Biochemistry Major

Goals for Biochemistry Majors

Requirements for the Biochemistry Major

For cross-listed BIOC/BISC and BIOC/CHEM courses, Biochemistry majors should enroll under the BIOC subject code.

100 Level Requirements:

BISC: One of BISC 110, BISC 110P, BISC 112, BISC 112Y, or BISC 116.

CHEM: One of CHEM 105, CHEM 105P, CHEM 116, or CHEM 120.

PHYS:  One of PHYS 104, PHYS 106, PHYS 107, PHYS 108 or equivalent. This requirement may be satisfied by students passing the physics exemption exam for one of these courses.

The following MATH course is required for the BIOC degree. It is considered a prerequisite that can be counted toward another major or minor.

MATH: One of MATH 116, MATH 120 or equivalent. This requirement can be satisfied by earning Wellesley credit from the AP Calculus BC exam or by placement into MATH 205 or a higher level course by the Department of Mathematics.

200 Level Requirements:

BISC: BIOC/BISC 219 and BIOC/BISC 220.

CHEM: (CHEM 120 or CHEM 205) and CHEM 211 and BIOC 223/CHEM 223.

Note: BIOC/CHEM 227 cannot be used towards fulfillment of the major.

300 Level Requirements:

* Courses with Laboratory

BISC: Two courses from among BISC 302*, BISC 303, BISC 311*, BISC 313, BISC 314*, BISC 316*, BISC 318, BISC 329*, BISC 333*, BISC 335, BISC 336, NEUR 332 or other course if relevant to the major and approved by the director.

CHEM: BIOC 331/CHEM 331 and one course from among CHEM 312, BIOC 320/CHEM 320 *, BIOC 323/CHEM 323, BIOC 324/CHEM 324, or BIOC 325/CHEM 325.

300-Level Lab Requirement: One of the following options: 

(Option I) Any two of the four 300-level BISC or CHEM courses counting toward the major must have a laboratory component.

OR

(Option II) Any one of the four 300-level BISC or CHEM courses counting toward the major must have a laboratory component, AND the student must submit a research product based on an independent research experience.

For Option II, the independent research experience can be fulfilled in any of the following ways:

AND

For Option II, the required research product based on the independent research experience must be pre-approved by the Biochemistry Program Director or delegated faculty. Examples of potential research products could include, but are not limited to:

In all cases, the student must obtain pre-approval for their proposed research product no later than the penultimate semester before graduation.

Preparation for Graduate Work: Students planning graduate work in biochemistry or chemical biology should consider taking additional courses in chemistry beyond the biochemistry degree requirements, such as second semester organic chemistry (CHEM 212), analytical chemistry (CHEM 361), or inorganic chemistry (CHEM 341). Students planning graduate work in molecular or cell biology should consider taking additional advanced courses in these areas. 

Independent Research in Biochemistry 

BIOC 250, BIOC 250H, BIOC 251, BIOC 251H, BIOC 350, BIOC 350H, BIOC 351, and BIOC 351H are open to any student. Thesis in Biochemistry (BIOC 355, BIOC 360, BIOC 365, BIOC 370) is open only to Biochemistry majors (see "Thesis in Biochemistry" below). Research should focus on some aspect of the molecular biosciences and may be advised by any member of the Biochemistry Advisory Committee, or by another member of the faculty upon approval by the Advisory Committee. To receive biochemistry independent studies credit for an off-campus research experience, a student must recruit an on-campus faculty advisor from among the Biochemistry Advisory Committee.

Thesis in Biochemistry

Senior thesis work may be advised by any member of the Biochemistry Advisory Committee or by another member of the faculty upon approval by the Advisory Committee. To be admitted to the Honors thesis program, a student must have a GPA of at least 3.5 in all graded (non-independent study) work in the major field above the 100 level. Students will be initially enrolled in BIOC 360 after approval by the advisory committee. Upon completion of BIOC 360, students will be enrolled in BIOC 370 contingent on evidence of satisfactory research progress, GPA, and approval by the advisory committee.

Students with a GPA in the major below 3.5 but above 3.0 should consult the thesis director and will be registered for BIOC 355. Upon completion of BIOC 355, the department may petition on the student's behalf to register for BIOC 370 contingent on evidence of satisfactory research progress, approved GPA, and approval by the advisory committee.

Double-Counted Courses in Biochemistry

The College does not allow a course to double-count toward two majors or toward both a major and a minor. Therefore, if a student wishes to count a course that could count toward the BIOC major toward another major or a minor, the student must take an additional course toward their BIOC major that has been approved by their advisor.