Biological Chemistry

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Contacts | Program of Study | Summary of Requirements | Grading | Honors and Undergraduate Research | Joint Degree Program

Website

http://chemistry.uchicago.edu/kb

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Program of Study

The Department of Chemistry, in conjunction with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BCMB) in the Division of the Biological Sciences, offers a BS degree in Biological Chemistry. The program is designed to prepare students to enter a variety of interdisciplinary fields in biochemical and biophysical sciences. Undergraduate research is strongly encouraged. By combining resources of both departments, students in this program are given the opportunity to study chemistry and physics of macromolecules, mechanisms of actions of enzymes and hormones, molecular and cellular biology, biotechnology, and other related fields.

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Summary of Requirements

General Education
CHEM 11100-11200	Comprehensive General Chemistry I-II (or equivalent) †*	200
One of the following sequences:		200
MATH 15100-15200	Calculus I-II
MATH 16100-16200	Honors Calculus I-II †
MATH 13100-13200	Elementary Functions and Calculus I-II (requires grade of A- or higher)
BIOS 20186	Fundamentals of Cell and Molecular Biology **	100
BIOS 20187	Fundamentals of Genetics (or AP credit, if an AP 5 Fundamentals Sequence is completed) +**	100
Total Units		600

 

Major
CHEM 11300	Comprehensive General Chemistry III (or equivalent) †*	100
One of the following:		100
MATH 15300	Calculus III
MATH 16300	Honors Calculus III
MATH 19620	Linear Algebra †
MATH 13300	Elementary Functions and Calculus III (requires grade of A- or higher)
MATH 20000-20100	Mathematical Methods for Physical Sciences I-II	200
CHEM 20100	Inorganic Chemistry I	100
PHYS 12100-12200-12300	General Physics I-II-III (or higher) †	300
One of the following sequences:		300
CHEM 22000-22100-22200	Organic Chemistry I-II-III
CHEM 23000-23100-23200	Honors Organic Chemistry I-II-III
CHEM 26100-26200	Quantum Mechanics; Thermodynamics	200
CHEM 26700	Experimental Physical Chemistry	100
One of the following:		100
CHEM 20200	Inorganic Chemistry II
CHEM 23300	Organic Chemistry of Life Processes
CHEM 26300	Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics
One appropriate 20000-level course in Biology (under the category Advanced-Level Courses)		100
BIOS 20200	Introduction to Biochemistry	100
BIOS 21317	Topics in Biological Chemistry	100
One approved 30000-level biochemistry or chemistry course		100
Total Units		1900

†	Credit may be granted by examination.
*	See Advanced Placement and Accreditation Examininations sections of this catalog. Note that no credit is given for IB chemistry.
**	Chemistry and Biological Chemistry majors can take these courses without the Biological Sciences prerequisites (BIOS 20150-20151) unless they pursue a double major in the Biological Sciences. They are expected to show competency in mathematical modelling of biological phenomena covered in BIOS 20151.
+	Students with a score of 5 on the AP biology test receive one credit. They are eligible to register for a three-quarter AP 5 Fundamental Sequence. Upon completion of the sequence, students receive an additional AP credit, for a total of two, to meet the general education requirement. Students majoring in Biological Chemistry will count the AP 5 Fundamentals Sequence as three electives.

NOTE: The three-quarter sequence MATH 20300-20400-20500 Analysis in Rn I-II-III may be substituted for MATH 20000 Mathematical Methods for Physical Sciences I; and MATH 27000 Basic Complex Variables and MATH 27300 Basic Theory of Ordinary Differential Equations may be substituted for MATH 20100 Mathematical Methods for Physical Sciences II. MATH 19620 Linear Algebra is recommended for Biological Chemistry majors who plan to pursue advanced study in physical chemistry.

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Grading

Students majoring in Biological Chemistry must receive quality grades in all courses required in the degree program. To qualify for the BS degree, students must: (1) achieve a GPA of 2.0 or higher; and (2) receive no grade lower than C- in the 20000-level or higher Chemistry, Biology, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology courses that are found in the preceding list.

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Honors and Undergraduate Research

By their third year, students majoring in Biological Chemistry are strongly encouraged to participate in research with a faculty member. For more information on research opportunities and honors in Biological Chemistry, visit chemistry.uchicago.edu/page/degree-programs-and-admissions.html .

Excellent students who pursue a substantive research project with a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry or the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology should plan to submit an honors thesis. Students typically begin research during their third year, and they continue their research activities through the following summer and their fourth year. To be considered for honors, students are expected to receive approval from the program adviser before the end of their third year. Eligible students must also enroll in at least one quarter of CHEM 29900 Advanced Research in Chemistry, which must be taken for a quality grade.

A BS with honors in Biological Chemistry requires students to write a creditable honors paper describing their research. The paper must be approved by the program advisers in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and it must be submitted before the deadline established by the department. In addition, an oral presentation of the research is required.

To earn a BA or BS degree with honors in Chemistry, students must also have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.

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Joint Degree Program

A four-year joint degree program leading to a concurrent award of the BS in Biological Chemistry and the MS in Chemistry is available for a select group of students who have achieved advanced standing through their performance on placement or on accreditation examinations. Special programs are developed for such students. For more information, consult Gregory Hillhouse at gh15@uchicago.edu and Vera Dragisich at vdragisi@uchicago.edu in the Chemistry Department, and Ron Gorny at rlg2@uchicago.edu in the College advising office.