Last updated: June 19, 2024 @ 01:52PM

Biochemistry

This program is offered through the Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry

Co-ordinators
Fiona Hunter, Department of Biological Sciences
Paul Zelisko, Department of Chemistry

Academic Advisor
Heather VanVolkenburg
brocku.ca/fmsadvising

General Information

Administrative Assistant
Brittany Kalbfleisch, Nicole Mooney

905-688-5550, extension 3388
Mackenzie Chown F234
brocku.ca/biochemistry

Biochemistry describes the structure, organization and function of living systems in molecular terms. The goals of biochemistry are to identify the chemical components and molecules (such as DNA, RNA and protein) of living cells and to determine the function of each component, how components interact, how they are integrated into biological systems, and how these components affect the overall functions of cells and living systems. The Biochemistry Program is a broadly based program designed to provide the student with a thorough understanding of living systems from a molecular perspective. The program is run jointly by the Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry.

The Biochemistry Co-op program combines academic and work terms over a five-year period. Students spend two years in an academic setting studying the fundamentals of Biochemistry prior to their first work placement. Successful completion of courses in the core areas of Biochemistry provides the necessary academic background for the work experience. In addition to the current fees for courses in academic study terms, Biochemistry Co-op students are assessed an administrative fee for each work term (see the Schedule of Fees).

Students wishing to gain entry (or re-entry) into the Biochemistry program from another university program (including from accredited programs offered outside of the university) must have first completed all first-year requirements of the program being sought (with a minimum of 60 achieved in each of BIOL 1P91, BIOL 1P92 and CHEM 1P91 and CHEM 1P92) and hold a minimum major average of 70 and overall average of 60.

Eligibility to continue in the Biochemistry Co-op program is based on the student's major and non-major averages. A student with a minimum 70 percent major average and a minimum 60 percent non-major average may continue. A student with a major average lower than 70 percent will not be permitted to continue in the Biochemistry Co-op program, but may continue in the non co-op Biochemistry stream. If a student subsequently raises his/her major average to 70 percent, the student may be re-admitted only if approved by the Co-op Admissions Committee. For further information, see the Co-op Programs section of the Calendar, and contact the Departments of Biological Sciences or Chemistry.

All students in the Co-operative Education program are required to read, sign and adhere to the terms of the Student Regulations Waiver and Co-op Student Manuals (brocku.ca/co-op/current-students/co-op-student-manuals) as articulated by the Co-op Programs Office. In addition, eligibility to continue in the co-op option is based on the student's major average and non-major average, and the ability to demonstrate the motivation and potential to pursue a professional career.

Each four-month co-operative education work term must be registered. Once students are registered in a co-op work term, they are expected to fulfill their commitment. If the placement accepted is for more than one four-month work term, students are committed to complete all terms. Students may not withdraw from or terminate a work term without permission from the Director, Co-op Program Office.

The Biochemistry Co-op program designation will be awarded to those students who have honours standing and who have successfully completed a minimum of twelve months of Co-op work experience.

Eligibility to graduate requires that students maintain a major average of 70 (Honours program) or 60 (with Major program) and an overall average of 60.

Program Notes
  1. Students preparing for professional studies in health sciences should note that many such programs require completion of a laboratory physics course i.e. PHYS 1P91 and 1P92.
  2. CHEM 3P40 is strongly recommended for most projects in CHEM 4F90, 4F91 and should be taken in year 3 by students intending to proceed to a year 4 thesis in CHEM.
  3. CHEM 4P27 is strongly recommended when offered.
  4. The following course will count as electives only and not towards major credit: BIOL 1P23, 1P24, 1F25, 1P27, 1P28, 1P30, 2P95.
  5. In 20 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; at least three credits must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
    In 15 credit degree programs a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least three credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above.
    In some circumstances, in order to meet university degree and program requirements, more than 15 or 20 credits may be taken.

Honours Program

Year 1
·   BIOL 1P91 and 1P92
·   CHEM 1P91 and 1P92
·   MATH 1P05 and 1P06 (recommended), or MATH 1P97 and STAT 1P98
·   PHYS 1P21 or 1P91 (recommended; see program note 1)
·   PHYS 1P22 or 1P92 (recommended)
·   one Humanities context credit or one Social Sciences context credit

Year 2
·   BIOL 2P02 and 2P03
·   one credit from BIOL 2P92, 2P94, 2P96, 2P98
·   CHEM 2P12 and 2P63
·   CHEM 2P20 and 2P21
·   the Humanities context credit or Social Sciences context credit (not taken in year 1)

Year 3
·   BCHM 3P01 and 3P02
·   BIOL 3P50
·   one of BCHM 3P25, BIOL 3P51, 3P91
·   CHEM 2P32, 2P42, 3P20 and 3P21
·   one-half CHEM credit numbered 2(alpha)90 to 3(alpha)99 (see program note 2)
·   one-half elective credit

Year 4
·   BIOL 4F90 and 4F91 or CHEM 4F90 and 4F91
·   one BCHM credit numbered 3(alpha)90 to 4(alpha)99
·   one CHEM credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above (see program note 3)
·   one elective credit

Biochemistry Co-op (Honours only)

Students admitted to the Co-op program must follow an approved program pattern. The most common pattern is listed below. For other approved patterns, consult the Co-op Office.

Year 1
·   BIOL 1P91 and 1P92
·   CHEM 1P91 and 1P92
·   MATH 1P05 and 1P06, or MATH 1P97 and STAT 1P98
·   PHYS 1P21 or 1P91 (recommended; see program note 1)
·   PHYS 1P22 or 1P92 (recommended)
·   one Humanities context credit or Social Sciences context credit

Year 2
·   BIOL 2P02 and 2P03
·   one credit from BIOL 2P92, 2P96 and 2P98
·   CHEM 2P12, 2P20, 2P21 and 2P63
·   SCIE 0N90
·   the Humanities context credit or Social Sciences context credit (not taken in year 1)

Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   BCHM 0N01 and 2C01

Year 3
Fall Term:
·   BCHM 3P02
·   one of BCHM 3P25, BIOL 3P51, 3P91
·   CHEM 2P42 and 3P20
·   one-half CHEM credit numbered 2(alpha)90 to 3(alpha)99 (see program note 2)

Winter Term:
·   BCHM 0N02 and 2C02

Year 4
Fall Term:
·   BCHM 0N03 and 2C03

Winter Term:
·   BIOL 3P50
·   BCHM 3P01
·   CHEM 2P32 and 3P21
·   one-half elective credit

Year 5
·   BIOL 4F90 and 4F91 or CHEM 4F90 and 4F91
·   one BCHM credit numbered 3(alpha)90 to 4(alpha)99
·   one CHEM credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above (see program note 3)
·   one elective credit

BSc with Major Program

Year 1
·   BIOL 1P91 and 1P92
·   CHEM 1P91 and 1P92
·   MATH 1P05 and 1P06 (recommended), or MATH 1P97 and STAT 1P98
·   PHYS 1P21 or 1P91 (recommended; see program note 1)
·   PHYS 1P22 or 1P92 (recommended)
·   one Humanities context credit or one Social Sciences context credit

Year 2
·   BIOL 2P02 and 2P03
·   one credit from BIOL 2P92, 2P94, 2P96, 2P98
·   CHEM 2P12 and 2P63
·   CHEM 2P20 and 2P21
·   the Humanities context credit or Social Sciences context credit not taken in year 1

Year 3
·   BCHM 3P01 and 3P02
·   BIOL 3P50
·   one of BCHM 3P25, BIOL 3P51, 3P91
·   CHEM 2P32, 2P42, 3P20 and 3P21
·   one-half CHEM credit numbered 2(alpha)90 to 3(alpha)99 (see program note 2)
·   one-half elective credit

Year 4
·   Two credits numbered 3(alpha)90 or above from BCHM, BIOL, BTEC, CHEM
·   one BCHM credit numbered 3(alpha)90 to 4(alpha)99
·   one CHEM credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above (see program note 3)
·   one elective credit

Pass Program

Satisfactory completion of the first three years of the Honours program entitles a student to apply for a Pass degree.

Course Descriptions

Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details.

# Indicates a cross-listed course
* Indicates a primary offering of a cross-listed course

Prerequisites and Restrictions

Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.

BIOCHEMISTRY COURSES

BCHM 3P01
Metabolic Biochemistry
Biochemical energetics, kinetic regulation of metabolic pathways. Carbon metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins; nitrogen metabolism.
Lecture, 3 hours per week; lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to BCHM, BIOL (single or combined), BIOL(Honours)/BEd(Intermediate/Senior), BMED, BTEC, NBIO, NEUN, NEUR, NMTR, NPSY and OEVI majors until date specified in Registration Guide. Students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 2P02, 2P03 (2F01) and CHEM 2P20.
Note: materials fee required. This course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 3P02
Protein Structure and Function
Connection between protein structure and function. Topics include protein databases and informatics, protein evolution, 3-D structure modeling and visualization, enzyme kinetics, protein engineering, and proteomics.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 2P02 and 2P03 (2F01).
Note: this course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 3P25
Wine Chemistry
(also offered as OEVI 3P25)
Sugars, acids, nitrogenous compounds in grape juice; antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of sulphur dioxide; must adjustments; biochemistry of alcoholic and malo-lactic fermentation; bitartrate and protein stability; fining agents; wine aging and phenolic oxidation.
Lectures, lab, 6 hours per week.
Restriction: open to BCHM, BIOL (single or combined), BTEC, OEVI majors and OEVI certificate students or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 2P02, 2P03 (2F01), CHEM 2P20 and 2P42.
Note: materials fee required. Students must be a minimum of 18 years of age. It is strongly recommended that students take BCHM 3P01 prior to or concurrent with OEVI (BCHM) 3P25. This course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 4P03
Current Topics in Photobiology
(also offered as BIOL 4P03)
The interaction of light with biological molecules. Effects of ultraviolet radiation, photosynthesis, vision and photoregulation of genes and proteins.
Lectures, seminar, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to BCHM, BIOL (single or combined), BIOL (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), BMED, BSc Integrated Studies (Honours)/BEd (Junior/Intermediate), BTEC, NEUR, OEVI majors and BIOL minors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 14.0 overall credits or approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisite(s): one-half BCHM credit numbered 3(alpha)00 to 3(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.
Note: this course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 4P06
Bioinformatics
(also offered as BIOL 4P06 and BTEC 4P06)
Sequence analysis, phylogeny, databases and tools, functional genomics, genome project basic bioinformatics programming.
Lecture, seminar, computer lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 14.0 overall credits or approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 3P50, 3P51 or permission of the instructor.
Note: BIOL 2P05, BCHM 3P02 and BIOL 1P96 are recommended. This course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 4P08
Topics in Plant and Microbial Biotechnology
(also offered as BIOL 4P08 and BTEC 4P08)
Characterization of biochemical processes and structures. Genetic modification of such processes and structures through molecular manipulation to meet scientific and/or societal needs. Examples include yeast and microbial enzymes or enzyme systems as well as crop proteins and enzymes.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to BCHM, BIOL (single or combined), BIOL (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), BMED, BSc Integrated Studies (Honours)/BEd (Junior/Intermediate), BTEC, NEUR, OEVI majors and BIOL minors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 14.0 overall credits or approval to 4 (honours).
Prerequisite(s): one of BCHM 3P01, 3P02, BIOL 2P94, 3P50, CHEM 3P93 or permission of the instructor.
Note: this course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 4P11
Theory of Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
(also offered as BIOL 4P11 and BTEC 4P11)
Theory behind basic and some advanced techniques in nucleic acid and protein manipulations and analysis.
Lectures/seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to BCHM, BIOL (single or combined), BIOL (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), BMED, BSc Integrated Studies (Honours)/BEd (Junior/Intermediate), BTEC, NEUR, OEVI majors and BIOL minors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 14.0 overalls credits or approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 3P50.
Note: this course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 4P41
Human Molecular Genetics
(also offered as BIOL 4P41, BTEC 4P41 and HLSC 4P41)
Principles of human genetics, human genome organization, pedigree, disease gene mapping, forensic and cancer genetics, genome sequencing, personal genomics.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 14.0 overall credits or approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 3P50 or 3P51.
Note: this course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 4P67
Biophysical Techniques
(also offered as BTEC 4P67 and CHEM 4P67)
Modern instrumental methods of biotechnology emphasizing understanding theory. Development of newer technologies which utilize biological components. Topics include optical, X-ray and NMR techniques, separation techniques, hybridization assays, immunoassays, biosensors and mass spectral techniques; membrane chemistry.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): CHEM 2P21 and 2P63 or permission of the instructor.
Note: this course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

CO-OP COURSES

BCHM 0N01
Work Placement 1
First Co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to BCHM Co-op students.

BCHM 0N02
Work Placement II
Second Co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to BCHM Co-op students.

BCHM 0N03
Work Placement III
Third Co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to BCHM Co-op students.

BCHM 0N04
Work Placement IV
Optional Co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to BCHM Co-op students.

BCHM 0N05
Work Placement V
Optional Co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to BCHM Co-op students.

BCHM 2C01
Co-op Reflective Learning and Integration I
Provides students with the opportunity to apply what they haveve learned in their academic studies through career-oriented work experiences at employer sites.
Restriction: open to BCHM Co-op students.
Prerequisite(s): SCIE 0N90.
Corequisite(s): BCHM 0N01.
Note: students will be required to prepare learning objectives, participate in a site visit, write a work term report and receive a successful work term performance evaluation. This course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 2C02
Co-op Reflective Learning and Integration II
Provides students with the opportunity to apply what they haveve learned in their academic studies through career-oriented work experiences at employer sites.
Restriction: open to BCHM Co-op students.
Prerequisite(s): SCIE 0N90.
Corequisite(s): BCHM 0N02.
Note: students will be required to prepare learning objectives, participate in a site visit, write a work term report and receive a successful work term performance evaluation. This course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 2C03
Co-op Reflective Learning and Integration III
Provides students with the opportunity to apply what they haveve learned in their academic studies through career-oriented work experiences at employer sites.
Restriction: open to BCHM Co-op students.
Prerequisite(s): SCIE 0N90.
Corequisite(s): BCHM 0N03.
Note: students will be required to prepare learning objectives, participate in a site visit, write a work term report and receive a successful work term performance evaluation. This course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 2C04
Co-op Reflective Learning and Integration IV
Provides students with the opportunity to apply what they haveve learned in their academic studies through career-oriented work experiences at employer sites.
Restriction: open to BCHM Co-op students.
Prerequisite(s): SCIE 0N90.
Corequisite(s): BCHM 0N04.
Note: students will be required to prepare learning objectives, participate in a site visit, write a work term report and receive a successful work term performance evaluation. This course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.

BCHM 2C05
Co-op Reflective Learning and Integration V
Provides students with the opportunity to apply what they haveve learned in their academic studies through career-oriented work experiences at employer sites.
Restriction: open to BCHM Co-op students.
Prerequisite(s): SCIE 0N90.
Corequisite(s): BCHM 0N05.
Note: students will be required to prepare learning objectives, participate in a site visit, write a work term report and receive a successful work term performance evaluation. This course may be offered in multiple modes of delivery. The method of delivery will be listed on the academic timetable, in the applicable term.