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Early action deadline: November 1; Regular Decision Deadline: June 15

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For additional information regarding tuition and fees, please visit the Bursar’s Office or send an email to Bursar@umb.edu.

For detailed course descriptions, please visit the university catalog for Biochemistry BS.

Required Science Courses (78 to 80 Credits)

• BIOL 111 - General Biology I 4 Credit(s)
• BIOL 112 - General Biology II 4 Credit(s)
• BIOL 210 - Cell Biology 4 Credit(s)

• or

• BIOL 212 - Cell Biology (Lecture) 3 Credit(s)
• BIOL 252 - Genetics 4 Credit(s)

• or

• BIOL 254 - Genetics (Lecture) 3 Credit(s)
• BIOL 370 - Molecular Biology 4 Credit(s)
• BIOL 372 - Molecular Biology (Lecture) 3 Credit(s)
• CHEM 115 - Chemical Principles I Lecture 3 Credit(s)
• CHEM 116 - Chemical Principles II Lecture 3 Credit(s)
• CHEM 117 - Chemical Principles I Laboratory 2 Credit(s)
• CHEM 118 - Chemical Principles II Laboratory 2 Credit(s)
• CHEM 251 - Organic Chemistry I Lecture 3 Credit(s)
• CHEM 252 - Organic Chemistry II Lecture 3 Credit(s)
• CHEM 255 - Organic Chemistry I Laboratory 2 Credit(s)
• CHEM 256 - Organic Chemistry II Laboratory Credit(s)
• CHEM 311 - Analytical Chemistry 4 Credit(s)
• CHEM 313 - Analytical Chemistry Laboratory 2 Credit(s)
• CHEM 312 - Physical Chemistry 4 Credit(s)
• MATH 140 - Calculus I 4 redit(s)

• or

• MATH 145 - Calculus I for Life & Environmental Sciences 4 Credit(s)
• MATH 141 - Calculus II 4 Credit(s)

• or

• PHYSIC 113 - Fundamentals of Physics I 4 Credit(s)
• PHYSIC 114 - Fundamentals of Physics II 4 Credit(s)
• PHYSIC 181 - Physics Laboratory I 2 Credit(s)
• PHYSIC 182 - Physics Laboratory II 2 Credit(s)
• BIOCHM 383 - Biochemistry I 3 Credit(s)
• BIOCHM 384 - Biochemistry II 3 Credit(s)
• BIOCHM 385 - Biochemistry Lab I 3 Credit(s)
• BIOCHM 386 - Biochemistry Lab II 3 Credit(s)

Non-Major Courses

The courses below are not required and do not count toward the major, but are recommended for students who are looking to enhance their skills for professional or post-graduate academic opportunities.

Recommended for Research Experience

• BIOCHM 491 - Directed Research in Biochemistry I 1-6 Credit(s) (6 credits maximum)
• BIOCHM 492 - Directed Research in Biochemistry II 1-6 Credit(s) (6 credits maximum)
• BIOL 478 - Independent Study 1-3 Credit(s)
• BIOL 479 - Independent Study II 1-3 Credit(s)
• CHEM 481 - Advanced Laboratory in Chemistry I 1-4 Credit(s)
• CHEM 482 - Advanced Laboratory in Chemistry II 1-4 Credit(s)

Recommended Electives

• BIOCHM 471 - Readings in Biochemistry I 1-3 Credit(s)
• BIOCHM 472 - Readings in Biochemistry II 1-3 Credit(s)
• BIOL 360 - Bioinformatics 3 Credit(s)
• CHEM 361 - Analytical Instrumentation 4 Credit(s)

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

Curriculum

• The content areas encompass the following sub-disciplines of chemistry and biology: analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry, cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry. Student learning progresses from beginner to expert knowledge and comprises introductory, foundation, and in-depth experiences. Beyond the introductory chemistry and biology experience, foundation experiences provide breadth of coverage across the traditional sub-disciplines. Rigorous in-depth experiences build upon the foundation. Furthermore, because biochemistry is an experimental science, substantial laboratory work is integral to these three levels of experience.
• Introductory Chemistry and Biology includes a hands-on /laboratory learning aspect.
• Foundation courses -Two semesters in organic and biochemistry and courses in analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, cell biology, genetics, and molecular biology.
• 300 hours of laboratory experience.
• Cognate courses – two semesters of calculus and two semesters of calculus-based physics with lab.
• Undergraduate Research Experience – Undergraduate research is strongly recommended. An important aspect of this integrative experience is the opportunity it provides students to integrate theoretical knowledge to practice, use scientific literature, and gain effective communication skills. Those students who qualify for the GPA requirement and demonstrate undergraduate research experience earn Honors in Biochemistry.

Competencies

• Model: Students will become proficient at constructing, using, expressing, and revising models and representations of natural and designed objects, systems, phenomena, and scientific ideas in the appropriate context to help formulate explanations and arguments.
• Apply quantitative reasoning: Student will learn to reason about relationships between equations and variables through the lens of rates, percentages, probability, or proportional relationships when solving problems or when interpreting results or situations.
• Engage in argument from evidence: Students will be trained to evaluate the claims, evidence, or reasoning behind currently accepted explanations or solutions to determine the merits of arguments.
• Engage in scientific inquiry and experimental design: Student will be able to develop testable hypotheses and design and conduct experiments with appropriate strategies, controls, and alternative approaches.
• Analyze and evaluate data: Students will be able to extract information from data and analyze it to discover patterns, critically evaluate conclusions, and generate predictions for subsequent experiments, to analyze data using appropriate statistical methods and understand fundamental uncertainties in experimental measurements.
• Practice good laboratory safety skills: Students will be trained to carry out responsible disposal techniques, comply with safety regulations, properly use personal protective equipment to minimize exposure to hazards, understand the categories of hazards associated with chemicals (healthy, physical, and environmental), use Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) and other standard printed and online safety reference materials, recognize chemical and physical hazards in laboratories, assess the risks from these hazards, know how to minimize the risks, and prepare for emergencies.
• Gain proficiency with information management skills: Students will be trained to effectively search the scientific literature, evaluate technical articles critically, and develop data management, archiving, record keeping skills.
• Appreciate and apply the interdisciplinary nature of science: Students will be able to apply concepts from within chemistry and biology subdisciplines and outside to interpret biological phenomena.
• Written and oral scientific communication: Students will learn how to explore and express scientific information using a range of tools and methods.
• Use an understanding of the process of science and knowledge of chemistry and biology to engage with the world at large: Students will be capable of applying the results of scientific research to career, everyday life, society, health, and the environment.
• Become proficient at working as a member of a team: Students will learn to Interact effectively in a group to solve scientific problems, work productively with a diverse group of peers and develop both leadership and team skills.
• Develop a deep sense of the importance of professional ethics: Students will receive training in treating data responsibly, giving others credit for scientific contributions, Citing the work of others work properly and exploring the role of chemistry and biochemistry in contemporary societal and global issues, including areas such as sustainability and green chemistry.

Degree Requirements

If this is the student’s only or primary major, the degree requirements below must be completed for graduation. See graduation requirements for more information.

University Requirements

College of Science and Mathematics Requirements for Bachelor of Science

Major Requirements

Complete a minimum of 78 credits from 26 required biochemistry, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics courses.

Students are also encouraged to take additional recommended research and elective courses, but they are not required for the degree.

GPA: A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required from all biochemistry, biology, and chemistry courses.
Pass/fail: No more than one course taken pass/fail in mathematics or physics may be applied toward the major.

Program Honors

To graduate with honors in biochemistry, students must fulfill the following requirements:

• A cumulative average of 3.0 or higher.
• A cumulative average of 3.3 or higher in the major (this includes many, but not all, biology, chemistry, and biochemistry courses).
• Satisfactory completion of an independent research project that the Biochemistry Steering Committee deems worthy of honors recognition.

Program Director Shailja Pathania, PhD
Shailja.Pathania@umb.edu
(617) 287-6199