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. Ann Valentine, Chair
Beury Hall, Room 130
215-204-7118
ann.valentine@temple.edu
Dr. Vince Voelz, Vice Chair
Beury Hall, Room 240
215-204-1973
vincent.voelz@temple.edu
Dr. Steven Fleming, Faculty Advisor (Last names A-C)
Beury Hall, Room 446
215-204-0359
sfleming@temple.edu
Dr. Roy Keyer, Faculty Advisor (Last names D-G)
Beury Hall, Room 440
215-204-7286
roy.keyer@temple.edu
Dr. Dan Strongin, Faculty Advisor (Last names H-K)
Beury Hall, Room 246
215-204-7119
dstrongi@temple.edu
Dr. Jonathan Smith, Faculty Advisor (Last names L-O)
Beury Hall, Room 213
215-204-2252
jmsmith1@temple.edu
Dr. Vladi Wilent, Faculty Advisor (Last names P-S)
Beury Hall, Room 344
215-204-7186
vladi.wilent@temple.edu
Dr. Graham Dobereiner, Faculty Advisor (Last names T-Z)
Beury Hall, Room 342
215-204-3185
dob@temple.edu
Dr. Daniele Ramella, Faculty Advisor (Undergraduate research)
Beury Hall, Room 126B
215-204-1931
daniele.ramella@temple.edu
Dr. Angela Bricker, Faculty Advisor (Biology)
Biology-Life Sciences Building, Room 248C
215-204-8578
abricker@temple.edu
Bachelor of Science
Summary of Requirements for the Degree
- University Requirements (123 total s.h.)
- Students must complete all University requirements including those listed below.
- All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses at Temple as part of their major. The specific writing-intensive course options for this major are:
Course List Code Title Credit Hours BIOL 2296 Genetics (S) 4 CHEM 4196 Techniques of Chemical Measurement II 5 CHEM 4496 Research Techniques in Biochemistry 4 - 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 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), the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) or the College of Engineering (ENG).
- 90 credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST), the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) or the College of Engineering (ENG).
-
All students in the College of Science and Technology are required to take a one credit first year seminar. SCTC 1001 CST First Year Seminar is the appropriate course option for every entering first year CST major. Transfer students should use SCTC 2001 CST Transfer Seminar to fulfill this requirement. Other courses that fulfill this requirement may be found on the CST College Requirements page.
- Major Requirements for Bachelor of Science (77-81 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 3405 Physical Chemistry of Biomolecules 3 CHEM 4401 Biochemistry I 3 CHEM 4496 Research Techniques in Biochemistry 4 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 (S) 3 BIOL 4376 General Biochemistry II (F) 3 Biochemistry Electives Select three of the following: 1 9-13 Genome Analytics Genomics and Infectious Disease Dynamics (F) Human Genetics (F) Introduction to Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Evolutionary Genetics (S) Behavioral Genetics (F) Parasitology (Not offered every year) Developmental Biology (F) Advanced Cell Biology (S) General Microbiology (S) Biology of Plants (F) Molecular Biology Research Techniques in Molecular Biology (S) Immunology (S) Virology (F) Developmental Genetics (Not offered every year) Advanced Techniques in Microscopy (S) Mammalian Physiology (S) Systems Neuroscience Organization and Development of the Nervous System (S) Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (S) Molecular Neuropharmacology (Not offered every year) Endocrinology (F) Biology of Cancer (S) Cell Proliferation (S) Cell Signaling (S) Physical Biochemistry (S) Biotechnology (S) Contemporary Biology Scientific Writing for Biology: The Art of Communicating (S) Genomic Biology Epigenetics (Not offered every year) Genome Editing Biochemistry of Embryogenesis (F) Evolutionary Developmental Biology: Evo-Devo (S) Stem Cell Biology (F) General Biochemistry I (F) Accelerated Research in Biochemistry 1 Research in Biochemistry 1 Inorganic Chemistry Physical Chemistry Lecture I Physical Chemistry Lecture II Physical Chemistry Laboratory I
and Physical Chemistry Laboratory IICooperative Research 1 Undergraduate Research 1 CHEM 4000-4800Cooperative Research 1 Undergraduate Research 1 Calculus III or MATH 2943Honors Calculus III Mathematics MATH 1041 Calculus I 4 or MATH 1941 Honors Calculus I MATH 1042 Calculus II 4 or MATH 1942 Honors Calculus II 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 77-81 Course List Code Title Credit Hours (F) - Fall only course (S) - Spring only course 1 A minimum of 6 credits of these research courses, in any combination, may be used to fulfill one of the Biochemistry Electives.
Note: Grades of C- or higher are required unless otherwise specified in all 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 Cooperative Studies 2 to 4 BIOL 3685 Externship Studies 3 BIOL 4291 Extradepartmental Research 1 to 4 BIOL 4391 Accelerated Research in Biology 1-4 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 2022-2023 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 |
| SCTC 1001 | CST First Year Seminar | 1 |
| ENG 0802, 0812, or 0902 | Analytical Reading and Writing [GW] | 4 |
| Elective | 2 | |
| 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 |
| IH 0851 or 0951 | Intellectual Heritage I: The Good Life [GY] | 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) | ||
| IH 0852 or 0952 | Intellectual Heritage II: The Common Good [GZ] | 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) | ||
| GenEd Breadth Course | 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 |
| Biochemistry Elective2 | 3-4 | |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 4-3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| CHEM 3405 | Physical Chemistry of Biomolecules2 | 3 |
| CHEM 4401 | Biochemistry I | 3 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3-4 | |
| Elective | 7-6 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL 4376 | General Biochemistry II (F) | 3 |
| Biochemistry Elective2 | 3-4 | |
| Biochemistry Elective2 | 3-5 | |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 4-1 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| CHEM 4496 | Research Techniques in Biochemistry [WI] | 4 |
| BIOL 3324 | Molecular Biology | 3 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 6 | |
| 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 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
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select three of the following: | 9-13 | |
| Genome Analytics | ||
| Genomics and Infectious Disease Dynamics (F) | ||
| Human Genetics (F) | ||
| Introduction to Bioinformatics and Computational Biology | ||
| Evolutionary Genetics (S) | ||
| Behavioral Genetics (F) | ||
| Parasitology (Not offered every year) | ||
| Developmental Biology (F) | ||
| Advanced Cell Biology (S) | ||
| General Microbiology (S) | ||
| Biology of Plants (F) | ||
| Molecular Biology | ||
| Research Techniques in Molecular Biology (S) | ||
| Immunology (S) | ||
| Virology (F) | ||
| Developmental Genetics (Not offered every year) | ||
| Advanced Techniques in Microscopy (S) | ||
| Mammalian Physiology (S) | ||
| Systems Neuroscience | ||
| Organization and Development of the Nervous System (S) | ||
| Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (S) | ||
| Molecular Neuropharmacology (Not offered every year) | ||
| Endocrinology (F) | ||
| Biology of Cancer (S) | ||
| Cell Proliferation (S) | ||
| Cell Signaling (S) | ||
| Physical Biochemistry (S) | ||
| Biotechnology (S) | ||
| Contemporary Biology | ||
| Scientific Writing for Biology: The Art of Communicating (S) | ||
| Genomic Biology | ||
| Epigenetics (Not offered every year) | ||
| Genome Editing | ||
| Biochemistry of Embryogenesis (F) | ||
| Evolutionary Developmental Biology: Evo-Devo (S) | ||
| Stem Cell Biology (F) | ||
| General Biochemistry I (F) | ||
| Accelerated Research in Biochemistry 1 | ||
| Research in Biochemistry 1 | ||
| Inorganic Chemistry | ||
| Physical Chemistry Lecture I | ||
| Physical Chemistry Lecture II | ||
| Physical Chemistry Laboratory I and Physical Chemistry Laboratory II | ||
| Cooperative Research 1 | ||
| Undergraduate Research 1 | ||
CHEM 4000-4800 | ||
| Cooperative Research 1 | ||
| Undergraduate Research 1 | ||
| Calculus III | ||
or MATH 2943 | Honors Calculus III | |
| 1 | A minimum of 6 credits of these research courses, in any combination, may be used to fulfill one of the Biochemistry Electives. |