Biochemistry
Important Note: This is the archived version of the 2013–2015 Undergraduate Catalog. The information on these pages was archived on August 6, 2013 and will not be updated as requirement and/or program changes are approved. Please see www.uic.edu/ucat for the most up-to-date requirements.
Preprofessional Approval
BS in Biochemistry
Department of Chemistry: (312) 996–3161
Interdepartmental Biochemistry Committee:
Louise E. Anderson (Biological Sciences), Wonwha Cho (Chemistry), Constance Jeffery (Biological Sciences), Brian Nichols (Biological Sciences)
The Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry is awarded by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to students who successfully complete this curriculum. It is a joint program of the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Chemistry. It is intended for students planning advanced study in biochemistry or molecular biology, who wish to pursue a medical degree, or who will be seeking employment and careers in biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, or related fields. Students may be advised through either department.
The BS in Biochemistry is certified by the American Chemical Society and endorsed by the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
To earn a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry degree from UIC, students need to complete University, college, and department degree requirements. The degree requirements for the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Chemistry are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.
| BS in Biochemistry Degree Requirements | Hours |
| Requirements for the Curriculum | 120 |
| Total Hours—BS in Biochemistry | 120 |
Requirements for the Curriculum
The requirements for the curriculum include the courses necessary to complete the General Education and Writing-in-the-Discipline requirements described in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section.
| Courses | Hours |
| ENGL 160—Academic Writing I: Writing for Academic and Public Contexts | 3 |
| ENGL 161—Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| Foreign language (the equivalent of two years of a single language at the college level) | 0–16 |
| Exploring World Cultures coursea | 3 |
| Understanding the Creative Arts coursea | 3 |
| Understanding the Individual and Society coursea | 3 |
| Understanding the Past coursea | 3 |
| Understanding U.S. Society coursea | 3 |
| MATH 180—Calculus Ibc | 5 |
| MATH 181—Calculus IIc | 5 |
| One of the following sequences in physics: | 8–10 |
| PHYS 141—General Physics I (Mechanics) (4)c | |
| PHYS 142—General Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism) (4)c | |
| OR | |
| PHYS 105—Introductory Physics I—Lecture (4)cd | |
| PHYS 106—Introductory Physics I—Laboratory (1)cd | |
| PHYS 107—Introductory Physics II—Lecture (4)cd | |
| PHYS 108—Introductory Physics II—Laboratory (1)cd |
|
| BIOS 100—Biology of Cells and Organismsc | 5 |
| BIOS 101—Biology of Populations and Communitiesc | 5 |
| BIOS 220—Mendelian and Molecular Genetics | 3 |
| One of the following sequences in general and analytical chemistry: | 14 |
| CHEM 116—Honors General Chemistry I (5)c | |
| CHEM 118—Honors General Chemistry II (5)c | |
| CHEM 222—Analytical Chemistry (4) | |
| OR | |
| CHEM 112—General College Chemistry I (5)c | |
| CHEM 114—General College Chemistry II (5)c | |
| CHEM 222—Analytical Chemistry (4) | |
| CHEM 232—Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 233—Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 234—Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| One of the following physical chemistry sequences: | 9 |
| CHEM 342—Physical Chemistry I (3) | |
| CHEM 343—Physical Chemistry Laboratory (3)e | |
| CHEM 346—Physical Chemistry II (3) |
|
| OR | |
| CHEM 342—Physical Chemistry I (3) | |
| CHEM 343—Physical Chemistry Laboratory (3)e | |
| CHEM 344—Physical Chemistry for Biochemists (3) | |
| CHEM/BIOS 452—Biochemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM/BIOS 454—Biochemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 455—Biochemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| CHEM 314—Inorganic Chemistry | 4 |
| Electives, chosen in consultation with an academic advisor, including at least two advanced-level courses (6 hours) in the biological sciences. One of these courses must be from either the area of cell and molecular biology or the area of microbiology. | 6–21 |
| Minimum Total Hours—Requirements for the Curriculum | 120 |
a Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog for a list of approved courses in this category.
b MATH 180 fulfills the LAS Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
c This course is approved for the Analyzing the Natural World General Education category.
d Each of the following pairs will be considered one course in meeting the LAS General Education requirements: PHYS 105/PHYS 106 and PHYS 107/PHYS 108.
e CHEM 343 fulfills the LAS Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement.
Note: Students who are not ready to take MATH 180 and CHEM 112 in the first year should expect to take summer session courses and/or take longer than four years to graduate.
| Freshman Year | |
| Courses | Hours |
| MATH 180—Calculus I | 5 |
| MATH 181—Calculus II | 5 |
| One of the following general and analytical chemistry sequences: | 10 |
| CHEM 116—Honors General Chemistry I (5) | |
| CHEM 118—Honors General Chemistry II (5) | |
| OR | |
| CHEM 112—General College Chemistry I (5) | |
| CHEM 114—General College Chemistry II (5) | |
| BIOS 100—Biology of Cells and Organisms | 5 |
| BIOS 101—Biology of Populations and Communities | 5 |
| Sophomore Year | |
| Courses | Hours |
| One of the following general physics sequences: | 8–10 |
| PHYS 141—General Physics I (Mechanics) (4) | |
| PHYS 142—General Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism) (4) | |
| OR | |
| PHYS 105—Introductory Physics I—Lecture (4) | |
| PHYS 106—Introductory Physics I—Laboratory (1) | |
| PHYS 107—Introductory Physics II—Lecture (4) | |
| PHYS 108—Introductory Physics II—Laboratory (1) | |
| CHEM 232—Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 233—Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 1 |
| CHEM 234—Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 222—Analytical Chemistry | 4 |
| BIOS 220—Mendelian and Molecular Genetics | 3 |
| College requirements |
| Junior Year | |
| Courses | Hours |
| CHEM 314—Inorganic Chemistry | 4 |
| One of the following options: | 9 or 3 |
| CHEM 342—Physical Chemistry I (3) | |
| CHEM 343—Physical Chemistry Laboratory (3) | |
| CHEM 346—Physical Chemistry II (3) | |
| OR | |
| CHEM 342—Physical Chemistry I (3) | |
| Electives and College requirements |
| Senior Year | |
| Courses | Hours |
| CHEM/BIOS 452—Biochemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM/BIOS 454—Biochemistry II | 4 |
| One of the following options: | 6 or 0 |
| CHEM 343—Physical Chemistry Laboratory (3) | |
| CHEM 344—Physical Chemistry for Biochemists (3) | |
| OR | |
| NONE | |
| CHEM 455—Biochemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| Electives and College requirements |
Distinction. Research is recognized as an important component of the honors candidate’s program. Favorable consideration will be given to those individuals who demonstrate superior performance in chemical or biological research. Distinction in biochemistry is awarded to students who qualify as described below:
- A GPA of at least 3.50/4.00 in chemistry, biology, and mathematics courses, excluding independent study or independent research.
- Evidence of biochemical research ability as demonstrated by research in chemistry CHEM 499—Supervised Research (3) or BIOS 399—Independent Research (2). Students who qualify for program distinction may be conferred high or highest distinction on the basis of superior performance.
High Distinction. In addition to fulfilling criterion 2 above, a GPA of at least 3.70/4.00 in chemistry, biology, mathematics, and physics courses.
Highest Distinction. In addition to fulfilling criterion 2 above, a GPA of at least 3.80/4.00 in chemistry, biology, mathematics, and physics courses, and presentation of other evidence of truly exceptional performance. Such performance may be identified in one or more of the following ways: independent research at an advanced level, superior performance in class work beyond that reflected in the grade point average, rapid completion of course requirements, completion of honors activities in 300-level course work taken through the Honors College.
