Chemical Biology refers to the application of Chemistry to biological problems. The “Chemical Biology” track to the B.S. in Chemistry is intended for students interested in this area or in careers in the medical field. Like the “Chemistry” track, it provides a sound background in Chemistry but also includes a solid core of Biology courses so that students completing it will not only have the chemical knowledge to understand the methods they are using, but also will have the knowledge of Biology necessary to understand the systems they intend to study.
A total of 128 credit hours are required for graduation. Eighteen of these are completely free electives. Students should select these in consultation with the advisor to give a balanced program totaling 128 credit hours. CHEM 4010 Inorganic Chemistry II is a recommended but not required elective.
Undergraduate research is an integral part of the program. A minimum of 3 credits combined of undergraduate research (CHEM 2930 , CHEM 2940 , CHEM 2950 , and/or CHEM 4970 ) or a SURP/URP or internship position are required as prerequisites for CHEM 4950 .
Students considering medical school should include a semester of General Psychology and a semester of Sociology among their HASS or elective courses.
Students with weak backgrounds in Biology should take BIOL 1010 and BIOL 1015 or BIOL 1016 in their first year, deferring a HASS course.
Courses can be taken out of sequence as long as prerequisites are followed.