How does life work at the molecular level? This question is at the core of the concentration program Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. In earlier years of this discipline, the focus was on structure and function of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, carbohydrates and small molecules such as vitamins. Today the logical approach and tools of biochemical science are being expanded to new areas in neuroscience, developmental biology, immunology, pharmacology and synthetic biology (the design of analogs of biological systems). Training in biochemistry begins with a foundation in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. Some courses offered in other departments, including engineering, geology and computer science, are also useful. A key component of this program is the year of hands-on research carried out in collaboration with a faculty member here at Brown. Faculty sponsors are drawn from both the Chemistry Department and the Division of Biology and Medicine, and include basic science and clinical faculty.
Standard program for the Sc.B. degree
Students must take twenty courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics, including the following core requirements, some of these may be fulfilled with AP credits.
| Three courses in mathematics including two courses in MATH 0090/0100 or MATH 0170/0180 with a third class in statistics, math, or computer science 1 | 3 | |
| Options for statistics courses include: 1 | ||
| Essential Statistics | ||
| Statistical Inference I | ||
| Honors Statistical Inference I 3 | ||
| Statistical Analysis of Biological Data | ||
| Statistical Methods | ||
| Essentials of Data Analysis | ||
| Principles of Biostatistics and Data Analysis | ||
| Two courses in physics, typically: 1 | 2 | |
| Basic Physics A | ||
or PHYS 0050 | Foundations of Mechanics | |
or ENGN 0030 | Introduction to Engineering | |
| Basic Physics B | ||
or PHYS 0060 | Foundations of Electromagnetism and Modern Physics | |
or ENGN 0040 | Engineering Statics and Dynamics | |
| Three courses in physical and organic chemistry: | 3 | |
| Equilibrium, Rate, and Structure | ||
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| One course in biophysical chemistry: | 1 | |
| Biophysical and Bioinorganic Chemistry | ||
| Four courses in biochemistry: | 4 | |
| Biochemistry | ||
| Inquiry in Biochemistry: From Gene to Protein Function | ||
Plus two of three upper level biochemistry courses: | ||
| Advanced Biochemistry | ||
or CHEM 1230 | Chemical Biology | |
or CHEM 1240 | Biochemistry | |
| The two semester research requirement may be satisfied by any two of the following. Students should discuss alternative arrangements or special situations directly with their concentration advisor to obtain prior approval. | 2 | |
| Directed Research/Independent Study | ||
| Directed Research/Independent Study | ||
| Undergraduate Research | ||
| Undergraduate Research - Writing Designated and Mandatory S/NC | ||
| Undergraduate Research - Writing Designated | ||
Select biology or chemistry COEX courses (BIOL 0190R, BIOL 0190S, BIOL 0440, BIOL 0600, BIOL 0940G, CHEM 0500) | ||
A summer research experience with faculty in Biology or Chemistry at Brown equivalent or greater in scope and scale to work the student would pursue in a Biology or Chemistry independent study course to satisfy one semester of the research requirement. | ||
| Suggested Elective Courses: | ||
| Students are required to take five courses from the chart below or, with approval from a concentration advisor, from any science or mathematics course relevant to biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. | 5 | |
| Applied Mathematics Electives: | ||
| Methods of Applied Mathematics I | ||
| Mathematical Methods in the Brain Sciences | ||
| Essential Statistics | ||
| Biology Electives: | ||
| Principles of Nutrition | ||
| Techniques in Regenerative Medicine: Cells, Scaffolds and Staining | ||
| Biotechnology in Medicine | ||
| Phage Hunters, Part I | ||
| Phage Hunters, Part II | ||
| The Foundation of Living Systems | ||
| The Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease | ||
| Microbes in the Environment | ||
| Inquiry in Plant Biology: Analysis of Plant Growth, Reproduction and Adaptive Responses | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Cell and Molecular Biology | ||
| Introductory Microbiology | ||
| Principles of Immunology | ||
| Principles of Physiology | ||
| Biology of the Eukaryotic Cell | ||
| Polymer Science for Biomaterials | ||
| Cell Physiology and Biophysics | ||
| Topics in Signal Transduction | ||
| Biomaterials | ||
| Stem Cell Engineering | ||
| Protein Biophysics and Structure | ||
| Synthetic Biological Systems | ||
| Physiological Pharmacology | ||
| Cancer Biology | ||
| Biomolecular Interactions: Health, Disease and Drug Design | ||
| Developmental Biology | ||
| Biology of Reproduction | ||
| Innate Immunity | ||
| Molecular Genetics | ||
| Virology | ||
| Development of Vaccines to Infectious Diseases | ||
| Drug and Gene Delivery | ||
| The Biology of Aging | ||
| Chemistry Electives: | ||
| Inorganic Chemistry | ||
| Physical Chemistry: Quantum Chemistry | ||
| Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics | ||
| Computational Tools in Biochemistry and Chemical Biology | ||
| Chemical Biology | ||
| Biochemistry | ||
| Advanced Organic Chemistry | ||
| Organic Reactions | ||
| Computer Science Electives: | ||
| A First Byte of Computer Science | ||
| Computing Foundations: Data | ||
| Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming and Computer Science | ||
| Introduction to Algorithms and Data Structures | ||
| Computer Science: An Integrated Introduction | ||
| Computer Science: An Integrated Introduction | ||
| Accelerated Introduction to Computer Science | ||
| Computational Molecular Biology | ||
| Engineering Electives: | ||
| Materials Science | ||
| Neuroscience Electives: 2 | ||
| The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience | ||
| Principles of Neurobiology | ||
| Neural Systems | ||
| Introduction to Neurogenetics | ||
| Neuropharmacology and Synaptic Transmission | ||
| The Diseased Brain: Mechanisms of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders | ||
| Physics Electives: | ||
| Introduction to Relativity, Waves and Quantum Physics | ||
| Public Health Electives: | ||
| Essentials of Data Analysis | ||
| Total Credits | 20 | |
| 1 | Note that the mathematics and physics requirements may be satisfied by Advanced Placement credit. |
| 2 | or any NEUR course in Cell, Genetics, Molecular Biology, or Development. |
| 3 | Students may opt to enroll in APMA 1655 for more in depth coverage of APMA 1650. |
Honors Requirements for Biochemistry
All ScB Biochemistry concentrators are candidates for Honors; no separate application is necessary.
The requirements for Honors in Biochemistry are:
* Students must have a majority of either As or S with distinction grades in concentration courses.
* Two semesters of Independent Study (CHEM 0980, CHEM 0980S, CHEM 0981, BIOL 1950, or BIOL 1960). Guidelines and requirements associated with Independent Study are in the Undergraduate Concentration Handbook which can be found at the department website.
* A Thesis in a form approved by the research advisor, and recommended by the research advisor. Additional information about thesis guidelines will be provided by the Concentration Advisor in the first half of the fall semester.
* An oral presentation of the thesis in a fifteen-minute senior talk followed by a five-minute question and answer period.