Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Major: Chemical Biology
Program Overview
The Bachelor of Arts program in Chemical Biology is intended for pre-professional students who plan careers in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or pharmacy, and for individuals seeking careers that utilize chemistry to solve problems affecting living systems. A key component of the major is its flexibility; it requires fewer courses than the Chemistry, BA degree and includes 6 credit hours of technical electives. Many Chemical Biology BA majors participate in undergraduate research through CHEM 397/CHEM 398 in the Department of Chemistry or in other science departments, including those in the School of Medicine.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to demonstrate proficiency in the content knowledge of the main sub disciplines of chemical biology including general, organic, analytical, physical, and biochemistry.
- Students will be able to solve chemistry problems, and design, carry out, record and analyze the results of chemical experiments.
- Students will be able to utilize peer-reviewed scientific literature effectively, and evaluate technical articles critically.
- Students will be able to design and carry out experiments in a safety-focused manner.
- Students will be able to utilize ethically sound judgements when working with scientific results.
Undergraduate Policies
For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Accelerated Master's Programs
Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees. For more information and details of the policies and procedures related to accelerated studies, please visit the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Program Requirements
Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the Unified General Education Requirements. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the school-specific requirements associated with this major.
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
CHEM 105 | Principles of Chemistry I | 3 |
CHEM 106 | Principles of Chemistry II | 3 |
CHEM 113 | Principles of Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
CHEM 301 | Introductory Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
or CHEM 335 | Physical Chemistry I |
CHEM 304 | Quantitative Analysis Laboratory | 2 |
CHEM 306 | Biochemistry Laboratory | 3 |
CHEM 310 | Foundations of Analytical Chemistry | 3 |
CHEM 322 | Laboratory Methods in Organic Chemistry | 3-4 |
or CHEM 233 & CHEM 234 | Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory I and Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory II |
CHEM 323 | Organic Chemistry I | 3-6 |
or CHEM 223 & CHEM 224 | Introductory Organic Chemistry I and Introductory Organic Chemistry II |
CHEM 328 | Introductory Biochemistry I | 3 |
CHEM 398 | Undergraduate Research/Senior Capstone Project | 3 - 6 |
BIOL 214 | Genes, Evolution and Ecology | 3 |
BIOL 214L | Genes, Evolution and Ecology Lab | 1 |
BIOL 215 | Cells and Proteins | 3 |
BIOL 215L | Cells and Proteins Laboratory | 1 |
MATH 125 | Math and Calculus Applications for Life, Managerial, and Social Sci I | 4 |
or MATH 121 | Calculus for Science and Engineering I |
MATH 126 | Math and Calculus Applications for Life, Managerial, and Social Sci II | 4 |
or MATH 122 | Calculus for Science and Engineering II |
PHYS 115 | Introductory Physics I | 4 |
or PHYS 121 | General Physics I - Mechanics |
PHYS 116 | Introductory Physics II | 4 |
or PHYS 122 | General Physics II - Electricity and Magnetism |
a | 6 |
Total Credit Hours | 61-68 |
Departmental Honors
Chemical biology majors who have excellent academic records may participate in the Honors in Chemical Biology program. To graduate with honors in chemical biology, a student must satisfy the following requirements:
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A combined GPA of 3.50 in chemistry, physics, and mathematics and an overall GPA of 3.20
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A minimum of 6 credit hours of CHEM 397 , or chemical research done under another course number with departmental approval
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A thesis approved by the department’s undergraduate affairs committee based on the level of research, quality of the manuscript, and chemical content