Chemistry: Chemical Biology Option (B.S.)

Chemical Biology is the interdisciplinary study of the chemicals and chemical reactions involved in biological processes, incorporating the disciplines of chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, and pharmacology. In contrast to biochemistry which is the study of biomolecules within and between cells, chemical biology is concerned with using chemical principles to probe, manipulate, and control biological systems in vitro and in vivo. 

The Chemical Biology major option will prepare students for a world where molecular behavior and design are increasingly important for drug design, tissue engineering, biologically based materials, and agriculture. The program also is excellent foundation for pre-professional (e.g. pre-med, pre-dentistry, pre-pharmacy) students. 

The option is available as a set of electives drawn from current course offerings in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biomedical Science, and Biochemistry, Molecular, and Cellular Biology. This BS degree option fulfils the requirements for certification by the American Chemical Society.

Sample Degree Plan

Degree Requirements

All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.

Major Requirements

• Recognize that matter consists of atoms that have internal structures that dictate their chemical and physical behavior
• Recognize that atoms interact via electrostatic forces to form chemical bonds
• Recognize that chemical compounds have geometric structures that influence their chemical and physical behaviors
• Recognize that intermolecular forces—electrostatic forces between molecules—dictate the physical behavior of matter
• Recognize that matter changes, forming products that have new chemical and physical properties
• Recognize that energy is the key currency of chemical reactions in molecular scale systems as well as macroscopic systems
• Recognize that chemical changes have a time scale over which they occur
• Recognize that all chemical changes are, in principle, reversible, and chemical processes often reach a state of dynamic equilibrium
• Recognize that chemistry is generally advanced via experimental observations
• Recognize that chemistry constructs meaning interchangeably at the particulate and macroscopic levels.
• Employ the concept of chemical identity (how do we identify chemical substances?)
• Employ structure-property relationships (how do we predict the properties of materials?)
• Employ chemical causality (why do chemical processes occur?)
• Employ chemical mechanism (how do chemical processes occur?)
• Employ chemical control (how can we control chemical processes?)
• Employ benefits-costs-risks (how do we evaluate the impacts of chemically transforming matter?)
• Demonstrate ability to ask questions
• Develop and use models
• Construct explanations
• Plan and carry out investigations
• Engage in argument from evidence
• Analyze and interpret data
• Demonstrate mathematical and computational thinking
• Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information