Biological Chemistry
Grinnell, USA
Course
DURATION
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
STUDY FORMAT
Key Summary
About: Biological chemistry studies chemical bases of life by combining biology and chemistry. Core courses, created by biology and chemistry faculty, cover inquiry methods and the structure and function of nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates and how biomolecules drive cellular chemistry. Electives let you explore topics in greater depth. You’ll use analytical departmental instrumentation and are encouraged to join faculty research.
Career Outcomes: Graduates can work in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, clinical laboratories and diagnostics roles, research, education, and environmental science. They may pursue graduate study in biochemistry, molecular biology, or medicine, or move into regulatory affairs, quality control, or science communication.
Biological chemistry studies the chemical basis of biological processes. As such, it is an interdisciplinary combination of biology and chemistry requiring a distinct subset of material from both fields. The core courses of the major introduce students to methods of inquiry into biological chemistry and consider the structure and function of nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates, and how these molecules mediate chemical processes in the cell. These core courses are designed jointly by members of the biology and chemistry departments to emphasize the interrelationships of the topics being presented. Elective courses enable students to consider specific topics within the broad range of biological chemistry in greater depth.
All of the instrumentation in both the biology and chemistry departments is available for the courses and research projects of biological chemistry majors. Majors are encouraged to participate in research projects with faculty in biology or chemistry.
