Breadcrumb
Biochemistry Majors can earn a B.A. degree through the Department of Biochemistry. An honors program is available. Below you can find information about these degrees and special programs.
Advising
All majors are expected to schedule regular appointments with their academic advisor. For more information please look at the Undergraduate Advising page.
Notice of Course Change
Course pre-fixes were updated from CHEM to BCHM for several courses starting in Fall 2019. For questions or concerns about how these changes effect your degree status, please schedule an appointment with an academic advisor.
Program Requirements
The biochemistry major provides interdisciplinary training, education and experience in the chemical and biological sciences. Biochemistry focuses on understanding the chemical processes of living organisms,the reaction pathways that sustain life, the principles of how structure defines function, and the physical basis of biomolecular interactions. Students who major in Biochemistry are prepared for diverse careers in medicine, scientific research, biotechnology, pharmacy, biomedical consulting, teaching and education, among other professions. The undergraduate degree in Biochemistry emphasizes knowledge and understanding of:
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Foundational principles of biology and chemistry
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The building blocks of life (DNA, RNA and proteins), how they evolved, how they interact, and how organisms make and degrade these building blocks
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How living organisms maintain homeostasis and regulate metabolism
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The molecular mechanisms of how living systems respond to changes, such as environmental perturbations, disease, and chemical therapeutics
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How chemical reactions impact human health
The undergraduate degree in Biochemistry also emphasizes and cultivates development of the following skills:
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Quantitative problem solving
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Critical thinking and analytical reasoning
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Communication of scientific concepts and ideas
Because biochemistry connects to scientific disciplines ranging from genetics, human physiology, microbiology, neuroscience, cell biology, chemistry, and geology, Biochemistry majors are given the freedom to explore advanced electives in many of these subjects. Additional information about the Biochemistry B.A. can be found on the Biochemistry Department website.
Biochemistry major students are prepared for many different careers after graduation. Career Services offers a number of programs and services designed to help students plan their career, including workshops, internships, and placement services after graduation. For an appointment with a career counselor or for more information, call 303-492-6541 or stop by Center for Community, N352.
Additional Opportunities
Undergraduate Research
Undergraduates are encouraged to participate in research to prepare themselves for graduate school, professional school, or industry. There are multiple opportunities for undergraduates to be involved in research within the Department of Biochemistry. For more information, visit our Departmental Undergraduate research page.
Study Abroad
The experience of studying abroad can prove invaluable. For information about study abroad programs, visit the Office of International Education/Study Abroad website.
Teaching Certification
Biochemistry majors can also earn certification as teachers through the School of Education. The program for a secondary school science-teaching certificate is challenging requiring a broad, strong background in science, as well as coursework in education and practice teaching. It usually requires at least five years of study. Students interested in teacher certification are encouraged to contact the School of Education.
Students in the undergraduate biochemistry major are required to take three advanced major electives for a total of at least 9 credits to complete the biochemistry major. Below is a list of all approved electives that can be taken to satisfy the advanced major electives requirement.
Advanced Major Electives |
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Select three of the following elective courses: | |
Applied Mathematics (APPM) |
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APPM 3310 | Matrix Methods and Applications |
APPM 3570 | Advanced Probability |
APPM 4360 | Complex Variables/Applications |
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC) |
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ATOC 4200 |
Biogeochemical Oceanography |
Biochemistry (BCHM) |
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BCHM 4312 | Quantitative Optical Imaging |
BCHM 4491 |
Modern Biophysical Methods |
BCHM 4631 |
Computational Genomics Lab |
BCHM 4751 | Current Topics in Biochemical Research |
BCHM 4850 | Therapeutic and Diagnostic Nucleic Acids |
BCHM 4901* | Independent Study in Biochemistry |
BCHM 5341 | Chemical Biology and Drug Design |
Chemical Engineering (CHEN) |
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CHEN 3010 | Applied Data Analysis |
CHEN 3200 | Chemical Engineering Fluid Mechanics |
CHEN 3210 | Chemical Engineering Heat and Mass Transfer |
Chemistry (CHEM) |
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CHEM 4011 | Modern Inorganic Chemistry |
CHEM 4021 | Inorganic Laboratory |
CHEM 4171 | Instrumental Analysis- Lecture and Laboratory 1 |
CHEM 4181 | Instrumental Analysis- Lecture and Laboratory 2 |
CHEM 4791 | Bioorganic Chemistry in Biotechnology (no longer available) |
Evolutionary Biology (EBIO) |
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EBIO 2070 |
Genetics: Molecules to Populations |
EBIO 3040 | Conservation Biology |
EBIO 3080 | Evolutionary Biology |
EBIO 3180 | Global Ecology |
EBIO 3190 | Tropical Marine Ecology |
EBIO 3240 | Animal Behavior |
EBIO 3400 | Microbiology |
EBIO 3523 | The Art and Strategy of Science Communication: Branding Climate Change |
EBIO 3590 | Plants and Society |
EBIO 3630 | Parasitology |
EBIO 3850 | Animal Diversity: Invertebrates |
EBIO 4030 | Limnology |
EBIO 4060 | Landscape Ecology |
EBIO 4080 | Freshwater Phycology |
EBIO 4140 | Plant Ecology |
EBIO 4155 | Ecosystem Ecology |
EBIO 4290 | Phylogenetics and Comparative Biology |
EBIO 4410 | Biological Statistics |
EBIO 4420 | Computational Biology |
EBIO 4440 | Animal Developmental Diversity |
EBIO 4500 | Plant Biodiversity and Evolution |
EBIO 4510 | Plant Anatomy and Development |
EBIO 4530 | Functional Plant Biology (no longer available) |
EBIO 4800 | Critical Thinking in Biology |
Geological Sciences (GEOL) |
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GEOL 3320 | Introduction to Geochemistry |
GEOL 4160 | Introduction to Biogeochemistry |
GEOL 4270 | Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry |
GEOL 4330 | Cosmochemistry |
GEOL 4670 | Isotope Geology |
GEOL 4675 | Stable Isotopes in Paleoclimate and Paleoecology |
Integrative Physiology (IPHY) |
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IPHY 3400 | Nutrition for IPHY Majors (no longer available) |
IPHY 3410 | Human Anatomy |
IPHY 3430 | Human Physiology |
IPHY 3470 | Human Physiology 1 (no longer available) |
IPHY 3480 | Human Physiology 2 (no longer available) |
IPHY 3490 | Introduction to Epidemiology |
IPHY 4300 | Pathophysiology of Disease |
IPHY 4440 | Endocrinology |
IPHY 4470 | Biology of Human Reproduction |
IPHY 4600 | Immunology (cannot also count MCDB 4300 as an advanced elective) |
IPHY 4720 | Neurophysiology |
Mathematics (MATH) |
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MATH 4520 | Introduction to Mathematical Statistics |
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) |
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MCDB 2150 | Principles of Genetics (cannot also count EBIO 2070 as a required ancillary course or an advanced elective) |
MCDB 3000 | Synthetic Biology: Engineering Biomolecular Systems in the Laboratory |
MCDB 3145 | Molecular Cell Biology II |
MCDB 3150 | Biology of the Cancer Cell |
MCDB 3160 | Infectious Disease |
MCDB 3350 | Fertility, Sterility, and Early Mammalian Development |
MCDB 3450 | Biological Data Science |
MCDB 3501 | Structural Methods for Biological Macromolecules |
MCDB 3650 | The Brain- From Molecules to Behavior |
MCDB 3990 | Introduction to Systems Biology for Biologists |
MCDB 4202 | The Python Project |
MCDB 4300 | Immunology (cannot also count IPHY 4600 as an advanced elective) |
MCDB 4310 | Microbial Genetics and Physiology |
MCDB 4350 | Microbial Diversity and the Biosphere |
MCDB 4410 | Human Molecular Genetics |
MCDB 4426 | Cell Signaling and Developmental Regulation |
MCDB 4444 | Cellular Basis of Disease |
MCDB 4471 | Mechanisms of Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes |
MCDB 4520 | Bioinformatics and Genomics |
MCDB 4615 | Biology of Stem Cells |
MCDB 4650 | Developmental Biology |
MCDB 4750 | Animal Virology |
MCDB 4777 | Molecular Neurobiology |
MCDB 4790 | Oocytes, Stem Cells, Organisms: Experiments to Discoveries |
Neuroscience (NRSC) |
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NRSC 2125 | Introduction to Neuroscience l: Foundations |
NRSC 4032 | Neurobiology of Learning and Memory |
NRSC 4082 | Neural Circuits of Learning and Decision Making |
NRSC 4092 | Behavioral Neuroendocrinology |
NRSC 4132 | Neuropharmacology |
NRSC 4545 | Neurobiology of Addiction |
Philosophy (PHIL) |
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PHIL 3140 | Environmental Ethics (cannot also count PHIL 3160 as an advanced elective) |
PHIL 3160 |
Bioethics (cannot also count PHIL 3140 as an advanced elective) |
Psychology (PSYC) |
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PSYC 3102 | Behavioral Genetics |
PSYC 3112 | Behavioral Genetics II (no longer available) |
PSYC 4052 |
Behavioral Neuroscience |
*BCHM 4901 must be approved by the Biochemistry Associate Chair for Undergraduate Affairs. To be eligible students must have a minimum of 120 hours of independent research prior to applying for BCHM 4901 as an advanced elective. BCHM 4901 can only count once as an advanced elective. It must be taken as a 3-credit course and a final paper is required.
Requirements
The College of Arts and Sciences will allow a maximum of 9 hours of transfer credit, including 6 upper-division credit hours to count toward a minor. Students may transfer courses through organic chemistry only. All courses required for the minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better, and the overall GPA in all BCHM courses taken must be a 2.00.
Students who have taken CHEN 1211 and CHEM 1221 may substitute them for CHEM 1113 and CHEM 1114. Engineering students who have taken CHEN 4521 may NOT use this to satisfy the physical chemistry requirement.
General Chemistry |
5-10 | ||
Option 1: |
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CHEM 1113 |
General Chemistry 1 |
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CHEM 1133 &CHEM 1134 |
General Chemistry 2 and Laboratory in General Chemistry 2 |
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Option 2: |
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CHEM 1400 |
Foundations of Chemistry |
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Organic Chemistry |
10-12 | ||
CHEM 3311 |
Organic Chemistry for Chemistry and Biochemistry Majors |
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CHEM 3451 |
Laboratory in Organic Chemistry 1 for Chemistry Majors |
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CHEM 3491 |
Organic Chemistry 2 for Biochemistry Majors |
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CHEM 3381 |
Laboratory in Organic Chemistry 2 for Chemistry Majors Laboratory in Organic Chemistry 2 |
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Biochemistry |
3-8 | ||
BCHM 4611 | Survey of Biochemistry | ||
BCHM 2700 |
Foundations of Biochemistry and Metabolic Pathways and Human Disease |
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BCHM 2700 & BCHM 4740 |
Foundations of Biochemistry |
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Physical Chemistry |
3-4 | ||
BCHM 4400 or CHEM 4511 |
Core Concepts in Physical Chemistry for Biochemists Physical Chemistry 1 |
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Total Credit Hours |
21-34 |
Academic Planning:
Students who declared a biochemistry major before Fall 2017 should follow the requirements as listed in their audit.
Course pre-fixes were updated from CHEM to BCHM for several courses starting in Fall 2019. For questions or concerns about how these changes effect your degree status, please schedule an appointment with an Academic Advisor.
Grades
All required courses and ancillary courses must be completed with a grade of C- or better. In addition, the College of Arts and Sciences requires at least 30 hours of C- or better in the major and requires an average GPA of 2.00 or higher in all classes attempted in the major department.
Credit Hours
Students who do all their major courses at CU Boulder will more than meet the College requirements for the minimum total (30 credits) and upper division (18 credits) hours in the major.
AP, Advanced Placement in Chemistry
The following will be allowed for advanced placement in chemistry. Score of 5: credit for general chemistry 1 with lab (CHEM 1113 and 1114 or). Students may register for general chemistry 2 with lab (CHEM 1133/1134). Students should consult a departmental advisor before registering for a second semester general chemistry course.
IB, International Baccalaureate in Chemistry
The following will be allowed for IB-higher in chemistry. Score of 7: credit for general chemistry 1 and 2 with lab (CHEM 1113/1114 and 1133/1134).; students may register for CHEM 3311/3321 or 3451/3371. Score of 6: credit for general chemistry 1 (CHEM 1113/1114); students may register for CHEM 1133/1134. Students should consult a departmental advisor before registering organic chemistry or for a second semester general chemistry course.
Transfer Credits
Students may transfer courses in chemistry that are equivalent to courses given at CU Boulder but carry fewer credit hours. They must take sufficient courses in chemistry so that the total credits for graduation is at least 30. An academic advisor should be consulted regarding this type of deficiency.
Transfer Students
Transfer students should note that the College of Arts & Sciences requires at least 18 hours of upper-division credits in the major. Lower division courses at other institutions will transfer as lower division credit, even if the corresponding CU Boulder courses are upper division. For example, organic chemistry taken at a community college or as lower division at a four-year college will only carry lower division credit if it is accepted by the department to satisfy CHEM 3311, 3321, 3331, and 3341. A biochemistry major with such transfer credit will need to take additional upper division chemistry courses to complete the required 18 hours in the major and 45 upper division hours.
Transfer students who plan to complete a B.A. degree in the Biochemistry Department must complete at the Boulder campus a minimum of 12 credit hours of upper-division courses in chemistry covering at least 2 of the sub-disciplines in their major. The sub-disciplines for a biochemistry major are organic, physical, and biochemistry. Course work to satisfy this minimum requirement may NOT include CHEM 4901 and must be completed after matriculation into the College of Arts and Sciences.
Undergraduate majors in the Biochemistry Department must plan their courses carefully since there are specific prerequisites for advanced courses that must be completed in an orderly sequence during the freshman through the junior years. In addition, the College of Arts & Science Core curriculum must be worked into the schedule. Suggestions for majors include:
- Math should be started the first year and continued without a break.
- Math courses are a serious hurdle for many biochemistry majors. It is much better to start Pre-Calculus Math 1150, doing a fair bit of review work, and earn A's or B's than to try Calculus l, (MATH 1300 or APPM 1350) and receive a D or F. Even students that have some calculus in high school may have difficulty with MATH 1300 if their algebra, geometry, and trigonometry backgrounds are weak. When biochemistry students fail to achieve a good grade record their first year at CU Boulder it is most commonly due to a weak math background.
- Chemistry should be taken the first year, and should take precedence over general biology if biology is also required in the student's course work.
- Students are very strongly advised against taking General Physics 1 until they have completed Calculus 1, and preferably both Calculus 1 and Calculus 2.
- Most first year students should take no more than 16 hours per semester and preferably less. Students who are working may want to consider taking even fewer hours per semester. Taking 16 hrs/sem while working more than 20 hrs/week is likely to hurt academic performance.
- Quality is better than quantity. Thus, undergraduates who complete a degree with a grade point average greater than 3.4 will have many job and graduate school opportunities even though they may have taken only 12-14 hours each semester. Whereas students who take 18-22 hours each semester, with a G.P.A. less than 3.0 while working 10 hrs/week, will find few or no graduate school openings. Students, who must work outside of school, should consider taking a lighter course load.
- University study requires an intensive effort on a student's part for at least nine months a year. Students should therefore use their summers wisely. Summer may be a good time to catch up on coursework or credits; many required and elective courses are taught during summer school. On the other hand, many students find it advantageous to have a change of pace during the summer, and many need to earn some money. A chemistry-related job can be a great experience. Some large and small chemical or health-related companies hire undergraduates during summers. Career Services can be helpful in locating a suitable position. Some schools around the country have undergraduate research participation programs open to outside students. CU Boulder offers the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and the Biosciences Undergraduate Research Skills and Training (BURST) program to a limited number of students.
- The majors organic chemistry courses are also only taught once a year. Plan ahead for these courses. The elective course CHEM 4021 (Inorganic Synthesis Lab) is also taught only in the Spring semester. Most graduate courses are taught once a year, with a few taught every other year.
- Students taking biology should realize that EBIO 1210/1230 are taught only in the Fall semester, and the second-semester biology courses, EBIO 1220/1240, are taught only in the Spring. The EBIO sequence is also taught during the summer. The MCDB sequence is not taught in the summer.