BS in Biochemistry
Susquehanna University
Key Information
Campus location
Selinsgrove, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 54,440 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* tuition 2022-23
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
A launch pad to your bright future
Biochemistry is one of the most exciting degrees you can pursue in college.
You will apply chemical and physical principles to increase your knowledge of the complex chemical reactions among molecules in biological systems.
Learn to more fully understand life by studying the chemical relationship with the environment. The uses for this knowledge are astounding.
- Unlock human genomes
- Study genetic mutations and evolution
- Cure devastating diseases
- Make a difference
Work closely with biochemistry faculty on research using the latest equipment and technology — chromatography systems, laser systems, and a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. Get comfortable in a modern laboratory setting doing research with our first-class faculty.
Cutting-edge science, practical implications
Want to use a degree in biochemistry to go to medical school? Smart choice.
With a liberal arts background and valuable research experience, you’ll be better prepared to succeed on the latest version of the MCAT exam — which now includes questions on the biochemical foundations of living systems and an increased emphasis on critical thinking and problem-solving. Our interdisciplinary minors help you gain a better understanding of important topics in today’s world.
Or you’ll be ready to step right into a job or a graduate program because of your experience in a research internship and/or presenting research at national conferences.
Gallery
Curriculum
Requirements for Major
When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.
Requirements for the Majors in Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Chemical Physics
Susquehanna offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry and Bachelor of Science degrees in chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical physics. Two biochemistry tracks are available: an ACS-Certified track and a Biology-Intensive track. The ACS-Certified track includes courses that cover properties of metals, spectroscopic techniques, and instrumental methods that will prepare students for careers or graduate programs in the areas of biochemistry or biophysics. The Biology-Intensive track includes courses that will offer a solid foundation in chemical principles in addition to biological systems and will prepare students for careers or graduate programs in the biological sciences or biochemistry or the health care professions.
Double-counting restriction
Students pursuing a chemistry or biochemistry major in the chemistry department may double-count a maximum of 16 semester hours toward another major or minor.
Biochemistry
The Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry requires the following courses with grades of C- or better:
- 4 General Chemistry I - choose from: CHEM-101, CHEM-103 or CHEM-111
- 4 General Chemistry II - choose from: CHEM-102, CHEM-104 or CHEM-232
- 4 CHEM-221 Organic Chemistry I
- 4 CHEM-222 Organic Chemistry II
- 4 CHEM-242 Methods of Chemical Analysis
- 4 CHEM-341 Physical Chemistry I
- 4 CHEM-426 The Biochemistry of Proteins and Enzymes and CHEM-427 Biochemistry of Proteins and Enzymes Laboratory
- 4 CHEM-422 Biochemistry of Nucleic Acid and CHEM-423 The Biochemistry of Nucleic Acid Lab or CHEM-424 The Biochemistry of Metabolism and CHEM-429 Biochemistry of Metabolism Lab
- 4 Four semester equivalents of CHEM-505 Seminar
- 4 Introductory Physics I: Calculus (Choose from: PHYS-203 or PHYS-204)
- 4 Introductory Physics II: Calculus (PHYS-206)
- 4 BIOL-102 Cell Biology and Genetics
- 4 CHEM-400 Research Experience
- 2 CHEM-500 Problems in Chemistry and Biochemistry
- 0-8 Mathematics through MATH-112 Calculus II
In addition to the courses outlined above, students will complete one of the following two options.
Biology Intensive Track
12 Semester hours of biology courses beyond BIOL-102, at least 8 of which must be at or above the 300 level (excluding BIOL-501 and BIOL-510)
ACS-Certified Track
- 4 Semester hours of biology courses beyond BIOL-102, at or above the 300 level (excluding BIOL-501 and BIOL-510)
- 4 CHEM-450 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
- 4 CHEM-342 Physical Chemistry II or CHEM-430 Instrumental Analysis
A student completing a double-major that includes a B.S. in Biochemistry may replace CHEM-500 with a capstone in the second major.
Secondary Teaching Certification
The Chemistry Department offers secondary teaching certification for both chemistry and biochemistry majors.
Coursework required by the state of Pennsylvania for admission to the teacher certification program includes successful completion of ENGL-100 Writing and Thinking or equivalent course, at least 3 semester hours in British or American literature, at least 6 semester hours of mathematics coursework (or other courses which satisfy the Central Curriculum Analytical Thought requirement), and at least one 40-hour externship. Education course requirements for secondary education are EDUC-101 Introduction to Education and Society, EDUC-250 Educational Psychology, EDUC-260 Introduction to Special Education, EDUC-270 Instruction of Exceptional Students, EDUC-330 Technology in Education, EDUC-350 English Language Learners: Theory and Instruction, EDUC-380 Instructional Design, EDUC-424 Methods of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in Teaching Science, EDUC-479 Principles of Learning and Teaching in Secondary Education, EDUC-483 Differentiated Instruction and Classroom Management in Secondary Education, and the EDUC-500 Student Teaching Package (EDUC-501, EDUC-502, EDUC-503, and EDUC-600).
In addition, secondary education chemistry students complete all of the usual requirements for the chemistry or biochemistry major, except for CHEM-400 and CHEM-500 (which are fulfilled with EDUC-500 Student Teaching Package.) While not required, it is recommended that secondary education students complete at least 2 semester hours of CHEM-400.
Other requirements
Students must select at least four courses from the following list, with at least one course from each department and no more than two courses from a single department. Students may take additional courses as long as the total number of semester hours in the major does not exceed 64.
Chemistry
- 4 CHEM-306 Nanoscience
- 4 CHEM-430 Instrumental Analysis
Mathematics
- 4 MATH-211 Multivariate Calculus
- 4 MATH-353 Differential Equations
Physics
- 4 PHYS-101 Introduction to Digital and Analog Electronics
- 4 PHYS-195 Independent Thought and Exploration in Physics
- 4 PHYS-306 Modern Physics
Requirements for Minor
When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.
Minor in Biochemistry
Students minoring in biochemistry complete General Chemistry I (CHEM-101, CHEM-103 or CHEM-111) and General Chemistry II (CHEM-102, CHEM-104 or CHEM-232), the Organic Chemistry I-II sequence (CHEM-221-222), The Biochemistry of Proteins and Enzymes lecture and lab (CHEM-426 and CHEM-427), and either CHEM-422 The Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids or CHEM-424 The Biochemistry of Metabolism.
Courses Options
- CHEM 100 Trends in Chemistry, Credits: 4
- CHEM 100L Trends in Chemistry Lab, Credits: 0–0
- CHEM 101 General Chemistry I, Credits: 4
- CHEM 102 General Chemistry II, Credits: 4
- CHEM 103 General Chemistry I Teams, Credits: 4
- CHEM 104 General Chemistry II, Credits: 4
- CHEM 105 General Chemistry I Lab, Credits: 0–0
- CHEM 106 General Chemistry II Lab, Credits: 0–0
- CHEM 111 General Chemistry I Teams WS, Credits: 4
- CHEM 200 Research Exploration, Credits: 1–4
- CHEM 221 Organic Chemistry I, Credits: 4
- CHEM 221L Organic Chemistry I Lab, Credits: 0–0
- CHEM 222 Organic Chemistry II, Credits: 4
- CHEM 222L Organic Chemistry II Lab, Credits: 0–0
- CHEM 232 Structure and Reactivity, Credits: 4
- CHEM 242 Methods of Chemical Analysis, Credits: 4
- CHEM 300 Topics in Chemistry, Credits: 1–4
- CHEM 302 Medicinal Chemistry, Credits: 4
- CHEM 303 Science Ethics, Blunders, and Fraud, Credits: 4
- CHEM 304 Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Credits: 4
- CHEM 305 Forensic Chemistry, Credits: 4
- CHEM 306 Nanoscience, Credits: 4
- CHEM 311 Analytical Chemistry, Credits: 4
- CHEM 314 Survey of Biochemistry, Credits: 4
- CHEM 341 Physical Chemistry I, Credits: 4
- CHEM 342 Physical Chemistry II, Credits: 4
- CHEM 400 Research Experience, Credits: 1–4
- CHEM 422 Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids, Credits: 3
- CHEM 423 Biochemistry Nucleic Acids Lab, Credits: 1
- CHEM 424 The Biochemistry of Metabolism, Credits: 3
- CHEM 426 Biochemistry of Proteins & Enzymes, Credits: 3
- CHEM 427 Biochemistry of Proteins & Enzymes Lab, Credits: 1
- CHEM 429 Biochemistry of Metabolism Lab, Credits: 1
- CHEM 430 Instrumental Analysis, Credits: 4
- CHEM 450 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, Credits: 4
- CHEM 490 Independent Study, Credits: 1–6
- CHEM 500 Problems in Chemistry and Biochemistry, Credits: 2
- CHEM 501 Independent Study, Credits: 1–4
- CHEM 505 Seminar, Credits: 1–4
- CHEM 590 Chemistry Internship, Credits: 1–4
Program Outcome
Learning Goals
- Demonstrate the ability to apply appropriate chemical and physical models to make predictions or draw conclusions regarding chemical systems or phenomena. Examples of chemical systems are compound formation (synthesis), energy transfer, equilibrium composition, various physical properties, chemical reactivity, etc.
- Demonstrate mastery of laboratory skills and execute common experimental techniques.
- Demonstrate the ability to design, prepare, execute and adjust experiments.
- Describe the theoretical and operational principles of common laboratory instrumentation such as NMR, FT- IR, UV-Vis, AA, fluorescence spectrometers, GC-MS, HPLC, and electrochemical analysis instrumentation, as well as their typical uses, sensitivities, and limitations. Interpret the data collected with such instrumentation.
- Find topic-specific chemical literature, interpret and evaluate chemical studies as described in scientific journals, and describe these conclusions through written and oral presentations.
- Analyze and interpret data to detect trends, evaluate the quality of data and reach scientifically valid conclusions.
Career Opportunities
Recent graduates have enrolled in programs at:
- Albert Einstein School of Medicine
- Brown University
- Cornell University
- Drexel University College of Medicine
- Georgetown University
- Johns Hopkins University
- The Ohio State University
- Pennsylvania College of Optometry
- Pennsylvania State University
- Thomas Jefferson Medical School
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Connecticut
- Western University of Health Sciences
- Yale University
Recent graduates have worked at:
- Amgen
- Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory
- Eli Lilly
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Merck & Co.
- National Institutes of Health
- Precision Dermatologics
- Sanofi
English Language Requirements
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