Biochemistry Major

For more information about the department, honors/high honors, transfer credit, etc., visit the chemistry department page.

Major Requirements

The major program consists of the following requirements:

General Chemistry Option

The following two courses:

CHEM 101 - General Chemistry I and
CHEM 101L
CHEM 102 - General Chemistry II and
CHEM 102L
or, if eligible, the following course may be substituted for the above sequence:
CHEM 111 - Chemical Principles and
CHEM 111L

All of the Following

BIOL 182 - Molecules, Cells, and Genes and
BIOL 182L
CHEM 263 - Organic Chemistry I and
CHEM 263L
CHEM 264 - Organic Chemistry II and
CHEM 264L
CHEM 353 - Proteins and Nucleic Acids
CHEM 385 - Biophysical Chemistry Methods
CHEM 481 - Advanced Chemistry Research Biochemistry majors who participate in Colgate’s NIH Study Group in the fall of their senior year are exempted from CHEM 481.
CHEM 482 - Advanced Chemistry Research

Inorganic Chemistry

One of the following:

Biochemistry of Gene Expression

BIOL 361 - Biochemistry of Gene Expression
Or another BIOL course at the 300 or 400 level, with approval of the department chair

Physical Chemistry

CHEM 336 - Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences
Or with approval of the department chair either:
CHEM 333 - Physical Chemistry I
CHEM 334 - Physical Chemistry II

Integrated Laboratory Course

At least one CHEM 380-series integrated laboratory course:

Half-Semester Courses

At least one course credit from the half-semester courses:

Note

Independent Studies (CHEM 291 , CHEM 391 , CHEM 491 ) may not normally be substituted for one of the courses listed in the above requirements, but if it can be demonstrated that such a course provides sufficient breadth at the advanced level, the department will consider a petition for substitution.

Additional Requirements

Calculus Course Option

At least one course from the following:

MATH 162 - Calculus II
MATH 163 - Calculus III
MATH 161
is recommended for students with minimal secondary school calculus experience.

Physics Sequence

One of the following sequences (usually taken in the sophomore year):

PHYS 111 - Fundamental Physics I and
PHYS 111L
PHYS 112 - Fundamental Physics II and
PHYS 112L
or
PHYS 131 - Atoms and Waves and
PHYS 131L
PHYS 232 - Introduction to Mechanics and
PHYS 232L
or
PHYS 232 - Introduction to Mechanics
and
PHYS 232L
PHYS 233 - Introduction to Electricity and Magnetism and
PHYS 233L

Seminar Series

Junior and senior majors are expected to attend a weekly seminar series at which students, faculty, and guests present topics from the current literature and their own research.

GPA Requirement

An overall GPA of at least 2.00 is required for the chemistry and biology courses (and associated labs) chosen to meet major requirements.

Recommendations

Those who wish to major in biochemistry normally take CHEM 101 /CHEM 101L and CHEM 102 /CHEM 102L (or CHEM 111 /CHEM 111L ) and the necessary math courses in the first year. The standard sophomore courses are CHEM 263 /CHEM 263L and CHEM 264 /CHEM 264L , plus the year of introductory physics or BIOL 182 /BIOL 182L (formerly BIOL 212/212L). Typically, juniors will take CHEM 353 and CHEM 385 in the fall or spring semester, and CHEM 336 in the spring semester. Students can elect to take either CHEM 371 /CHEM 381 in the fall term or CHEM 214 and a CHEM 380-series integrated laboratory course CHEM 381 , CHEM 382 or CHEM 384 in the spring semester. Seniors take CHEM 481 , CHEM 482 along with one course credit from CHEM 452 , CHEM 454 , or CHEM 468 .