This is an archived copy of the 2016-2018 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.utexas.edu/.

Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry

The degree of Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry is intended to prepare students for professional careers as chemists, either upon graduation or after graduate study in chemistry or related fields. In addition, it may serve as the basis for work in many areas outside pure chemistry, such as materials science, medicine and other health-related fields, pharmacology, patent law, business, and environmental science. The Honors Option is intended to prepare students for academic or research careers.

Students who plan to follow Option III, Biochemistry Honors, must be admitted to the Dean’s Scholars Honors Program .

Prescribed Work Common to all Options

In the process of fulfilling degree requirements, all students must complete:

  1. Core curriculum
  2. Skills and experience flags:
    a. Writing: two flagged courses beyond Rhetoric and Writing 306 or its equivalent, including one at the upper-division level
    b. Quantitative reasoning: one flagged course
    c. Global cultures: one flagged course
    d. Cultural diversity in the United States: one flagged course
    e. Ethics and leadership: one flagged course
    f. Independent inquiry: one flagged course

Courses that may be used to fulfill flag requirements are identified in the Course Schedule . They may be used simultaneously to fulfill other requirements, unless otherwise specified. Please note, students may not earn the cultural diversity in the United States and the global cultures flags from the same course. Students are encouraged to discuss options with their academic advisers.

  1. At least 36 semester hours of upper-division coursework
  2. At least 21 semester hours of upper-division coursework, including at least 12 semester hours of upper-division coursework in chemistry, must be completed in residence at the University

Additional Prescribed Work for Each Option

Option I: Biochemistry

  1. Mathematics 408C and 408D, or  408N, 408S, and 408M
  2. Biostatistics: Statistics and Data Sciences 328M
  3. One of the following sequences:
    1. Physics 317K, 117M, 317L, and 117N (recommended);
    2. Physics 303K, 103M, 303L, and 103N; or
    3. Physics 301, 101L, 316, and 116L
  4. The following chemistry courses:
    1. General chemistry: Chemistry 301 or 301H, 302 or 302H, and 204 or 317
    2. Organic chemistry: Chemistry 320M
    3. Biochemistry: Biochemistry 339F and 369L, and three additional courses chosen from Biochemistry 339J, 339M, 339N, and 370
    4. Physical chemistry: Chemistry 353 or 353M
    5. Analytical chemistry: Chemistry 455
  5. One of the following sequences:​​
    1. ​Biology 311C, 311D, and 325; or 
    2. Biology 315H and 325H
  6. Completion of one of the following: 
    a. 18 additional semester hours of upper-division biochemistry, biology, chemistry, and neuroscience; or
    b. A transcript-recognized certificate
  7. Enough additional coursework to make a total of 120 semester hours

Option III: Biochemistry Honors

  1. Breadth requirement: An honors mathematics course, Biology 315H and 325H, Chemistry 301H and 302H, and three additional semester hours of coursework chosen from honors courses in the college. Credit earned by examination may not be counted toward this requirement.
  2. The following chemistry courses:
    1. General chemistry: Chemistry 204 or 317
    2. Organic chemistry: Chemistry 128K, 128L, 328M, and 328N; or 220C, 320M, and 320N
    3. Biochemistry: Biochemistry 339F and 369L, and three additional courses chosen from Biochemistry 339J, 339M, 339N, and 370
    4. Physical chemistry: Chemistry 353 or 353M
    5. Analytical chemistry: Chemistry 455
  1. A section of Undergraduate Studies 302 or 303 that is approved by the departmental honors adviser
  2. A section of Rhetoric and Writing 309S that is restricted to students in the Dean’s Scholars Honors Program
  3. Chemistry 379H or 379H and either a three-semester-hour upper-division research course approved by the departmental honors adviser or a second section of Chemistry 379H or Biochemistry 379H
  4. 24 additional semester hours of coursework approved by the departmental honors adviser.
  5. Six semester hours of coursework in the College of Liberal Arts or the College of Fine Arts.
  6. Enough additional coursework to make a total of 120 semester hours.

Special Requirements

Students in all Options must fulfill both the University's General Requirements for graduation and the college requirements . They must also earn a grade of at least C- in each mathematics and science course required for the degree, and a University grade point average in these courses of at least 2.00. More information about grades and the grade point average is given in the General Information  Catalog .

To graduate under Option III, students must remain in good standing in the Dean’s Scholars Honors Program, must earn grades of at least A- in the departmental research and thesis courses described in requirement 8 above, and must present their research in an approved public forum, such as the college’s annual Undergraduate Research Forum. More information about the Undergraduate Research Forum may be found on the College of Natural Sciences website .

Order and Choice of Work

The student must consult the undergraduate adviser each semester regarding order and choice of work.