Frequently Asked Questions | Biochemistry & Cell Biology

Yes, BUT, you must get permission IN ADVANCE. The Curriculum Committee must see the following before giving permission: The text used; a course syllabus; the course must be given at a four year institution. Exceptions may be made for BASIC courses in chemistry, physics, or biology. i.e. Basic Chemistry, basic physics, some math. courses, some basic biology courses. Certain basic courses at community colleges are acceptable at Stony Brook, but check with us first. Advanced courses at community colleges are NEVER accepted. Basic courses in chemistry, physics, and mathematics must be approved by the respective departments; We can do the biology courses using the criteria above.

Transfer students who wish to complete the requirements for the Biochemistry major must take Biochemistry I and II (BIO 361 and 362) and must complete at least a minimum of nine (9) additional credits at Stony Brook in required upper-division Biology courses (BIO 310, 320, and 365) and/or approved upper-division Biology elective courses. Click here for more information.

Yes. New approved upper division electives are being added all the time. Check with your biochemistry advisor. Also, a student may petition the Curriculum Committee (send email to the to Director of Undergraduate Biochemistry) to get a course accepted as an elective. Do not take a course and then petition; get the course accepted first.

Registration: The Upper Division Writing Requirement for the Biochemistry major is consistent with the University Graduation Requirements for General Education, and successful completion will satisfy the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) learning outcomes for "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD). In order to satisfy the Upper-Division Writing requirement for the major in Biochemistry, students must co-register for the 0-credit BIO 459 course with either BIO 365 (Biochemistry lab) or an approved advanced course in biological sciences or chemistry (see below). Students must enroll in BIO 459 at the same time they are registering for the respective advanced course. To receive a satisfactory grade in BIO 459 and WRTD credit, either a BIO 365 lab report or term paper from the advanced biology/chemistry course must be submitted prior to the end of the term.

How to submit writing sample: After submitting their lab report or term paper for BIO course credit, students should submit the exact document to the BIO 459 Blackboard course assignments for writing evaluation. We encourage submission of your writing sample early in the semester to allow time for review and revision if needed.

Review of writing sample:Program in Writing and Rhetoric will evaluate the BIO 459 submission and will contact the student directly if remedial efforts are needed. Satisfactory completion of BIO 459 will fulfill the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) “Writing in the Discipline” WRTD learning objectives. If the writing assignment is initially found to be unsatisfactory, the student will be instructed by the Program in Writing and Rhetoric before resubmitting a revised version of their original paper. If a student chooses to submit a paper from another course that routinely offers a BIO 459 assignment, in lieu of making revisions, they will not need to enroll in BIO 459 again. To allow for evaluation and possible revision of their writing sample, students are urged to complete their upper division writing requirement in their junior year or by the end of their next-to-last semester. Completion of the upper division writing requirement in the final semester is considered but may delay graduation clearance.

Alternate courses that routinely offer assignments that can satisfy the BIO 459 WRTD learning outcomes: While BIO 459 co-registration with BIO 365 is highly recommended for Biochemistry majors, other upper division courses that routinely offer writing assignments that fulfill the WRTD requirement with co-registration in BIO 459 are listed in the Undergraduate Bulletin. Before enrolling in these advanced courses, students must verify that they have the required pre-or co-requisites and take into consideration the potential limited enrollment opportunities for upper division laboratories/lecture courses that are requirements for other majors. Students with questions regarding suitability of alternate courses or course planning should direct inquiries to the Biochemistry Undergraduate Program Director at biochem_ugpd@stonybrook.edu or make an appointment with a Division of Undergraduate Biology Advisor using Navigate.

For more information on Undergraduate research click here. Remember, research takes time. You can’t “do” it one or two hours a week. You may be required to come in evenings or on weekends. Cells don’t watch the clock and quit at 5:00PM. Make sure you have the time for it. A lab will want you for a minimum of a year in most cases; a graduating senior with one semester to go is not a top choice.

The main difference is that more calculus is used in PHY131/132. In particular most professors use multivariate integration to discuss moments of inertia already in PHY131. Multivariate integration is not covered until vector calculus, MAT203. In PHY132 there is heavy emphasis put on multivariate integration of the electromagnetic field. Another difference between PHY122 and PHY132 is that PHY122 has modern physics (quantum physics of atoms, molecules, nuclei and photons and a discussion of radiation). PHY132 does not discuss this at all, because scientists and engineers take another course called PHY251/252 Modern Physics. Some of modern physics appears on the MCAT if you are interested in medicine.

The best source of information on health-related careers is the Faculty Committee on Health Professions located in the Undergraduate Advising Center in the main library. Their web site: www.sunysb.edu/healthed is the best such site in the United States and is updated daily. There are two main health profession advisors, Mr. James Montren and Lakshmi Ramsoondar-Ahmad. They are the most knowledgable persons on campus in this area. They can be reached by phone or email for an appointment. The present Chair of the Faculty Committee on Health Professions is Prof. Harvard Lyman who is also the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Biochemistry & Cell Biology, and a member of the Admissions Committee of the Stony Brook School of Medicine. He can also give some insight into applying to schools in the health professions.

Identify the areas within Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Developmental Biology, etc in which you think you would like to do research. Using Peterson’s Guide to Graduate Education [in the main library] or [better] the web pages of major institutions, find at least four or five schools in which you have an interest. Request their brochures. Ask faculty members their opinions on graduate schools and programs. Never go to a school where there is only one person working in your area of interest; when you get there their lab may be full; they may have left or retired or they may have decided to leave science and become an itinerant musician. Grades, research experience and letters of recommendations, and competitive GRE scores are required. All good science PhD programs will pay you a stipend and give you a tuition waiver.

Yes and No. Many people have the idea that research is required to get into these schools. This is simply not true. On the other hand if you have an interest in research, then by all means do it. The experience is valuable in professional and graduate schools, and if your research advisor is impressed with your work, their letter of recommendation is most valuable in your application. Don’t waste a laboratory’s time and materials just because you think it will “ look good” on your application.

Entry-level laboratory jobs in industries such as pharmaceutics, reagent companies, scientific instrumentation are possible, and having research experience is needed to be competitive for these positions. These companies employ BS students in biochemistry in sales and administrative positions also. This is also true for entry-level jobs in the government such as NIH, USDA, Commerce, Department of Interior. Many BS grads take a few extra courses and become science teachers at the secondary school level. Some Wall Street firms use BS biochemistry grads to help analyze biochemically-related companies. Several of our students have gone on to law school; while there is no shortage of lawyers, there are few who understand the details of biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, etc. as an aide to litigation in these areas. The United States State Department employs science officers to analyze science in other countries. A Master’s Degree in Biochemistry allows a person some additional opportunities in the areas above. More information here.

The Career Center, W-0550, 2-6810 in the Melville Library is a good resource. They provide counseling and guidance on how to get letters of reference and preparing effective applications and resumes. They also are part of a credentials file management system Interfolio Inc. for sending out your credentials. Look at their web site for more information: www.interfolio.com

Frequently Asked Questions about the Biochemistry Major