Biochemistry Liberal Program - Core Science Component (B.Sc.) (44-48 credits)
Offered by: Biochemistry (Faculty of Science)
Degree: Bachelor of Science
Program credit weight: 44-48
Degree Requirements — B.Sc.
This program is offered as part of a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree.
To graduate, students must satisfy both their program requirements and their degree requirements.
- The program requirements (i.e., the specific courses that make up this program) are listed under the Course Tab (above).
- The degree requirements—including the mandatory Foundation program, appropriate degree structure, and any additional components—are outlined on the Degree Requirements page.
Students are responsible for ensuring that this program fits within the overall structure of their degree and that all degree requirements are met. Consult the Degree Planning Guide on the SOUSA website for additional guidance.
Courses
U1 Required Courses (20-24 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOC 212 | Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Function. | 3 |
Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Function. Terms offered: Winter 2027 An introductory course describing the biochemistry and molecular biology of selected key functions of animal cells, including: gene expression; mitochondrial production of metabolic energy; cellular communication with the extra-cellular environment; and regulation of cell division. | ||
| BIOC 220 | Laboratory Methods in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 1. | 3 |
Laboratory Methods in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 1. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Introduction to key methodologies for the isolation, detection and characterization of proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and subcellular fractions, including spectrophotometry, assays of enzymatic activities and chromatographic and electrophoretic methods. Analysis of biochemical data. | ||
| BIOC 301 | Written Communication in Biomedical Sciences | 1 |
Written Communication in Biomedical Sciences Terms offered: Winter 2027 The structure of scientific papers, the interpretation of scientific data, and citation management. Emphasizes practice in writing manuscript-style papers. | ||
| BIOL 200 | Molecular Biology. | 3 |
Molecular Biology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The physical and chemical properties of the cell and its components in relation to their structure and function. Topics include: protein structure, enzymes and enzyme kinetics; nucleic acid replication, transcription and translation; the genetic code, mutation, recombination, and regulation of gene expression. | ||
| BIOL 202 | Basic Genetics. | 3 |
Basic Genetics. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Introduction to basic principles, and to modern advances, problems and applications in the genetics of higher and lower organisms with examples representative of the biological sciences. | ||
| CHEM 204 | Physical Chemistry/Biological Sciences 1. | 3 |
Physical Chemistry/Biological Sciences 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Similar to CHEM 223/CHEM 243. Emphasis on the use of biological examples to illustrate the principles of physical chemistry. The relevance of physical chemistry to biology is stressed. | ||
| CHEM 242 | Organic Chemistry 1 for Chemistry and Biochemistry. 1 | 4 |
Organic Chemistry 1 for Chemistry and Biochemistry. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A fundamental study of aliphatic compounds and saturated functional groups including modern concepts of bonding, reaction mechanisms, conformational analysis, spectroscopy, and stereochemistry. | ||
| CHEM 252 | Organic Chemistry 2 for Chemistry and Biochemistry. 1 | 4 |
Organic Chemistry 2 for Chemistry and Biochemistry. Terms offered: Winter 2027 A fundamental study of aromatic and polar unsaturated functional groups including reaction mechanisms, multi-step synthesis, regioselectivity, and modern spectroscopic techniques for structure determination. | ||
- 1
Students with CEGEP-level credit for CHEM 242 Organic Chemistry 1 for Chemistry and Biochemistry. should replace this course with an elective course.
U1 Complementary Courses (6 credits)
Complementary courses listed for U1 and U2 may be taken in later years if necessary to accommodate courses that must be taken in U1 and U2 as part of the breadth component of the program.
6 credits selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 205 | Functional Biology of Plants and Animals. | 3 |
Functional Biology of Plants and Animals. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Unified view of form and function in animals and plants. Focus on how the laws of chemistry and physics illuminate biological processes relating to the acquisition of energy and materials and their use in movement, growth, development, reproduction and responses to environmental stress. | ||
| MIMM 211 | Introductory Microbiology. | 3 |
Introductory Microbiology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A general treatment of microbiology bearing specifically on the biological properties of microorganisms. Emphasis will be on procaryotic cells. Basic principles of microbial genetics are also introduced. | ||
| MIMM 214 | Introductory Immunology: Elements of Immunity. | 3 |
Introductory Immunology: Elements of Immunity. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Basic immunology, organs and cells, elements of innate immunity, phagocytes, complement, elements of adaptive immunity, B-cells, T-cells, antigen presenting cells, MHC genes and molecules, antigen processing and presentation, cytokines and chemokines. Emphasis on anatomy and the molecular and cellular players working together as a physiological system to maintain human health. | ||
| PHGY 209 | Mammalian Physiology 1. | 3 |
Mammalian Physiology 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Physiology of body fluids, blood, body defense mechanisms, muscle, peripheral, central, and autonomic nervous systems. | ||
| PHGY 210 | Mammalian Physiology 2. | 3 |
Mammalian Physiology 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Physiology of cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, endocrine and renal systems. | ||
U2 Required Courses (12 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOC 311 | Metabolic Biochemistry. | 3 |
Metabolic Biochemistry. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The generation of metabolic energy in higher organisms with an emphasis on its regulation at the molecular, cellular and organ level. Chemical concepts and mechanisms of enzymatic catalysis are also emphasized. Included: selected topics in carbohydrate, lipid and nitrogen metabolism; complex lipids and biological membranes; hormonal signal transduction. | ||
| BIOC 312 | Biochemistry of Macromolecules. | 3 |
Biochemistry of Macromolecules. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Gene expression from the start of transcription to the synthesis of proteins, their modifications and degradation. Topics covered: purine and pyrimidine metabolism; transcription and its regulation; mRNA processing; translation; targeting of proteins to specific cellular sites; protein glycosylation; protein phosphorylation; protein turn-over; programmed cell death (apoptosis). | ||
| BIOC 320 | Laboratory Methods in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2. | 3 |
Laboratory Methods in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Modern molecular-biological methods for isolation and characterization of nucleic acids and for analysis of RNA and protein expression, including: plasmid expression, isolation, restriction and ligation; electrophoretic methods and Western blotting; PCR and qPCR applications; immunofluorescence microscopy and basic bioinformatics approaches. | ||
| CHEM 302 | Introductory Organic Chemistry 3. | 3 |
Introductory Organic Chemistry 3. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Topics covered may include the following: Aromatic compounds, heterocyclic chemistry, sulfur and phosphorus chemistry, organosulfur and organophosphorus compounds, and biomolecules such as lipids, carbohydrates, amino acids, polypeptides, DNA and RNA. | ||
U2 Complementary Courses (3 credits)
Complementary courses listed for U1 and U2 may be taken in later years if necessary to accommodate courses that must be taken in U1 and U2 as part of the breadth component of the program.
3 credits selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 373 | Biometry. | 3 |
Biometry. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Elementary statistical methods in biology. Introduction to the analysis of biological data with emphasis on the assumptions behind statistical tests and models. Use of statistical techniques typically available on computer packages. | ||
| CHEM 267 | Introductory Chemical Analysis. | 3 |
Introductory Chemical Analysis. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Qualitative and quantitative analysis. A survey of methods of analysis including theory and practice of semimicro qualitative analysis and representative gravimetric, volumetric and instrumental methods. The laboratory component includes introductory experiments in analytical chemistry emphasizing classical and instrumental methods of quantitative analysis. | ||
| COMP 202 | Foundations of Programming. | 3 |
Foundations of Programming. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Introduction to computer programming in a high level language: variables, expressions, primitive types, methods, conditionals, loops. Introduction to algorithms, data structures (arrays, strings), modular software design, libraries, file input/output, debugging, exception handling. Selected topics. | ||
| COMP 204 | Computer Programming for Life Sciences. | 3 |
Computer Programming for Life Sciences. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Computer Science (Sci): Computer programming in a high level language: variables, expressions, types, functions, conditionals, loops, objects and classes. Introduction to algorithms, modular software design, libraries, file input/output, debugging. Emphasis on applications in the life sciences. | ||
| MATH 203 | Principles of Statistics 1. | 3 |
Principles of Statistics 1. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Examples of statistical data and the use of graphical means to summarize the data. Basic distributions arising in the natural and behavioural sciences. The logical meaning of a test of significance and a confidence interval. Tests of significance and confidence intervals in the one and two sample setting (means, variances and proportions). | ||
| MATH 222 | Calculus 3. | 3 |
Calculus 3. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Taylor series, Taylor's theorem in one and several variables. Review of vector geometry. Partial differentiation, directional derivative. Extreme of functions of 2 or 3 variables. Parametric curves and arc length. Polar and spherical coordinates. Multiple integrals. | ||
| PSYC 204 | Introduction to Psychological Statistics. | 3 |
Introduction to Psychological Statistics. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 The statistical analysis of research data; frequency distributions; graphic representation; measures of central tendency and variability; elementary sampling theory and tests of significance. | ||
U3 Complementary Courses (3 credits)
3 credits selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOC 450 | Protein Structure and Function. | 3 |
Protein Structure and Function. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of enzymes. Active site mapping and site-specific mutagenesis of enzymes. Enzyme kinetics and mechanisms of catalysis. Multienzyme complexes. | ||
| BIOC 454 | Nucleic Acids. | 3 |
Nucleic Acids. Terms offered: Fall 2026 RNA processing, localization and stability. RNAi mechanisms, regulation and applications. Regulation of DNA replication. Genomics: human genome sequence, regulation and organization. DNA repair mechanisms. Special topics on transgenics, genetic diseases and cancer. | ||
| BIOC 470 | Lipids and Lipoproteins in Disease. | 3 |
Lipids and Lipoproteins in Disease. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Structure, function and metabolism of lipids and lipoproteins as they relate to lipid storage diseases, obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimers disease and other neurological diseases. Transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms governing the synthesis and degradation of important enzymes, lipids, and lipid transport molecules; role of lipid mediators in signaling pathways and protein modification; assembly and dynamics of lipoproteins and biological membranes; genetic disruptions of lipid regulatory proteins such as cell surface receptors leading to human disease. | ||
| BIOC 504 | Molecular Mechanisms of Disease | 3 |
Molecular Mechanisms of Disease Terms offered: Fall 2026 Reflecting on and communicating the molecular underpinnings of human disease, their clinical significance, and relevance to diagnosis and treatment. The underlying molecular causes of disease, going from mutations in DNA, RNA stability and proteins structure and function. | ||
| BIOC 505 | RNA in Disease and Therapeutics | 3 |
RNA in Disease and Therapeutics Terms offered: Winter 2027 Recent advances in understanding the complex role of versatile RNA molecules and related biochemical processes that play a central role in homeostasis. The broad spectrum of pathological states resulting from dysregulated RNA and RNA-based therapeutics are presented. | ||