Major
Biology Component
Students must complete five courses as detailed below:
| BIO 130 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 units |
| BIO 349 | Biochemistry I | 4 units |
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One course from:
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| BIO 105 | Marine Biology | 4 units |
| BIO 115 | General Zoology | 4 units |
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One course from:
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| BIO 221 | Molecular Biology | 4 units |
| BIO 224 | Genetic Analysis | 4 units |
| BIO 226 | Cell Biology | 4 units |
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And one course from:
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| BIO 320 | Developmental Biology | 4 units |
| BIO 323 | Histology | 4 units |
| BIO 325 | Microbial Diversity | 4 units |
| BIO 326 | Molecular Phylogenetics | 4 units |
| BIO 330 | Immunology | 4 units |
| BIO 333 | Neurobiology | 4 units |
| BIO 336 | Microbial Pathogenesis | 4 units |
| BIO 340 | Sensory Biology and Neurophysiology | 4 units |
| BIO 345 | Virology | 4 units |
| KINE 306 | Biochemistry of Exercise and Energy | 4 units |
Chemistry Component
| CHEM 120 | Foundations of General Chemistry | 4 units |
Or
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| CHEM 130 | Advanced Placement General Chemistry | 4 units |
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| CHEM 220 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 units |
| CHEM 221 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 units |
| CHEM 240 | Integrated Concepts in General Chemistry | 4 units |
| CHEM 350 | Biochemistry | 4 units |
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| CHEM 300 | Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics - Kinetics | 4 units |
Or
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| CHEM 301 | Biophysical Chemistry | 4 units |
Mathematics Component
Physics Component
One course from:
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| PHYS 110 | Introductory Mechanics | 4 units |
| PHYS 115 | General Physics I | 4 units |
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And one course from:
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| PHYS 125 | General Physics II | 4 units |
| PHYS 230 | Introductory Electricity and Magnetism | 4 units |
Senior Seminar
Students are to enroll in BICH 490 (2 units) each semester of their senior year.
Honors in the Major
In addition to the requirements for College honors (see the Awards section), the student will successfully defend a written thesis based upon the outcome of his or her laboratory research effort as an undergraduate as detailed below.
Guidelines for College Honors in Biochemistry
Requirements
- Students typically will have worked on a research project for at least 2 semesters (or 1 semester + summer session), before applying for honors.
- Students must have an average GPA of 3.25 (college policy).
Application Process
- Students should discuss doing Honors with their research mentor, get their approval, and submit an official Letter of Intent to the Biochemistry Chairperson(s) by the beginning of their senior year, or sooner.
- Letters of intent should include a summary of research results (realized and projected), as well as significance of the research and any projects in progress at the time of submission.
- Applications will be evaluated by the biochemistry program faculty.
- Students nominated for honors will be notified by the Biochemistry Chairperson(s).
Completion Process
- After nomination, by September 30th each candidate will select an honors thesis committee of two Biochemistry program faculty members (excluding Chairperson(s)), in addition to their faculty mentor. This committee will be available for guidance and to help throughout the honors process.
- Mentors will check in with Chairperson(s) during the first week of classes in the Spring semester to confirm that honors candidates have enough content to proceed.
- Candidates will work with their mentor, committee members, and Chairperson(s) to establish a timeline for the completion of the written thesis and honors presentation. This timeline must conform to the guidelines below and any college requirements for the completion of honors. This timeline is due to the Chairperson(s) before March.
- Requirements for receiving honors:
- The candidate must complete a written thesis of their work. Draft deadlines must allow ample time for revision. The final thesis must be completed before the honors presentation.
- Honors candidates will give a presentation on their research. These presentations will last approximately 15-20 minutes, with 5-10 min for questions (20-30 minutes total). Honors presentations are typically scheduled during Senior Seminar in the middle of April.
- Honors are recorded as Pass/Fail and are reported to the registrar by the Chairperson(s). The Chairperson(s) will inform the students of their performance when it is decided upon by the committee. The deadline for submitting honors results is announced by the registrar in the yearly academic calendar (usually end of April).