Courses offered by the department may be taken by undergraduate, graduate, and medical school students. Students who elect to enroll in any of the above courses should have a good background in organic chemistry and cell biology. Advanced courses in more specialized areas are offered and emphasize the most recent developments in biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology. These courses include physical and chemical principles of biochemistry, enzyme reaction mechanisms, membrane trafficking and biochemistry, molecular motors and the cytoskeleton, mechanisms and regulation of nucleic acid replication and recombination, the biochemistry of bacterial and animal viruses, the molecular basis of morphogenesis, molecular and cell biology of yeast, and the structure and function of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic chromosomes. Opportunities exist for directed reading and research in biochemistry and molecular biology, utilizing a small but excellent departmental library as well as the most advanced research facilities, including those for light and electron microscopy, chromatography and electrophoresis, protein and nucleic acid purification, synthesis and analysis, single molecule analyses using laser light traps, and computer graphic workstation facilities for protein and nucleic acid structural analysis.
Ongoing research utilizes a variety of organisms, ranging from bacteria to animal cells.
The Department of Biochemistry offers a Ph.D. program which begins in the Autumn Quarter of each year. In addition to the requirement for a Ph.D. dissertation based on original research, students are required to complete six advanced courses in biochemistry and related areas, and at least three of these courses must be taken in the Department of Biochemistry. Selection of these courses is tailored to fit the background and interests of each student. A second requirement involves the submission of three research proposals which are presented by the student to a small advisory committee of departmental faculty members, who are also responsible for monitoring the progress of student curricular and research programs. All Ph.D. students are expected to participate actively in the department's seminar program and journal club, and students are encouraged to attend and to present papers at regional and national meetings in cellular biochemistry and molecular biology.