You are here: Campus >Registrar's Office > Academic Catalog 2012-2013 > Courses > Biochemistry Concentration

Biochemistry Concentration (BICHM)

Browse faculty and Staff

The biochemistry program at Carleton rests on the close cooperation between the departments of Biology and Chemistry. Emerging as a recognized discipline early in the last century, biochemistry has grown into a vast subject that spans several established disciplines. It serves as the link between the fields of chemistry and biology, and even as it flourishes at the interface of these subjects, it holds a strong position within the two traditional disciplines. Fundamentally, biochemistry seeks to establish an understanding of biological phenomena at a molecular level.

Requirements for the Concentration

The biochemistry concentration requirements reflect the fundamental importance of the intellectual tools and structures of biology and chemistry to the study of all issues in biochemistry, and we ask students to get a grounding in both disciplines. It is likely that many students enrolling in the concentration will major in either biology or chemistry. To encourage breadth within the concentration, no more than five six-credit courses from a student’s own major may be counted toward the minimum requirements of the concentration.

Both the biology and chemistry departments maintain vigorous weekly seminar programs, regularly bringing to the college distinguished scientists, including many biochemists. Each concentrator should make it a priority to attend relevant seminars whenever possible. At the beginning of each term, concentrators will be notified of the pertinent biology and chemistry seminars held that term.

Finally, both the chemistry and biology departments regularly offer integrative exercise experiences in biochemistry as an option for their majors. Concentrators who are biology or chemistry majors have the option of furthering their pursuit of biochemistry through a biochemical topic as the basis for their senior integrative exercise.

Course Requirements

Students must take one introductory chemistry course chosen from Chemistry 123 Principles of Chemistry or Chemistry 128, Principles of Environmental Chemistry; one biology course chosen from either version of Biology 125 Genes, Evolution, and Development. Students must take all of the following courses: Biology 126, Energy Flow in Biological Systems, Biology 380, Biochemistry, Chemistry 230, Equilibrium and Analysis, Chemistry 233, Organic Chemistry I and Chemistry 234 Organic Chemistry II. Students must take one laboratory course from Biology 381 Biochemistry Laboratory or Chemistry 321, Biological Chemistry Laboratory.

Upper Level Course Electives

(one course is required)

BIOL 310 Immunology

BIOL 367 The Molecular Basis of Human Disease

BIOL 372 Seminar: Selected Topics in Exercise Biochemistry

BIOL 382 Molecular Biology

BIOL 385 Microbial Pathology (not offered in 2012-2013)

CHEM 324 Chemistry and Biology of Antibiotics

CHEM 343 Chemical Thermodynamics

CHEM 350 Chemical and Biosynthesis (not offered in 2012-2013)

CHEM 360 Chemical Biology (not offered in 2012-2013)


Other relevant courses