Program Requirements

  • Total Units Required: Most students complete the major within 67-69 units; total units may vary depending on the courses selected to satisfy foundational, mathematics/data science, and advanced course requirements.
  • Grade Requirement: A minimum grade of C– must be earned in each course to count toward the biochemistry major. 
  • Note: Regarding the double counting of course credits, College of Arts & Sciences Guidelines will be followed.

Required Courses

To prepare for a major in biochemistry, students will take the following foundational courses:

Foundational Requirements

BIOL 2960Principles of Biology I4
BIOL 2970Principles of Biology II4
CHEM 1601Principles of General Chemistry I *3
or CHEM 1701 General Chemistry I
CHEM 1602Principles of General Chemistry II *3
or CHEM 1702 General Chemistry II
CHEM 1751General Chemistry Laboratory I *2
CHEM 1752General Chemistry Laboratory II *2
CHEM 2501Organic Chemistry I *3
CHEM 2502Organic Chemistry II *3
CHEM 2551Organic Chemistry Laboratory I *1
CHEM 2552Organic Chemistry Laboratory II *1
MATH 1510Calculus I **3
MATH 1520Calculus II **3
PHYSICS 1740Physics I3-4
or PHYSICS 1760 Focused Physics I
PHYSICS 1741Physics I Laboratory1
PHYSICS 1742Physics II3-4
or PHYSICS 1762 Focused Physics II
PHYSICS 1743Physics II Laboratory1
Total Units40-42
*

All Chemistry courses must be taken in residence at WashU to count toward the major.

**
MATH 2801 Honors Mathematics I may replace both MATH 1510 Calculus I and MATH 1520 Calculus II.

In Fall 2026, the Organic Chemistry sequence (CHEM 2561 Organic Chemistry I With Lab and CHEM 2562 Organic Chemistry II With Lab) was replaced by a separated lecture and lab sequence. CHEM 2561 Organic Chemistry I With Lab is equivalent to  CHEM 2501 Organic Chemistry I and CHEM 2551 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I. CHEM 2562 Organic Chemistry II With Lab is equivalent to  CHEM 2502 Organic Chemistry II and CHEM 2552 Organic Chemistry Laboratory II.

Math and Data Science Requirement

Majors must take at least one math and data science elective course from the following list:

CSE 2107Introduction to Data Science3
CSE 2400Logic and Discrete Mathematics3
MATH 2130Calculus III3-4
or MATH 2802 Honors Mathematics II
SDS 2020Elementary Probability and Statistics3
SDS 3020Elementary to Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis3
SDS 3110Biostatistics3
 

Advanced Course Requirements

For the biochemistry major, students must complete a minimum of 24 units of upper-level (3000+) courses, including those in the core options, as well as an advanced laboratory requirement and up to 9 units of advanced electives and/or independent study. The 24 units must be drawn from the requirements 1 through 5 as listed below.

Biochemistry majors must complete the Arts & Sciences Writing Intensive (WI) requirement. There are WI courses in the major, but students can complete the requirement with any A&S WI course.

1. Chemistry Core Requirement

CHEM 4090Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences *3
*

CHEM 4020 Physical Chemistry II may replace CHEM 4090 Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences. However, students will need to complete CHEM 4010 Physical Chemistry I as a prerequisite.

All chemistry coursework requirements must be taken in residence at Washington University in St. Louis.

2. Biochemistry Core Requirements

Both of the following courses must be completed:

CHEM 4810General Biochemistry I3
CHEM 4820General Biochemistry II3
Total Units6

3. Biology Core Requirement

At least one biology core course must be chosen from the following list:

BIOL 3057Physiological Control Systems3
BIOL 3340Cell Biology3
BIOL 3490Microbiology4

4. Advanced Laboratory Requirement

Majors must take at least one advanced laboratory course from the following list:

BIOL 3492Laboratory Experiments With Eukaryotic Microbes3
BIOL 3493Bacterial Bioprospecting and Biotechnology3
BIOL 4220Practical Bioinformatics4
BIOL 4342Research Explorations in Genomics4
or BIOL 4343 Research Explorations in Genomics (Writing-Intensive)
BIOL 4346Next-Gen Genetics: Merging Genetics With Genomic Insights3
BIOL 4522Laboratory in Protein Analysis, Proteomics, and Protein Structure3
BIOL 4523Molecular Methods in Enzyme Analysis3
BIOL 4525Structural Bioinformatics of Proteins (Writing Intensive)4
CHEM 4035Nuclear and Radiochemistry Lab3
CHEM 4079Instrumental Methods: Physical Chemistry3
CHEM 4559Advanced Organic Chemistry Laboratory4
CHEM 4570Synthetic Polymer Chemistry Laboratory3
or CHEM 4579 Synthetic Polymer Chemistry Laboratory -- Writing Intensive
CHEM 4670Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory3
or CHEM 4679 Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory -- Writing Intensive
CHEM 4851Biological Chemistry Laboratory4
PHYSICS 3324Biophysics Laboratory3

5. Advanced Elective Courses

Majors must take at least 9 units of advanced elective courses from the following:

BIOL 3151Endocrinology3
BIOL 3481Parasitology3
BIOL 4026How Plants Work: Physiology, Growth, and Metabolism3
BIOL 4240Immunology4
BIOL 4242Virology3
BIOL 4345Epigenetics3
BIOL 4715Basic Cancer Biology3
BIOL 4716Advanced Cancer Biology3
CHEM 4010Physical Chemistry I3
CHEM 4050Computational Problem Solving in the Chemical Sciences3
CHEM 4610Inorganic Chemistry3
CHEM 4821Chemical Biology3
CHEM 4830Bioorganic Chemistry3
or CHEM 4839 Bioorganic Chemistry-- Writing Intensive
CHEM 4831Nucleic Acids3
CHEM 4833Protein Biochemistry3
CHEM 4842Modern Medicinal Chemistry3
BIOL 495X Independent Research or CHEM 4900 Introduction to Research or CHEM 4950 Advanced Undergraduate Research in Chemistryup to 6

The listings above are recommended courses. However, any 3000+ level course in biology or chemistry may be applied to the major if appropriate and with approval of the major advisor in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

BIOL 4060 Introduction to Biochemistry and BIOL 4510 General Biochemistry do not count as advanced electives toward the major.

Additional Information

Study Abroad

Study Abroad programs are available both for biochemistry and premedical studies. Details of these programs can be found on the Overseas Programs website. For biochemistry programs, students may be able to receive elective/research credit for courses taken or research done abroad. It is strongly advised that students contact a Study Abroad Advisor, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, or Professor Richard Mabbs as soon as possible after they declare their major in order to discuss study abroad plans.

Latin Honors for the Biochemistry​ Major

To qualify for Latin Honors, students must do the following:

  1. Maintain a 3.30 GPA in all biology and chemistry, foundational, and math coursework.*

  2. Maintain a 3.65 overall GPA at the time of graduation.*

  3. Complete at least 6 units of independent research through Biology Undergraduate Independent Research courses (BIOL 4950 Independent Research, BIOL 4951 Independent Research, BIOL 4952 Summer Independent Research, BIOL 4953 Summer Independent Research in Neuroscience, BIOL 4954 Independent Research in Neuroscience), CHEM 4900 Introduction to Research, or CHEM 4950 Advanced Undergraduate Research in Chemistry.

*

Only courses taken at Washington University are considered.

Program Honors for the Biochemistry Major

Completion of a rigorous program of study in Biochemistry should emphasize research as an important part of a modern biochemistry education. To earn Biochemistry Program honors, a student will complete the Latin Honors Curriculum (above) and a Research Capstone, which consists of the following:

  1. A paper written in the style of a scientific article for a professional journal (e.g., senior thesis for BIOL 4950 Independent Research) or a research presentation to an undergraduate thesis committee (CHEM 4950 Advanced Undergraduate Research in Chemistry).

  2. Presentation of undergraduate research in the form of either a poster or short talk at the OUR Undergraduate Research Symposium (or an external meeting/conference).

  3. Mentor's letter certifying acceptability of the thesis/CHEM 4950 Advanced Undergraduate Research in Chemistry and student symposium presentation.

Contact Info

Phone:314-935-6530
Email:chemistry@wustl.edu
Website:http://chemistry.wustl.edu