Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) is an interdisciplinary major that allows students to study life at the molecular level under the guidance of faculty drawn from the departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics & Computer Science.

Terry Hill, Department of Biology
Larryn Peterson, Department of Chemistry, Chair
Shana Stoddard, Department of Chemistry
Qian Shen, Department of Biology (Fall 2024)
Bayly Wheeler, Department of Biology (Spring 2025)

1. Courses required: those listed for the B. S. degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, as well as the Honors Tutorial (BMB 495 and BMB 496).
2. Permission of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program Committee.
3. An original investigation of some problem in the area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. This project is usually related to work being carried out by members of the faculty affiliated with the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major. The project may also be carried out off campus, with the careful guidance of a BMB faculty member liaison for the project.
4. A credible thesis must be presented at the end of the project. The honors project and thesis must be approved by the student’s honors committee, which should be comprised of at least three members of the faculty, two affiliated with the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major, and one from outside of the program.

Courses required for the BMB major that are appropriate for the fall semester of the first year include Chemistry 120-125L and Biology 130-131L. Students considering taking both Chemistry 120-125L and Biology 130-131L in the fall semester of the first year should consult a BMB advisor.

A total of sixty-one to sixty-two (61-62) credits as follows:

1. Chemistry 120-125L (Foundations in Chemistry), 211 (Organic Chemistry I), 212-212L (Organic Chemistry II with lab), and 240-240L (Analytical Chemistry with lab)
2. Biology 130-131L (Biology I with lab) and Biology 140-141L (Biology II with lab)
3. Biology 307 (Cell Biology)
4. Biology 325-325L (Molecular Biology with lab)
5. Chemistry 315 (Biochemistry)
6. BMB 310 (Methods in Biochemistry and Cell Biology)
7. BMB 485 or 486 (Senior Seminar)
8. Any one of the following: Computer Science 141 (Programming Fundamentals) OR Math 122 (Integral Calculus) OR Math 214 (Math Modeling) OR one course in probability and statistics. Courses that would be appropriate in the area of probability and statistics include Math 111, Math 211, Psychology 211, Economics 290.​
9. Two of the following courses; at least one must have a laboratory:

             a. Elective Courses with Laboratory

                       BIOL 301-301L (Microbiology with lab)
                       BIOL 304-304L (Genetics with lab) or BIOL 305-305L (Population Genomics with lab)
                       BIOL 355-355L (Animal Development with lab)
                       BIOL 376-376L (Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience with lab)
                       CHEM 325 (Computational Protein Design and Engineering)
                       CHEM 406 (Advanced Analytical Chemistry)
                       CHEM 411-411L (Medicinal & Computational Chemistry with lab)
                       BMB 451 or 452 (4 credits only may satisfy one elective; Research with an affiliated faculty member or 
                           must be approved by the BMB program committee)

             b. Elective Courses without a Laboratory

                        BIOL 330 (Virology/Immunology)
                        BIOL 380 (Topics in Biomedical Science)
                        CHEM 311 (Physical Chemistry)
                        CHEM 416 (Mechanisms of Drug Action)
                      

No more than one of the three courses listed in items #3-5 above may be transferred into Rhodes from another institution to satisfy the requirements for the BMB major.

Students seeking a double major must have at least four courses listed in items #3 through #9 for the BMB major that are not used to satisfy requirements for the other major.

In order for a student to have their B.S. degree in BMB accredited by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), the student must complete the major requirements and pass the ASBMB Certification Exam.