Biochemistry & Biophysics

If you would like to declare Biochemistry/Biophysics as your major, please reach out to the department Chair to schedule a meeting. 

Because of the need to build several math and science foundations on which advanced courses rely, the BCBP major requires careful planning. 

Students interested in pursuing a BCBP major should begin by checking their Amherst College math and chemistry placements.  These placements are carefully made to launch you on a path of success in STEM disciplines. In order to pursue the BCBP major, here are the recommended starting points, according to placement:

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    • placement into MATH 105/106 --> students should take MATH 105 in the fall of their first semester followed by MATH 106 and CHEM 151 in the spring of their first year; students are then positioned to take CHEM 161 in their sophomore year as well as BIOL 191 and/or PHYS 116.  In addition, CHEM 221 and 231 are now both offered in the fall and spring semesters, giving flexibility to students to start the organic chemistry series in sophomore spring or junior fall.  
    • placement into MATH 111 and CHEM 151 --> students have two options:
      • MATH 111 in first year fall, followed by CHEM 151 or PHYS 161 in first year spring
      • both MATH 111 and CHEM 151 in first year fall, followed by CHEM 161 in first year spring (depending on other time commitments, students may choose to add either BIOL 191 or PHYS 161 to their first year spring semester)
    • placement into MATH 121/211 and CHEM 151 --> students may use their first year to complete the introductory sequence in chemistry and may choose to add biology (spring) or physics (fall and/or spring). Another option is to use the first year to complete the introductory sequence in physics and add only one semester of chemistry (spring). Students should choose according to their interests so that they are positioned for advanced course work in their area(s) of interest.  MATH 121 can be taken in the first year, or later in sophomore year.  Another option is to take MATH 121 in the fall and take CHEM 151 or PHYS 161 in the first year spring.  
    • placement into MATH 121/211 and CHEM 155 --> students should use their first year to complete the introductory sequence in chemistry and may choose to add biology (spring) or physics (fall and/or spring). Students should choose according to their interests so that they are positioned for advanced course work in their area(s) of interest. MATH 121 can also be taken in the first year, or later in sophomore year.  Note that CHEM 155 is only offered in the fall, so students placed into CHEM 155 who do not take CHEM 155 in first year fall, will need to take CHEM 155 in their sophomore fall, followed by CHEM 165 and BIOL191 in their sophomore spring.

Note about Biology courses: The first required Biology course is BIOL 191, which has a pre-requisite or co-requisite of CHEM 161 or 165.  Students should plan to take BIOL 191 either in the same semester as CHEM 161/165 or, the semester after completion of CHEM 161/165.  BIOL 191 is a pre-requisite for BIOL 291, BIOL 371, BCBP 331, BCBP 400, and all elective biology courses. Note that BIOL 181 is not required for BCBP, but is a pre-requisite for some advanced biology courses that students may want to take as their advanced biology elective course.

Note about prerequisites: As you plan, note the prerequisites for the BCBP foundation courses:

  • CHEM 151 requires completion or co-enrollment in MATH 111 or MATH 106
  • CHEM 161/165 requires completion of CHEM 151/155
  • BIOL 191 requires completion or co-enrollment in CHEM 161/165
  • BIOL 291/371 requires completion of BIOL 191
  • PHYS 116/123 requires completion of MATH 111 or MATH 106
  • PHYS 117/124 requires completion of PHYS 116/123 and PHYS 124 requires MATH 121
  • CHEM 221/231 requires completion of CHEM 161/165 

Note about timing: As you plan, be sure to note that some courses are only offered in the fall OR the spring, not both:

  •   CHEM 155 is only offered in fall semesters, and CHEM 165 only in spring semesters
  •   BCBP/BIOL/CHEM 331 is only offered in fall semesters (BIOL/CHEM 330 is a spring semester biochemistry course that does not have a lab component; it fulfills the pre-med requirement, but not the BCBP biochemistry requirement)
  •   CHEM 361 and PHYS 230 are only offered in spring semesters
  •   BCBP/BIOL/CHEM/PHYS 400 is only offered in spring semesters
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Most importantly, students should know that BCBP faculty are here to help you plan out a curriculum that works best for you and your interests and meshes with your other commitments; advanced planning helps tremendously, so get in touch with us to help you consider choices that will put you on a path to a successful BCBP major.

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Placement Information

Information on Placement for the BCBP major