Course Requirements for B.S. in Biochemistry

The following is a nearly complete outline of the course requirements for the Biochemistry degree. Students should consult the ISU catalog for the complete details of all the requirements in the major.

Biochemistry Courses
BBMB 101 (1 credit) Introduction to Biochemical Activities

Career opportunities in biochemistry. Current research in biochemistry and an introduction to structure-function of biochemical compounds.

BBMB 102 (1 credit) Introduction to Biochemistry Techniques

A laboratory course. Students isolate and characterize some biochemical substances, using techniques of chromatography, spectrophotometry, electrophoresis, etc.

BBMB 404 and BBMB 405 (3 cr. ea.) General Biochemistry

Fundamental, rigorous treatment of biochemistry. Structure of amino acids, structure and function of proteins, enzyme kinetics, enzyme mechanisms, structure of carbohydrates, structure of lipids, structure of nucleic acids, metabolism of carbohydrates, metabolism of lipids, metabolism of amino acids, biosynthesis of DNA and replication, the genetic code, translation and protein biosynthesis, and hormone action.

BBMB 411 (3 cr.) Biochemical Research Techniques

Laboratory techniques for studying biochemistry, including properties of biomolecules, enzymology, spectrophotometry, chromatography, electrophoresis, use of radioisotopes, enzyme purification, enzyme kinetics, radioimmunoassay, and recombinant DNA experiments.

BBMB 461 (2 cr.) Introduction to Biophysics

Biological phenomena viewed as problems in physics, including bioenergetics, muscle contraction, nerve conduction, vision, and physical properties of biomolecules.

BBMB 499 (variable) Undergraduate Research

Direct participation as an investigator in one of the Department's research laboratories. Highly recommended but not required.

CHEMISTRY COURSES
CHEM 177 (4 credits) and CHEM 178 (3 credits) General Chemistry I and II

Principles and quantitative relationships, stoichiometry, chemical equilibrium, acid-base chemistry, thermochemistry, rates and mechanism of reactions, changes of state, solution behavior, atomic structure, periodic relationships, chemical bonding. Electro-chemistry, acid-base equilibria, thermodynamics, nuclear chemistry, and descriptive topics (non-metals, transition metals, coordination compounds, organic compounds, polymers, biological molecules).

CHEM 177L (1 credit) Laboratory in General Chemistry

Laboratory to accompany CHEM 177.

CHEM 211 (2 credits) Quantitative and Environmental Analysis

Theory and practice of elementary volumetric,chromatographic, electrochemical and spectrometric methods of analysis. Chemical equilibrium, sampling, and data evaluation. Emphasis on environmental analytical chemistry; the same methods are widely used in biological and materials sciences as well.

CHEM 211L (2 credits) Quantitative Analysis Laboratory

Introductory laboratory experience in volumetric, spectrometric, electrochemical and chromatographic methods of chemical analysis. Accompanies CHEM 211.

CHEM 331and CHEM 332 (3 credits each) Organic Chemistry I and II

Modern organic chemistry including nomenclature, synthesis, structure and bonding, reaction mechanisms, natural products, carbohydrates and proteins.

CHEM 331L and CHEM 332L (1 credit each). Laboratory in Organic Chemistry

Laboratory to accompany CHEM 331 and CHEM 332. (Students have the option to take more advanced laboratories of 2 credits each)

CHEM 321 and CHEM 322 (3 credits each) Physical Chemistry I and II

Classical thermodynamics 1st, 2nd, and 3rd laws with applications to gases and interfacial systems, multicomponent, multiphase equilibrium of reacting systems, surface chemistry, and electrochemical cells. Kinetic theory of gases; transport properties, chemical kinetics; quantum mechanics, atomic and molecular structure, spectroscopy, statistical thermodynamics, solids.

CHEM 322L. (3 credits) Laboratory in Physical Chemistry

Error analysis; use of computer; thermodynamics of gases; transport properties; thermochemistry; thermodynamics of phase equilibrium; chemical kinetics; polymers; molecular spectroscopy; x-ray crystallography; nuclear chemistry; surface chemistry; mass spectrometry.

MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS COURSES
MATH 165 and MATH 166 (4 credits each) Calculus I and II

Functions, limits, continuity, differentiation, derivatives of vector-valued functions, applications of derivatives. Integration, applications of the integral, matrices, differentiation of functions of several variables.

One of the following three courses is required:
MATH 265 (4 credits) Calculus III

Multiple integrals, vector fields and vector integrals, sequences and series.

MATH 266 (3 credits) Elementary Differential Equations

Solution methods for ordinary differential equations. First order equations, linear equations, constant coefficient equations. Elgenvalue methods for systems of first order linear equations. Introduction to stability and phase plane analysis.

MATH 267 (4 credits) Elementary Differential Equations and Laplace Transforms

Same as 266 but also including Laplace transforms and series solutions to ordinary differential equations.

PHYS 221 and PHYS 222 (5 credits each) Introduction to Classical Physics I and II

Elementary mechanics including kinematics and dynamics of particles, work and energy, linear and angular momentum, conservation laws, rotational motion, oscillations, gravitation. Electric forces and fields. Electrical currents; DC circuits. Magnetic forces and fields: LR, LC, LCR circuits; Maxwell's equations; waves and sound; ray optics and image formation; wave optics: heat, thermodynamics, kinetic theory of gases; topics in modern physics. Laboratories are included.

BIOLOGY COURSES
BIOL 201 and BIOL 202 (3 credits) Principles of Biology I and II

Introduction to the nature of life, including the cellular basis of life; the nature of heredity; evolution; diversity of microbial, plant, and animal life; form and function of microbial, plant, and animal life; principles of ecology; energy relationships.

BIOL 301 (3 credits) Principles of Genetics

Introduction to the principles of transmission and molecular genetics of plants, animals, and bacteria. Recombination, structure and replication of DNA, gene expression, cloning, quantitative and population genetics.

BIOL 302 (3 credits) Principles of Molecular Cell Biology and Biochemistry

Integration of elementary principles of metabolism, bioenergetics, cell structure and function to develop a molecular view of how biological systems operate.

BIOL 201L or BIOL 202L or BIOL 301L or BIOL 302L (1 credit) Biology Laboratory

Laboratory to accompany one of the biology courses

BIOLOGY ELECTIVES - At least four additional credits are required in any field of biology.

COLLEGE REQUIREMENTS
All majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences require two semesters of English (ENG 104 and ENG 105), and approximately 8 elective courses distributed in the categories of Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communications. Two semesters of foreign language are required of students who have not taken three or more years of language in high school. More information.