Biochemistry

Career Potential

If you choose biochemistry as your major, you may be considering a research career. To be considered a professional researcher and teach at a university, you will need to earn a master's and possibly a doctoral degree in biochemistry, biology or chemistry.

Researchers in biochemistry work in government agencies, clinics and hospitals; and nonprofit and private laboratories. Manufacturers of agricultural chemicals, cosmetics, food and medicine also employ biochemistry majors. You may be a product inspector or sales representative in a chemical or pharmaceutical company or teach high school science.

A major in biochemistry also will prepare you to enter dental, medical or veterinary school or a training program to become an optometrist or an allied health care professional such as a pharmacist. UNT offers preprofessional advising if you are planning a career in health care.

As biochemistry major, you may combine college and medical school through a joint program of UNT and the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth. You would spend three years at UNT working on requirements for biochemistry majors, then transfer to the health science center for four years of medical training. With this option, you reduce the usual eight-year program to seven. If you are considering this option, you should work with the biochemistry and pre-professional advisors upon enrolling at UNT to prepare a rigorous course work plan.

UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies and interview preparation.

Majoring in biochemistry

As a biochemistry major, you will study chemical reactions, compounds and solutions of chemical elements, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, the periodic table, organic chemistry, macromolecules and metabolic pathways. You also will take courses in cell biology, molecular biology of genes, organic chemistry, physical chemistry and quantitative analysis in chemistry. You will be required to take technical writing, calculus-based physics, and calculus courses and to minor in biology. UNT's biochemistry program offers a bachelor of science degree if you are planning a research or medical career or a bachelor of arts degree if you wish to teach science in a school system or enter allied health fields.

Faculty members in UNT's biological sciences and chemistry departments are dedicated to excellence in teaching. One biological sciences faculty member was the only faculty member from a Texas college or university selected to participate in a program sponsored by American Society for Microbiology. Four faculty members have been named Regents Professor for outstanding teaching and research. Regents Professors devote at least half of their teaching load to introductory-level courses. Other professors have received the UNT President's Council Teaching and the Shelton Excellence in Teaching awards.

Getting hands-on experience

As a biochemistry major, you may receive course credit for working on a project in one of UNT's research centers or laboratories. You may study plant biochemistry in the Center for Plant Lipid Research or the Nitrogen Fixation Laboratory. You may also participate in molecular biology or biochemical research with faculty members who are exploring such diverse topics as avian genomes, cyanide biodegradation, molecular motors, and response of organisms to stress.

Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through UNT's office of Cooperative Education and Internships. This allows you to earn academic credit and money and gain valuable work experience. Co-op employers pay extremely well, and the jobs usually last several semesters, often until graduation.

Preparing for UNT

If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• English … 4 years
• Math … 4 years
• Social science — economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Science … 3 years
• Foreign language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

To prepare for the major, take at least two years of biology and one year of chemistry for your science requirement, and take trigonometry or other advanced math courses for your math requirement.

You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.

Transfer students should contact UNT advisors as early as possible for assistance in course selection toward major requirements in science and mathematics.

You may declare your intent to major in biochemistry upon enrolling at UNT, but you must complete specific pre-major course work in biology, chemistry and mathematics to be eligible for upper-level course work in the major. Consult the UNT Undergraduate Catalog for specific requirements in the biochemistry pre-major, including minimum acceptable grades and grade point averages.

Charting your path with academic advising

Faculty members in the department, including one who advises biochemistry majors, will help you plan your class schedule and select courses necessary for your degree. They also can give you career advice. The department office is in the Biology Building, Room 210.

Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the current catalog for information on a BS in Biochemistry or
a BA in Biochemistry.