Requirements for the MB&B Major

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

 

Requirements for the MB&B Major

 

Below are the required courses that comprise the MB&B major. Although the sequence of courses shown is the ideal one, the major can be readily accommodated even if begun after the freshman year.

 

	Fall	Spring
Freshman	MB&B 181 or 195  Principles of Biology I MB&B 191  Principles of Biology I Lab CHEM 141 or 143 Introductory Chemistry I	MB&B 182 Principles of Biology II MB&B 192 Principles of Biology II Lab CHEM 142 or 144 Introductory Chemistry II CHEM 152 Introductory Chemistry Lab
Sophomore	MB&B 208 Molecular Biology    CHEM 251 Organic Chemistry I   MB&B 209  Frontiers in Molecular Biology  (optional)	CHEM 252 Organic Chemistry II
Junior	MB&B 395 Structural Biology Lab             OR    MB&B 383   Biochemistry	MB&B 294 Advanced Laboratory in Molecular Biology and Genetics   MB&B 381 Physical Chemistry for Life Scientists*
Senior	MB&B elective	MB&B elective

 

*MB&B 381 may be replaced by two semesters of Introductory Physics (PHYS 111 and 112, or 113 and 116) or by Physical Chemistry (CHEM337 and CHEM338).

 

Also required is one course in Mathematics (e.g., calculus or statistics).

 

Electives:  Two electives are required.  One of the electives must be a 300 level MB&B course.  The second may be an MB&B course or an approved course from the Biology or Chemistry departments.  Two semesters of research for credit (Individual Tutorial, MB&B 401/402) with an MB&B faculty member (or a pre-approved faculty member in another department conducting research in molecular biology/biochemistry/biophysics) can also be substituted for the second elective.

 

Approved courses outside MB&B that can be taken for elective credit include BIOL 218 and BIOL323 (if BIOL323 is used for elective credit then students must choose MB&B 395 for their required lab course).

 

Pre-meds and pre-grads: Organic chemistry laboratory courses (CHEM 257 and CHEM 258) are requirements for virtually all graduate and medical schools.  Most medical schools also require one year of physics with related labs, and two semesters of mathematics.

 

Getting Started

 

WHICH BIOL OR MBB COURSE SHOULD YOU TAKE?
181-1, 181-2, 3, 4 or 5 or 195? 

We have three different paths for starting toward the Biology (BIOL), Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (MBB), or Neuroscience and Behavior (NSB) majors, to suit the needs of students with different backgrounds. All are crosslisted between Biol and MBB, meaning they can be taken under either department.

The most common entry point is MB&B/BIOL 181-1, with associated lab 191, but the other sections are appropriate for some.

NOTE: Students enroll for the 191 labs separately. It is recommended that students, especially those intending to major in the life sciences, should have taken chemistry, or should be taking it concurrently.

 

What about the other sections of 181? 

Section 2, 3, 4 or 5 of MBB/Bio 181 is a good choice for students preferring greater emphasis on continuous assessment and problem-based learning. Given the small enrollment, this section is also a good choice for students with less extensive previous backgrounds in biology. The information role of DNA and proteins in molecular cellular biology will be a central theme throughout the course. Sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 will address similar topics to Section 1. Students should enroll separately in MBB/BIOL191.

 

What about MBB/BIOL 195? 

MBB/BIOL 195 is an honors level component of MBB/BIOL 181 designed for students with a substantial background in Biology. All of the material and lectures of MBB/BIOL 181-1 are included, plus an additional one and one-half hour meeting per week that covers related specific topics in considerably greater depth. MBB/BIOL 195 is a limited enrollment, permission-of-instructor course.  Students interested in taking this course should enroll in MBB or BIOL 181-1, and contact one of the instructors (Prof. Holmes or Prof. Lane) as soon as possible to apply to switch to 195 during the first week of the course.

 

Can you get into the course you want? 

Section 1 of BIOL/MBB 181 has no enrollment limit, though some of the different time slots for the associated lab, 191, may fill more quickly than others. Sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 have limited enrollment, but spaces do open up during Add/Drop. Contact Prof. Weir if you are trying to get into Sections 2 or 3, or Michelle Murolo if you are trying to get into Section 4 or 5. MBB/BIOL 195 is limited, and by permission of instructor, so you must apply to Prof. Scott Holmes or Prof. Bob Lane during the first week.

 

Other options: 

If you are looking for other introductory level and non-majors science courses, search Wesmaps under "Gen-Ed = NSM"

 

And remember: 

There really is time during Add/Drop to sort yourself out into the right place.

 

Beyond the lecture hall 

Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of enrichment and assistance available beyond the required lectures and labs in the introductory Biology and Chemistry courses. For each course, there are office hours and help sessions held both by the instructor and by teaching assistants, scheduled throughout the week and by appointment. There are also mentored study groups, in which students in each course are set up in groups of 3 - 5 to meet regularly with a mentor who took the course the previous year, to go over course material and to share study hints and problem-solving strategies.

All of the life science community is enriched by the weekly departmental seminar series held on Thursdays at Noon during the Academic Year, in which speakers are invited from different institutions to speak about their work. All are welcome to come hear about the latest cutting-edge research in the life sciences.

 

Registrar (link to the registrar info for MBB)