Mar 28, 2024  
2016-2017 University Catalog 
    
2016-2017 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biochemistry (ACS), BSCH


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About the Program

Biochemists study the chemical basis of life. Some of the major problems include the transfer of genetic information to biological structures, the conversion of nutrients into cell constituents and their utilization as sources of energy, the storage of memory, and the chemical nature of neural processes. Furthermore, biochemists are interested in the chemical details of important processes such as photosynthesis, blood clotting, fertilization, and other functions that may be unique to certain organisms. This program includes six credits of undergraduate research in a wide range of fields, including drug discovery, nano-medicine, protein structure determination, development and application of novel chemical tools to dissect different biological processes.
By concentrating advanced elective credit hours in biochemistry and by taking biology courses, this degree provides an excellent preparation for medical, dental, or veterinary schools. This program would particularly benefit those planning careers in medical research.

Biochemistry (Chemistry) Website

Degree Requirements and Supplemental Information

The full Program Requirements for 2016-17 Biochemistry (ACS)  include all Supplemental Information and selective lists of those categories which a student must fulfill in order to earn their degree. These are intended to be printer-friendly, but include less descriptive course detail.

Please see below for program requirements and the necessary degree fulfillments.

CHEM-BSCHM
BICH
120 Credits
2.0 GPA in CHM courses and 2.0 GPA overall

Curriculum and Degree Requirements


A College of Science degree is conferred when a student successfully completes all requirements in their degree program.  Students will complete coursework or approved experiential learning activities to meet the following three degree components:

  1. Major
  2. Science Core Curriculum
  3. Free Electives

Students may use any of the following options to meet College of Science degree requirements:

  • Purdue Coursework
  • Ap, IB, and CLEP credit.  The use of AP and IB coursework varies between College of Science degree plans.
  • Transfer Credit. Students should consult the Admissions Transfer Credit Resource page for all available transfer options.

College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of the proceeding options and thus students are strongly encouraged to work closely with their academic advisors and to regularly consult their MyPurduePlan to view the use of each option in their degree plan. 


Most College of Science degree programs contain free elective credits students may use to pursue courses that relate to their interests or which support their major area of study. The elective area of a degree plan may also be used to complete minors, second majors and certificates such as the Entrepreneurial Certificate. With the exception of courses on the No Count List, any Purdue course may be used to meet the free elective area of a student’s degree plan.

College of Science Core Requirements

All Students starting Purdue University Fall semester, 2007 or later are required to pursue the 2007 Science Core curriculum.

The College of Science Core Curriculum requires the completion of approved coursework and/or experiential learning opportunities in the following academic areas:

Earning Core Curricular Requirements through Experience

Students may meet selected core curriculum requirements through approved experiential learning opportunities. Interested students should contact their academic advisor for more information on this option and incorporating experiential learning into their four-year program of study. For more information on earning requirements through experience, please click here.

Departmental/Program Major Courses (107-120 credits)


Other Departmental /Program Course Requirements (25-38 credits)


  • (satisfies Written Communication for core) (satisfies Information Literacy Selective for core)
  • (satisfies Oral Communication for core)
  • Language I Selective - Credit Hours: 0.00 - 3.00
  • Language II Selective - Credit Hours: 0.00 - 3.00
  • Language and Culture III Selective (select courses could satisfy Human Cultures Humanities for core) - Credit Hours: 0.00 - 3.00
  • General Education I Selective (select courses could satisfy Human Cultures Humanities for core) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • General Education II Selective (select courses could satisfy Human Cultures Humanities for core) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • General Education III Selective (select courses could satisfy Human Culture Behavioral/Social Science for core) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Great Issues Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Multidisciplinary Selective (can be satisfied with a minor) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  •  

  • (satisfies Information Literacy Selective for core) or
  • (satisfies Information Literacy Selective for core)
  •  

  • or

Electives (1-9 credits)


University Core Requirements


  • Human Cultures Humanities
  • Human Cultures Behavioral/Social Science
  • Information Literacy
  • Science #1
  • Science #2
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Written Communication
  • Oral Communication
  • Quantitative Reasoning
  • For a complete listing of course selectives, visit the Provost’s Website or click here .

Program Requirements


18 Credits


Spring 1st Year


16 Credits


14 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


15 Credits


16-17 Credits


15 Credits


16 Credits


Spring 4th Year


13 Credits


Note


*Satisfies a University Core Requirement

**Satisfies a Non-departmental Major Course Requirement

Students must earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all CHM courses.

Students must have 32 credits at the 30000 level or above taken at Purdue.

120 semester credits required for Bachelor of Science degree.

2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.

Degree Requirements


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Foreign Language Courses


Foreign Language proficiency requirements vary by program.  For acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor:

American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, (ancient) Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical. A Critical Course is one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.

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