The Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry includes courses in all major chemical subdisciplines: analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. Substantial laboratory work, plus complementary courses in mathematics and physics, provide an excellent background for careers in a wide range of areas in science and academia, as well as preparation for professional schools, especially in medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy.
The series of courses follows the approved guidelines from the esteemed American Chemical Society (ACS). Students can also be certified as professional chemists and awarded the ACS certificate in chemistry upon successful completion of course requirements.
Grading Requirement
All courses taken to fulfill program course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as credit/no credit grading only.
Course Requirements for the Major: 76-78 units
Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree. Courses in this program may complete more than one graduation requirement.
See Bachelor's Degree Requirements for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.
General Education Requirements: 48 units
See General Education and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Requirements and course offerings.
This major has approved GE modification(s). See below for information on how to apply these modification(s).
CHEM 401W is an approved major course substitution for Upper-Division Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning (UD-B).
Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units
You must complete a minimum of two courses that focus primarily on cultural diversity. At least one course must be in US Diversity (USD) and at least one in Global Cultures (GC). See Diversity Requirements for a full list of courses. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education.
Upper-Division Writing Requirement
Writing Across the Curriculum (EM 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements for more details on the four courses. The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.
The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (EO 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.
