Frequently Asked Questions about the Biochemistry Major. [And hopefully
some answers]
1. What are the requirements for the Biochemistry major? See
the attached requirements below.
Even if you have declared a Biochemistry major in the registrar’s office
we need you to come up
to room 450 in Life Sciences and provide us with some information.. Above
all we need a current
email Address. If you change your e-mail address, we MUST get the new
one.
2. Am I satisfying them? Use the accompanying sheets as a check
list.
If you are a transfer student make sure we have a copy of the transcript of
your former school.
3. Can I take any of the required courses at another institution?
Yes, BUT, you must get
permission IN ADVANCE. The Curriculum Committee must see the following before
giving permission: The text used; a course syllabus; the course must be given
at a four
year institution. Exceptions may be made for BASIC courses in chemistry, physics,
or biology.
i.e. Basic Chemistry, basic physics, some math. courses, some basic biology
courses.
Certain basic courses at community colleges are acceptable at Stony Brook, but
check with us
first. Advanced courses at community colleges are NEVER accepted.
Basic courses in chemistry, physics, and math. must be approved by the respective
departments;
We can do the biology courses using the criteria above.
4. Can I take bio. 362 before Bio. 361? Yes. Remember however
that Organic Chemistry is
required for Bio. 361 and is a good idea for Bio. 362 as well.
5. Can I get a required course waived? [i.e Bio 201] Usually
not; in some cases the Curriculum
Committee will grant a waiver , but usually requires at least one additional
elective course above
the required two electives.
a. How do I petition the Curriculum Committee? Send your petition
by email to: hlyman@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
6. Do AP [Advanced Placement] courses get me a waiver of some basic
courses? No, but an AP
score of 4 or higher on a Biology Advanced Placement Examination will get you
a waiver of Bio. 150,
but not of either Bio 201, 202, or 203.
7. Does Bio 487, Undergraduate Research, count as an elective?
No.
8.In which courses must I get a grade of C or better ? Bio
310, Bio 320, Bio 361, Bio 362,
Bio 365, Bio 311, Elective courses. Grades of D will not be accepted in basic
biology, chemistry,
physics, or math. courses.
9.Are there any other acceptable electives other than the ones in the
Undergraduate Bulletin?
Yes. New ones are being added all the time. Bio. 312, Bioinformatics, and Bio
316, Molecular
Immunology have just been added. Also some courses in Biomedical Engineering
and Chemistry
may be acceptable. Check with your advisor or Prof. Lyman.
A student may petition the Curriculum Committee to get a course accepted as
an elective.
Do not take a course and then petition; get the course accepted first.
10. What happens if I get one grade of C- in the above courses,
but the rest of my grades are
OK? Usually you must repeat the course. You may petition the Curriculum
Committee for a
waiver of that one course, but usually, if a waiver is granted ,the Curriculum
Committee
requires at least one additional elective, sometimes two.
11.What is the Senior Writing requirement? It is a University
requirement that mandates that
a student cannot graduate unless he/she demonstrates competence in writing English.
Many Biochemistry majors satisfy the requirement by turning in to the Biochemistry
office their best, graded laboratory report from either Bio.
365 or Bio. 311.
Students planning to do this should submit their report as soon as possible.
Do not wait until
just before graduation. Submit by at least February 1 if you
intend to graduate in May;
June 1 for August and October 1 for December
graduation, the earlier the better.
If you need help in writing, consult The Writing Center: www.stonybrook.edu/writingcenter
or
call them at 632-7405. They are located in Room L-77, Life Sciences Building
Library.
12. How can I find research opportunities in Biochemistry?
You should identify at least 4 or 5
potential faculty sponsors. Use the web pages of not only the Biochemistry Department
but of the
graduate programs in the University. i.e Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular
Biology,
Molecular Genetics, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics,
Chemistry, Oral
Biology and Pathology, and various departments in the School of Medicine. Find
at least
4 or 5 faculty doing things you think you might be interested in doing.
Call or e-mail for
an appointment; NEVER WALK IN UNANNOUNCED. If you work in a lab. of someone
who is not a member of the Biochemistry Department, you can still get Bio. 487
credit , but
you MUST have a Biochemistry faculty member as co-sponsor and MUST register
in that
faculty members section of Bio. 487. Often Prof. London will serve as a co-sponsor
or
one of the Biochemistry Advisors: Profs Holdener, Hsieh or Lyman.
Remember, research takes time. You can’t “do” it one or two
hours a week. You may be required to come in evenings or on weekends. Cells
don’t watch the clock and quit at 5:00PM. Make sure you have the time
for it. A lab will want you for a minimum of a year in most cases; a graduating
senior with one semester to go is not much use to anyone.
13. I want to go to medical/dental/veterinary/optometry school; will
a Biochemistry degree help
me?
Yes and No. The minimum requirements to enter ANY medical/dental/veterinary/optometry
school
are: One year of biology with lab, two years of chemistry[including organic]
with lab, one year of
physics with lab, one year of mathematics and one year of English. Veterinary
schools usually want
a year of biochemistry, and a microbiology course and optometry schools want
a course in statistics
and courses in psychology, including abnormal psychology. The Biochemistry major
supplies most
of these requirements, but grades and professional school examinations are most
important. [MCAT,
DAT, GRE, OAT,etc.] The best source of information on health-related
careers is the
Faculty Committee on Health Professions which is in the Undergraduate Advising
Center in the
main library. Their web site:www.sunysb.edu/healthed
is the best such site in the United States
and is updated daily. Their chief health profession advisor is Mr. James Montren
who is the most
knowledgeable person on campus in this area. His phone number is 2-7074, and
you can call
and make an appointment.
The present Chair of the Faculty Committee on Health Professions is Prof. Harvard
Lyman who
is also the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Biochemistry & Cell Biology,
and a member of
the Admissions Committee of the Stony Brook School of Medicine. He can also
give some
insight into applying to schools in the health professions.
14. I want to do research; how do I get into graduate school?
Identify the areas within
Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Developmental Biology,
etc
in which you think you would like to do research. Using Peterson’s Guide
to Graduate
Education [in the main library] or [better] the web pages of major institutions,
find at least four
or five schools in which you have an interest. Request their brochures. Ask
faculty members their
opinions on graduate schools and programs. Never go to a school where there
is only one
person working in your area of interest; when you get there their lab may be
full; they may have left
or retired or they may have decided to leave science and become an itinerant
musician. Look
very carefully at the graduate programs offered here at Stony Brook.; there
are many and
of high quality. Grades, letters of recommendations, and competitive GRE scores
are
required. All good science graduate schools will pay you a stipend and give
you a
tuition waiver.
15.Will doing research help me get into medical/dental/veterinary/optometry
school?
No. Many people have the idea that research is required to get into
these schools. This
is simply not true. On the other hand if you have an interest in research, then
by all
means do it. The experience is valuable in professional and graduate schools,
and if
your research advisor is impressed with your work, their letter of recommendation
is most valuable
in your application. Don’t waste a laboratory’s time and materials
just because you think it
will “ look good” on your application.
16. What can I do with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry?
Entry level lab. jobs in industries
such as pharmaceutics, reagent companies, scientific instrumentation are possible
These companies
employ BS students in biochemistry in sales and administrative positions also.
This is also true for
entry level jobs in the government such as NIH, USDA, Commerce, Interior. Many
BS grads
take a few extra courses and become science teachers at the secondary school
level. Some
Wall Street firms use BS biochemistry grads to help analyze biochemically-related
companies.
Several of our students have gone on to law school; while there is no shortage
of lawyers, there
are few who understand the details of biochemistry, cell biology ,genetics,
etc. as an aide
to litigation in these areas. The United States State Department employs science
officers to
analyze science in other countries. A Master’s Degree in Biochemistry
[which we do not offer]
allows a person some additional opportunities in the areas above.
17. Where can I get help with my resume?. The Career Center,W-0550,2-6810
in the Melville
Library is a good resource. They provide counseling and guidance on how to get
letters of
reference and preparing effective applications and resumes. They also are part
of a
credentials file management system Interfolio Inc. for sending out your credentials.
Look at their
web site for more information:www.interfolio.com
18.Who is the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Biochemistry
major?
Prof. Harvard Lyman. Office Hours: Tuesdays, 2-3:30PM, room 310 Life Sciences
Telephone: 632-8534. The best way to reach Prof. Lyman is by email.
Email:hlyman@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
19. Who are the advisors for Biochemistry majors?
Prof. Bernadette Holdener for students whose last name begins with A through
H.
Her office hours are Wed. 9:30-10:30AM & Fridays 8:30-9:30AM, Room 346
Center for Molecular Medicine.
Prof. Jen-Chih Hsieh for students whose last names begins with I through R.
His office hours are Tuesdays from 2-3:00 PM, Room 442 in the Center for Molecular
Medicine.
Prof. Lyman for students whose last name begins with S through Z.
To see an advisor check their office hours and make an appointment by phone
or email.