH 1041 Calculus I 4 or MATH 1941 Honors Calculus I MATH 1042 Calculus II 4 or MATH 1942 Honors Calculus II MATH 2043 Calculus III 4 or MATH 2943 Honors Calculus III Physics Select one of the following: 4 Elementary Classical Physics I Honors Elementary Classical Physics I (F) General Physics I Honors General Physics I (F) Select one of the following: 4 Elementary Classical Physics II Honors Elementary Classical Physics II (S) General Physics II Honors General Physics II (S) Total Credit Hours 78-81 Course List Code Title Credit Hours (F) - Fall only course (S) - Spring only course 1 With approval from the faculty advisor, two semesters of Undergraduate Research (BIOL 4391/BIOL 4491 or CHEM 3881/CHEM 3891/CHEM 4881/CHEM 4891) for a minimum of 6 credits can be used to fulfill one of the Biochemistry electives.
Note: A grade of C or higher in CHEM 1031 or its Honors alternate is required to take BIOL 1111. Grades of C or higher in both CHEM 1031 and CHEM 1032 or their Honors alternates are required to take BIOL 2112. Grades of C or higher in BIOL 1111 and BIOL 2112 or their Honors alternates are required to take upper-level Biology courses, and a C- or higher is required unless otherwise specified in all other courses for the major, including course prerequisites. Most research and Independent Study courses are not available for major credit, such as:
Course List Code Title Credit Hours BIOL 3091 Research Methods 3 BIOL 3681 Externship Studies 2 to 4 BIOL 4291 Extradepartmental Research 1 to 4 BIOL 4483 Accelerated Research in Biochemistry 3 BIOL 4491 Research in Biochemistry 3 BIOL 4591 Research in Neuroscience 1 to 4
Calculation of Major GPA
Courses listed under the major requirements for the degree will be included in the calculation of the major GPA. Courses that could not apply toward the major as an elective or required course would not be counted in the calculation of the major GPA. This would include BIOL 1011, for example.
Distinction in Major
To graduate with Distinction in Major, students are required to achieve a 3.33 GPA or higher in all the Biology and Chemistry courses in their major.
Suggested Academic Plan
All prospective majors should schedule an appointment with one of the departmental advisors (names of current Faculty Advisors are available in the About section) to plan a program of study. The recommended order of courses for the major is listed below; a different order is acceptable as long as the student adheres to prerequisite requirements.
Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry
Requirements for New Students starting in the 2018-2019 Academic Year
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Chemistry I | ||
| Honors General Chemical Science I (F) | ||
| MATH 1041 or 1941 | Calculus I | 4 |
| General Education/Elective Credits | 7 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 1111 or 1911 | Introduction to Organismal Biology | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Chemistry II | ||
| Honors General Chemical Science II (S) | ||
| MATH 1042 or 1942 | Calculus II | 4 |
| General Education/Elective Credits | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL 2112 or 2912 | Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| Organic Chemistry for Majors I (F) | ||
| Organic Chemistry for Honors I (F) | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Elementary Classical Physics I | ||
| Honors Elementary Classical Physics I (F) | ||
| General Physics I | ||
| Honors General Physics I (F) | ||
| General Education/Elective Credits | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 2296 | Genetics [WI] (S) | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Organic Chemistry II | ||
| Organic Chemistry for Majors II (S) | ||
| Organic Chemistry for Honors II (S) | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Elementary Classical Physics II | ||
| Honors Elementary Classical Physics II (S) | ||
| General Physics II | ||
| Honors General Physics II (S) | ||
| General Education/Elective Credits | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL 3096 | Cell Structure and Function [WI] (F) | 4 |
| CHEM 3103 | Techniques of Chemical Measurement I1 | 3 |
| CHEM 3105 | Introduction to Chemical Research Techniques1 | 1 |
| MATH 2043 or 2943 | Calculus III | 4 |
| General Education/Elective Credits | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| CHEM 4401 | Biochemistry I | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Physical Chemistry Lecture I | ||
| Physical Chemistry of Biomolecules2 | ||
| General Education/Elective Credits | 10 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL 3324 | Molecular Biology (F) | 3 |
| BIOL 4376 | General Biochemistry II (F) | 3 |
| Biochemistry Elective2 | 3-4 | |
| General Education/Elective Credits | 7-6 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 4344 | Research Techniques in Biochemistry (S) | 4 |
| Biochemistry Elective2 | 3-5 | |
| General Education/Elective Credits | 9-7 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 123 | |
| 1 | It is strongly encouraged that CHEM 3103/CHEM 3105 be taken prior to any laboratory courses numbered above CHEM 3105. |
| 2 | Biochemistry majors taking CHEM 3405 instead of CHEM 3301 cannot also receive Biochemistry elective credit for it. Biochemistry majors who want to take CHEM 4196 or the combination of CHEM 3397 & CHEM 3398 as a Biochemistry elective must take the CHEM 3301-CHEM 3302 sequence as CHEM 3405 does not serve as a prerequisite for these courses or any other course that has CHEM 3301 as a prerequisite or co-requisite. |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| (F) - Fall only course | ||
| (S) - Spring only course | ||
Biochemistry Electives
Students are required to take two advanced biochemistry electives from the following list:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select two of the following: | 6-8 | |
| Human Genetics (F) | ||
| Developmental Biology (F) | ||
| Advanced Cell Biology (S) | ||
| General Microbiology (S) | ||
| Research Techniques in Molecular Biology (S) | ||
| Immunology (S) | ||
| Virology (F) | ||
| Mammalian Physiology (S) | ||
| Systems Neuroscience | ||
| Mammalian Development | ||
| Endocrinology (F) | ||
| Biology of Cancer (S) | ||
| Cell Proliferation (S) | ||
| Physical Biochemistry (S) | ||
| Contemporary Biology (F) | ||
| Inorganic Chemistry (F) | ||
| Physical Chemistry Lecture II | ||
| Techniques of Chemical Measurement II | ||
| Physical Chemistry Laboratory I and Physical Chemistry Laboratory II | ||
| Organic Structure and Mechanisms (F) | ||
Notes:
- Other courses may be acceptable with the permission of one of the biochemistry faculty advisors.
- With approval from the faculty advisor, two semesters of Undergraduate Research (BIOL 4391/BIOL 4491 or CHEM 3881/CHEM 3891/CHEM 4881/CHEM 4891) for a minimum of 6 credits can be used to fulfill one of the Biochemistry electives.