Biochemistry is the chemistry of life. It provides the foundation for understanding all biological processes as well as the molecular basis and treatment of human disease.
The biochemistry bachelor's provides you with the education you need to play a leading role in new and exciting areas of medical research. You will be exposed to cutting-edge research and knowledge. Our program prepares you for graduate studies and for an academic or research career in the medical sciences. What's more, biochemistry provides an excellent foundation for further studies in medicine and other areas of health care.
You can choose an Honours BSc in Biochemistry, a major or a minor.
If you want to pursue a career in experimental biochemistry, choose the Honours program. If you prefer a basic biochemistry education, choose a major. And if you want to focus on another discipline but are interested in biochemistry, choose a minor.
If you have a particular interest in microorganisms and the role that the immune system plays in health and disease, you can also choose an Honours BSc in biochemistry with an option in microbiology and immunology. We also offer an integrated biotechnology program that lets you combine studies in biochemistry and chemical engineering and receive both a BSc in biochemistry and a BASc in chemical engineering in five years.
As for the language of instruction, compulsory courses and many optional course units are available in either English or French.
If you choose the Honours in Biochemistry, you have the opportunity to complete a full-year research project under the supervision of a professor from the departments of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Biology, Physics, or Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, or under the supervision of an affiliated principle investigator from one of the many research institutes in the National Capital Region. Given the breadth of research expertise within our program, you can conduct research in many areas of modern biomedicine, including biochemistry, microbiology, immunology, chemical biology, molecular biology, cell biology, proteomics, genomics, systems biology and bioinformatics.
This program is offered in English and in French.
The table below includes only discipline-specific courses. Please refer to the Academic Regulations for information on including a minor to your degree.
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
BIO 1130 | Introduction to Organismal Biology | 3 Units |
BIO 1140 | Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology | 3 Units |
CHM 1311 | Principles of Chemistry | 3 Units |
CHM 1321 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 Units |
BCH 2333 | Introduction to Biochemistry | 3 Units |
BIO 2133 | Genetics | 3 Units |
CHM 2120 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 Units |
BCH 3120 | General Intermediary Metabolism | 3 Units |
BCH 3125 | Protein Structure and Function | 3 Units |
BCH 3170 | Molecular Biology | 3 Units |
9 course units from: | 9 Units | |
Biochemistry Laboratory II | ||
Molecular Biology Laboratory | ||
Structural Biology of Proteins 1 | ||
Cellular Regulation and Control | ||
General Microbiology | ||
Cell Biology | ||
Genomics | ||
Human Genome Structure and Function | ||
Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences | ||
Introduction to Biostatistics | ||
3 optional course units at the 4000 level in biochemistry (BCH) | ||
3 optional course units at the 4000 level in microbiology and immunology (MIC) | ||
Total: | 39 Units |
Note(s)
- 1
- This course may not be available every year.