Chemical Biology VS Biochemistry?

aldfig0
Thu, 29 Aug 2013 03:03:25 +0000

I’m pretty sure you don’t have to take physical chemistry if you want to major in biochemistry/molecular biology (there’s no biochemistry only major at UCI). Pchem is just one of the options you can take to fulfill the upper-division requirement. Anyways they probably even won’t let many biochem majors enroll in pchem as it has the Physics 7 series and Math 2D as prerequisites while only the Physics 3 series is required and Math 2D is optional for the biochem/mol bio major (though you can take those classes instead if you want).

If you’re going to take pchem, then you won’t have a choice as to which pchem series to take. The 130 series isn’t offered anymore, so anyone that wants to take pchem will have to take the 131 series (though it’s possible this could change by the time you get to choose).

The main difference between the two major choices in your first post is that since the former major is in chemistry department you have to take all the core chemistry major classes (so you’ll have to take Chem 5 (class on mathematica; it’s easy), Chem M3LC (analytical chemistry lab), pchem, another ochem lab (so 3 ochem labs instead of just 2) and Chem 107 + the lab (inorganic chemistry). Also, Math 2D (1st part of multivariable calculus) is required, while for the biochem/mol bio major it’s just optional. All the Physics 7 classes (it’s the harder and more calculus-based series) are required; the Physics 3 series won’t fulfill the requirement. You don’t have to take any of these classes I just mentioned if you just major in biochem. However if you’re going to do the chemistry major with a concentration in biochem you might as well just double major in biological sciences and chemistry like I’m doing as you only need something like 3 more biology classes to get the degree.