Oct 14, 2024  
2024-2025 University Catalog 
    
2024-2025 University Catalog

Biochemistry: Pre-Med Concentration, BS

Location(s): West Lafayette


About the Program


Biochemistry, the chemistry of living things, addresses the basic materials and processes of life itself. Biochemists investigate the chemical nature of such fundamental processes as the regulation of gene expression, the hormonal control of cell proliferation and differentiation. Knowledge of the molecular underpinnings of biological materials allows us to understand life processes and solve basic biological problems.

Students in the Department of Biochemistry, historically situated in the College of Agriculture, enjoy close mentoring by faculty through smaller class sizes and academic advising. Another strength of our program is that we strongly promote hands-on research and critical thinking skills. All students in the department participate in undergraduate research supervised by a faculty member.

There is also an opportunity to complete a five-year dual degree with biological engineering following acceptance into the College of Engineering.

How to apply to Biochemistry in the College of Agriculture

Biochemistry Website

Biochemistry Major Change (CODO) Requirements   

Degree Requirements


120 Credits Required

Departmental/Program Major Courses (52-56 credits)


Required Major Courses (26-29 credits)


Pre-Med Concentration Course and Selectives (26-27 credits)


Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (57-58 credits)


Electives (6-11 credits)


  •  Electives - Credit Hours: 6.00-11.00

Grade Requirements


Core major coursework in biochemistry is defined as CHM 115/116/255/256, BIOL 231, BCHM 361/462. Biochemistry students must earn grades of C- or better in all of their core coursework to proceed in the major.

College of Agriculture & University Level Requirements


College of Agriculture Pass/No Pass Policy


College of Agriculture Undergraduate Pass/No Pass Policy 

Transfer Credit Policy


Transfer courses listed in the Purdue Transfer Equivalency Guide with specific Purdue Subject codes (e.g. BIOL) may be used to fulfill degree requirements at the discretion of the College of Agriculture. However, Agriculture transfer courses listed with “UND” Purdue Subject codes cannot be used for any requirements in the College of Agriculture at Purdue.

GPA Requirements


  • 2.0 GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.

University Requirements


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC) 

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement


The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test.  The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused.  There are three different pathways:

  • Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
  • Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
  • Approved course pathway - Complete  one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.

More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.

Upper Level Requirement


  • Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
  • Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.

Sample 4-Year Plan


12-14 Credits


Spring 1st Year


16-18 Credits


15 Credits


16-17 Credits


14 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


14-16 Credits


Fall 4th Year


14 Credits


Spring 4th Year


14-17 Credits


Pre-Requisite Information


For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.

World Language Courses


World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.