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General Information - Faculty Listing - Faculty Research Interests - Undergraduate Program Information - MCB Graduate Program Information - BSB Graduate Program Information - Links to Biochemistry Resources - Back to Home Page
Undergraduate FAQ - Requirements - Honors Program - Finding Research Opportunities - Deciding on Graduate School
The Division of Biological Sciences sponsors two undergraduate majors: biochemistry (BCH) and biology (BIO). Both majors lead to the Bachelor of Science degree. The Division encourages students in both majors to explore the exceptional opportunities available throughout the campus for biological research. The Division also offers a minor in biology. Students may not declare a double major in biology and biochemistry.
| Career | Degrees Required | |
| Research | ||
| Academic | .................... | Ph.D. |
| Biotechnical: Stem Cell development Therapeutics, Diagnostic reagents |
.................... | BA, BS, MS, Ph.D. |
| Government: NIH, USDA, Interior, FDA Military, Public Health, CDC, etc |
.................... | BA, BS, MS, Ph.D. |
| Education | ||
| University | .................... | Ph.D. |
| College, Community College | .................... | MA, MS, Ph.D. |
| Secondary School | .................... | BA, BS, MA, MS |
| Health | .................... | MD, DO, DDS, OD, Dr.Vet.med. Ph.D. in Public Health |
| Law | ||
| Patent and environmental law | .................... | BA, BS, +LLD |
| Journalism, Science Writer | .................... | BA, BS, MS, Ph.D. |
| Forensic Science | .................... | BA, BS, MS, Ph.D. |
| Financial** | .................... | BA, BS, +MBA |
| Government, Medical, Industrial Science Administration** | ||
| NIH, USDA, Interior Dept., FDA, Public Health, CDC, Biotechnical, Pharmaceutical, etc. |
.................... | BA, BS, MS, Ph.D. |
** Administrative positions in science or finance usually require basic science knowledge.
| Chemistry: two years General and Organic with labs | Basic Biology Bio 150*, 201, 202, 203 | |
| Physics: one year with lab | Genetics: Bio 320 | |
| Calculus: one year | Cell Biology: Bio 310 | |
| Physical Chemistry: one semester | Biochemstry: Bio 361, 362 Biochemistry lab. Bio 365 or Bio 311 Two electives from approved list Senior writing requirement |
The Biochemistry Major
The undergraduate program in biochemistry provides an introduction to the chemical
basis of biological phenomena. The student is prepared for graduate study in
biochemistry or other biological sciences, for professional study in the health
sciences, or for employment in research or industry. The program is based on
a core of courses in biology, chemistry and biochemistry, with pertinent courses
in mathematics and physics.
Requirements for the Biochemistry Major
download the PDF
[Courses taken at other institutions must be approved IN ADVANCE and must be taken at four year institutions]
All courses offered for the major must be taken for a letter grade. In requirements B and C below, a minimum grade of 2.0 must be obtained for all courses numbered 300 or above.
Completion of the major requirements entails approximately 64 or 65 credits.
A. Courses in Related Fields
All courses below must be passed with a grade of C or higher.
B. Courses in Biological Sciences
*Note: AP Biology scores of 4 or 5 do not result in waivers of 201,202,203
only for Bio.150
[See advisor for other waivers of Bio 150, or for waivers of Bio 201,202,203]
C. Advanced Electives
Electives: 2 required from the approved list.(click
to download)
Course Course
Elective 1: _____________________________ Elective 2:____________________
Senior Writing Requirement ______________________________
Honors Program in Biochemistry
Graduation with honors in biochemistry requires (1) a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher in all courses in items A, B, and C above, and (2) presentation of an acceptable thesis based on a research project performed under BIO 487, written in the format of a paper in a scientific journal. A student interested in becoming a candidate for honors should submit an outline of the proposed thesis research project to the department's honors coordinator as early as possible, but in any case no later than the second week of classes in the last semester. (Acceptance of a project for BIO 487 registration does not imply automatic acceptance of that project for honors). The honors coordinator in consultation with the student, will then appoint a thesis committee consisting of the research sponsor and two additional faculty members. Two members of the thesis committee will be members of the Biochemistry and Cell Biology Department and one will be a member of another department in a related field.
Three copies of the finished thesis approved by the research sponsor, must be presented to the honors coordinator at least 21 days before the date of graduation. The honors coordinator will then submit the thesis for final approval to the other two members of the thesis committee.
Finding Research Opportunities
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, Biomedical Engineering 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 only one semester to go is usually not a good prospect for research.
I want a research career; 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.
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