Chemical Biology, BA
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.
Combined Bachelor's/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.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Chemistry Courses: | ||
| 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 |
| Additional Required Courses: | ||
| 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 | |
| Technical Electives a | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 61-68 | |
- a
The technical electives may be chosen more widely from any of the physical sciences, math, or engineering courses. A maximum of 6 credit hours of CHEM 397 may be taken as technical electives. Further additional units of CHEM 397 may be taken as free electives. Students may wish to group their electives into "tracks" of specialization in order to tailor their degree to a particular area of chemistry.
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:
- A combined GPA of 3.50 in chemistry, physics, and mathematics and an overall GPA of 3.20
- A minimum of 6 credit hours of CHEM 397 , or chemical research done under another course number with departmental approval
- A thesis approved by the department’s undergraduate affairs committee based on the level of research, quality of the manuscript, and chemical content
Sample Plan of Study
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| CHEM 105 | Principles of Chemistry I | 3 |
| BIOL 214 | Genes, Evolution and Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 214L | Genes, Evolution and Ecology Lab | 1 |
| MATH 121 or MATH 125 | Calculus for Science and Engineering I or Math and Calculus Applications for Life, Managerial, and Social Sci I | 4 |
| Academic Inquiry Seminar, Breadth, or Elective course a | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| CHEM 106 | Principles of Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 113 | Principles of Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOL 215 | Cells and Proteins | 3 |
| BIOL 215L | Cells and Proteins Laboratory | 1 |
| MATH 122 or MATH 126 | Calculus for Science and Engineering II or Math and Calculus Applications for Life, Managerial, and Social Sci II | 4 |
| Academic Inquiry Seminar, Breadth, or Elective course a | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CHEM 223 or CHEM 323 | Introductory Organic Chemistry I or Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 233 | Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
| CHEM 322 | Laboratory Methods in Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| Breadth, or Elective course a | 3 | |
| CHEM Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| CHEM 224 or CHEM 324 | Introductory Organic Chemistry II or Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 306 | Biochemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| CHEM 328 | Introductory Biochemistry I | 3 |
| Breadth, or Elective course a | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CHEM 301 or CHEM 335 | Introductory Physical Chemistry I or Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 304 | Quantitative Analysis Laboratory | 2 |
| PHYS 115 or PHYS 121 | Introductory Physics I or General Physics I - Mechanics | 4 |
| Breadth, or Elective course a | 3 | |
| CHEM Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHYS 116 or PHYS 122 | Introductory Physics II or General Physics II - Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
| CHEM 310 | Foundations of Analytical Chemistry | 3 |
| Breadth, or Elective course a | 3 | |
| CHEM Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Breadth, or Elective course a | 3 | |
| Open Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| CHEM 398 | Undergraduate Research/Senior Capstone Project | 3-6 |
| Breadth, or Elective course a | 3 | |
| Open Electives | 6-9 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 123 | |