Undergraduate Bulletin

Fall 2024

Requirements for the Major in Biochemistry (BCH)

All courses offered for the major must be taken for a letter grade. A minimum grade of C must be obtained in all courses in requirements A, B, and C below. Completion of the major requires approx­imately 69 to 74 credits.

Transfer students who wish to complete the requirements for the Biochemistry major must take Biochemistry I and II (BIO 361and  BIO 362) and must complete at least a minimum of nine additional credits at Stony Brook in required upper-division Biology courses (BIO 310,  BIO 320, or  BIO 365) and/or approved upper-division Biology elective courses. 

A. Courses in Related Fields

  1. CHE 129 / CHE 130 ,  CHE 132 General Chemistry IA, II or  CHE 131,  CHE 132 General Chemistry IB, II or  CHE 152 Molecular Science I 
  2. CHE 133, CHE 134 General Chemistry Laboratory or CHE 154 Molecular Science Laboratory I
  3. CHE 321, CHE 322 Organic Chemistry I, II or CHE 331, 332 Molecular Science II and III (See Note 1)
  4. CHE 327 Organic Chemistry Laboratory A or CHE 383 Introductory Synthetic and Spectroscopic Laboratory Techniques 
  5. CHE 301 or CHE 312 Physical Chemistry
  6. MAT 125, MAT 126, MAT 127 Calculus A, B, C or MAT 131, MAT 132 Calculus I, II or MAT 141, MAT 142 or MAT 171 or AMS 151 and AMS 161 or level 9 on mathematics placement examination. If students do not place into MAT 125 or 131 on the basis of the math placement examination, MAT 123 (or MAT 119/MAT 123) is a required course for the major.
  7. PHY 121, PHY 122 Physics for the Life Sciences and Labs or PHY 125, PHY 126/PHY 133, PHY 127/PHY 134 Classical Physics A, B, C and labs or or  PHY 131 / PHY 133,  PHY 132/PHY 134 Classical Physics I, II and labs or PHY 141/PHY 133, PHY 142/PHY 134 Classical Physics I, II: Honors and labs

B. Core Courses in Biology

  1. BIO 201  Fundamentals of Biology: Organisms to Ecosystems
  2. BIO 202  Fundamentals of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Biology
  3. BIO 203  Fundamentals of Biology: Cellular and Organ Physiology
  4. BIO 204  Fundamentals of Scientific Inquiry in the Biological Sciences I
  5. BIO 205  Fundamentals of Scientific Inquiry in the Biological Sciences II or  BIO 207 Fundamentals of Scientific Inquiry in the Biological Sciences II or IIB

C. Advanced Courses in Biology

  1. EBH 302  Human Genetics or  BIO 320    General Genetics or  BIO 321    Ecological Genetics (see Note 2)
  2. BIO 310  Cell Biology
  3. BIO 361,  BIO 362  Biochemistry I,II (see Note 1)
  4. BIO 365  Biochemistry Laboratory
  5. Two additional courses, totaling at least five credits, chosen after consultation with an advisor from the following list. It is highly recommended that students take more than the suggested minimum number of electives
  • AMS 333  Mathematical Biology
  • BIO 312  Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
  • BIO 314  Cancer Biology
  • BIO 315  Microbiology
  • BIO 316  Molecular Immunology
  • BIO 317  Principles of Cellular Signaling
  • BIO 321  Introduction to Ecological Genetics and Genomics (see Note 2)
  • BIO 325  Animal Development
  • BIO 327  Developmental genetics lab
  • BIO 328  Mammalian Physiology
  • BIO 332  Computational Modeling
  • BIO 334  Principles of Neurobiology
  • BIO 335  Neurobiology Laboratory
  • BIO 337  Neurotransmission and Neuromodulation: Implications for Brain Function
  • BIO 338  From Synapse to Circuit: Self organization of the Brain
  • BIO 339  Molecular Development of the Nervous System
  • BIO 350  Darwinian Medicine
  • BIO 354  Evolution
  • BIO 358  Biology of Human Social and Sexual Behavior
  • BIO 364  Laboratory Techniques in Cancer Biology
  • BIO 367  Molecular Diversity Laboratory
  • BME 304  Genetic Engineering
  • CHE 346  Bio-molecular Structure and Activity
  • EBH 302   Human Genetics (formerly offered as BIO 302 Human Genetics)
  • EBH 380 Genomics (formerly offered as BIO 304 Genomics)

Note 1.  BIO 361  and  BIO 362  must be taken in order. A grade of C or higher in  BIO 202  and  CHE 321  &  CHE 326  or  CHE 322is required to enroll in  BIO 361  and  BIO 362.

Note 2.  BIO 321 or EBH 302 can be used to satisfy EITHER the upper division BIO elective or the Genetics requirement (not both).

D. Upper-Division Writing Requirement

The Upper Division Writing Requirement for the Biochemistry major is consistent with the University Graduation Requirements for General Education,  and successful completion will satisfy the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) learning outcomes for "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD) .

Registration: To satisfy the Upper-Division Writing requirement for the major in Biochemistry, students must co-register for the 0-credit BIO 459 course with either BIO 365 (Biochemistry lab) or an alternate approved advanced course in biological sciences or chemistry (see below). Students MUST enroll in BIO 459 at the same time they are registering for the respective advanced course. To receive WRTD credit and a satisfactory grade in BIO 459, either a BIO 365 lab report or term paper from another approved advanced biology/chemistry course must be submitted for writing evaluation prior to the end of the term and pass the review process.

How to submit writing sample: After submitting their lab report or term paper for BIO course credit, students should submit the same document via Brightspace to BIO 459 “Assignments” for writing evaluation. It is the student’s responsibility to submit their writing sample early in the semester to allow adequate time for review and revision before end of term. Students are encouraged to submit their upper division writing requirement in their junior year or by the end of their next-to-last semester, since submission in the final semester could delay graduation clearance.

Review process: The Program in Writing and Rhetoric will evaluate the BIO 459 submission, provide feedback, and will contact the student directly if remedial efforts are needed. Satisfactory completion of BIO 459 will fulfill the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) “Writing in the Discipline” WRTD learning objectives . If the writing assignment is initially found to be unsatisfactory, the student will be instructed by The Program in Writing and Rhetoric before resubmitting a revised version of their original paper.

Alternate approved advanced courses: While BIO 459 co-registration with BIO 365 is highly recommended for Biochemistry majors, other upper division courses that routinely offer writing assignments which fulfill the WRTD requirement with co-registration in BIO 459 are listed below. When considering alternate courses, students should take into consideration the limited enrollment opportunities for biochemistry majors in upper division laboratory courses other than BIO 365 and verify that they have the required pre-or co-requisites. Students considering registering for an approved alternative course are strongly encouraged to discuss this option with the Biochemistry Undergraduate Program Director at biochem_ugpd@stonybrook.edu or make an appointment with a Division of Undergraduate Biology Advisor using Navigate .

  • BIO 312 Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
  • BIO 320 General Genetics
  • BIO 321  Ecological Genetics (Fall and Spring semesters ONLY)
  • BIO 327 Developmental Genetics Laboratory
  • BIO 335 Neurobiology Laboratory
  • BIO 336 Conservation Biology
  • BIO 344 Chordate Zoology
  • BIO 352 Ecology Laboratory
  • BIO 353 Marine Ecology
  • BIO 354 Evolution
  • BIO 364 Laboratory Techniques in Cancer Biology
  • BIO 365 Biochemistry Laboratory
  • BIO 366 Molecular Microbiology Laboratory
  • BIO 367 Molecular Diversity Laboratory
  • BIO 385 Plant Ecology Laboratory
  • BIO 386 Ecosystem Ecology and the Global Environment
  • 400 level BIO or CHE readings or research courses with instructor permission also considered
  • EBH 302  Human Genetics


Honors Program in Biochemistry

Graduation with Honors in Biochemistry requires the following:
1. A cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.50 in all courses required for the major.
2. Presentation of an acceptable thesis based on laboratory research project. Students interested in graduation with Honors must contact the Biochemistry Honors Coordinator for more detailed information no later that the second week of classes during their last semester.

Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry/Master of Science Degree in Chemistry Program
A student interested in this research intensive graduate program, intended to prepare students for professional employment in the chemical or pharmaceutical industries, may apply for admission at the end of the junior year. The program leads to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry at the end of the fourth year, followed by a Master of Science in Chemistry at the end of the fifth year. During the senior year the student is expected to take two 500-level CHE courses and begin research. In the fifth year, the student works full-time on research, earning 24 credits in CHE 599. The two 500-level CHE courses taken during the senior year may be counted toward the two electives required by the Biochemistry major. Please visit the Chemistry website  http://stonybrook.edu/chemistry  for further information on the Chemistry graduate degree.