A special major in the area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is available to students who have highly focused interests in biology and chemistry, well-defined career goals, and strong academic records in science courses. A course plan is adapted to the needs of each student through a series of consultations with academic advisors in the Biology Department. In the process of meeting all general requirements for the AB degree, a student majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will ordinarily be required to take the following courses (plus all necessary prerequisite courses): Chem 111A-112A, 151-152, 251, 252, 257, 421 and either 422 or 424 (but ordinarily 424); Physics 117A-118A; Math 131, 132, and 233, or the equivalent (plus any other prerequisites necessary for the Physical Chemistry courses selected); Bio 296A, 297A, 3051, 451, two additional courses in advanced biochemistry (such as Bio 434, 5312, 5319, 5325, 5384, 5464, 548, 5495 [or other courses approved by the BMB advisor in Biology], or Chem 520), and at least two courses in related fields of biology or chemistry at or above the 300 level (among these an upper-level laboratory course, such as Bio 437, Bio 4522 or Chem 358, is strongly recommended). In addition, two semesters of Bio 500 in an area approved by the academic advisors are required; a thesis describing the results of this work must be submitted to and approved by the academic advisors (ordinarily by the first Monday following spring break of the senior year).
Students are encouraged to apply for admission into the program only after completion of Bio 297A and Chem 252 (a grade of B+ or better in each is ordinarily required) but not later than the fifth semester in residence. To qualify for Honors, a student must have at least a B+ average in the required courses in mathematics, physics and chemistry listed above, a B+ average in the required biology courses, and a B+ average overall; moreover, the thesis described above must be judged by the academic advisors to be of Honors quality.
For more information, contact the BMB advisor in Biology, Professor Oscar
Chilson (x5-6859; chilson@biodec.wustl.edu) in the Biology Department. Students
interested in biochemistry also should consider programs offered through
the Chemistry Department.
There are three programs offered in the School of Engineering and Applied Science that combine biology and engineering: the Biological and Engineering Sciences (BES) major, the Biomedical Engineering (BME) major, and the Biomedical Engineering Sciences (BMES) major. The BES major is jointly offered by the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Department of Biology of the College of Arts and Sciences. The BME and the BMES majors are offered by the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. All of these majors are designed to prepare students for the challenges posed by the integration of biology and engineering. In the BES major, students complete a biology major that is augmented by training in an engineering specialty oriented to their personal interests: chemical engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental science, mechanical engineering, or systems science and mathematics. In the BME and the BMES majors, students take engineering course work along with biology courses. The BME major is designed for those students with a professional interest in Biomedical Engineering; the BMES major is designed for those students who wish to pursue their graduate education in another field, e.g., medicine.
For further information about each of these majors, see each of their
listings in the Undergraduate Program Book under the School of Engineering.
Contact Professor William David Richard (x5-4676; wdr@ee.wustl.edu) in the
School of Engineering for further information about the BES major. Contact
Professor Salvatore Sutera (x5-6164; sps@mecf.wustl.edu) or Professor Julius
Guccione (x5-6108; jmg@mecf.wustl.edu) in the School of Engineering for
further information about the BME and the BMES majors.
The physics department offers a minor for students interested in the application of methods and techniques from physics to topics in the area of biology and medicine. The program is of interest to the research-oriented science major or the premedical student. Requirements for the Biomedical Physics minor include Physics 117A and 118A. TWO courses from the following three are required: Physics 314 Physics of the Heart (Spring course), Physics 350 Physics of the Brain (Spring course), Physics 351 Intro to Biomedical Physics (Fall course). In addition, one advanced laboratory course is required. At present, one of the following three courses can be chosen: Physics 316 Optics Lab (Fall course), Physics 321 Electronics Lab (Fall course), Physics 322 Physical Measurement Lab (Spring course). The last requirement is intended to give students hands-on experience. Some challenging biomedically related experiments will be available in Physics 322. Students registered for the biomedical physics minor can take Physics 322 without fulfilling any prerequisites other than Physics 117A - 118A. For further information, contact Willem Dickhoff (x5-4169; wimd@howdy.wustl.edu) in the Physics Department.
Recent years have seen increased attention to environmental issues. This concern for the environment stems from the degradation of the biotic environment (i.e., the air, water, soil, etc.) caused by humans and the effect that this degradation has on living organisms. As a result of this growing concern, Washington University has created an interdisciplinary program of Environmental Studies, which offers both a major and a minor and combines faculty from Anthropology, Biology, Earth & Planetary Sciences, Economics, Engineering and Applied Science, and Political Science.
Within the major, there are two areas of concentration: environmental science and environmental social science. The former requires more courses in Biology and EPS, whereas the latter requires more in Anthropology, Economics and Political Science. See the Washington University Undergraduate Programs Handbook for more information. For the minor, students are required to take 15 units of credit, including courses from four separate departments (four specific courses are required and two more can be chosen from a list of additional courses).
Students interested in either double majoring in Biology and Environmental
Studies or majoring in Biology and minoring in Environmental Studies should
be aware that there are overlapping distributional requirements. The following
courses may be counted simultaneously toward both majors: Biology 296A,
297A and 3051; Chemistry 111A, 112A and 251; Math 131, 132; Physics 117A,
118A. Although some courses, such as Biology 419 (Ecology), may meet advanced
distributional requirements for both areas, no course may be counted simultaneously
toward the advanced distributional requirements for both Biology and Environmental
Studies. In other words, Biology 419 cannot simultaneously be used to satisfy
the requirements of both majors; it can be counted toward one of the majors
(or minor), but then other courses must be used to fulfill the requirements
of the other major (or minor). Students with interests in Environmental
Engineering should see the listing for Biological and Engineering Sciences
for an alternative major that focuses on the environment.
History and philosophy of science is a diverse interdisciplinary minor program that offers you the opportunity to explore scientific ideas and issues in a larger perspective. This program, by drawing on a range of courses from different departments, allows you to examine different sciences in relation to each other and to study issues not necessarily part of the traditional science curriculum. If you are a science major or premedical student, this program will broaden your science background and understanding of science as a social and intellectual process. If you are a major in history, philosophy, or one of the behavioral sciences, this program can help integrate the diverse aspects of liberal education to prepare you for your future career. The program as constituted is particularly strong in the history and philosophy of the life sciences.
If you are interested in minoring in history and philosophy of science, you should consult with the committee chair (current co-chairs: Mark Rollins and Laurence Schneider) and your major adviser.
The Minor: You are required to complete 15 units in the minor, of which 9 must be at the 300 level or above. You must take at least three courses from the core, including Philosophy 321 and at least one course outside of philosophy. Courses counting toward the minor must be additional to courses taken for your major. Core courses include Bio 345A, Bio 346A, and other courses from the Philosophy, Physics, and Psychology departments. See the Undergraduate Program book for a current listing of core courses and electives.