Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
About Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Our Program and Courses
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology is a major at F&M. Through combined coursework in biology and chemistry, you will learn how to manipulate and study biomolecules, giving you a more complete understanding of how molecular structure leads to function, how normal metabolic processes occur and are regulated in a variety of species, and how these phenomena ultimately depend on information-containing molecules in the cell. You also will gain a clearer understanding of the principal causes of many diseases in plants and animals through hands-on exploration, individualized instruction and a collegial learning atmosphere. This program, with its combination of classroom, laboratory and independent research experiences, will give you a strong foundation in biochemistry and molecular biology, and prepare you for graduate work or a career in many biological disciplines, including medicine, biotechnology and bioengineering.
By the time you graduate, you will:
- Learn concepts from across the breadth of biological disciplines, with depth in focused areas of interest.
- Utilize quantitative skills to develop and test novel research questions, ethically and in collaboration with others.
- Synthesize and expand upon existing scientific theories and models by critically and analytically engaging with literature.
- Hone skills as effective scientific communicators, through both writing and speaking.
Curious what biochemistry and molecular biology classes are like? Take a look at our course catalog to see the depth and breadth of what’s available to you, including related majors in biology, chemistry, bioinformatics, neuroscience, animal behavior, earth and environmental science, environmental studies, and public health.
Learning Outside the Classroom
Research Opportunities
As you become fully immersed in your studies in biochemistry and molecular biology,
you may find yourself forming theories or questions. The good news? You don’t have
to wait until graduate school to investigate. Every student at F&M has extraordinary
opportunities to engage in independent or faculty-led research. Our students’ research has been published in leading scholarly journals, and your
professors will be there every step of the way to mentor and advise you in your journey.
Explore research at F&M
Off-Campus Study
Biochemistry and molecular biology students have exciting opportunities to expand
their education off campus.
Explore off-campus study at F&M
Our Facilities and Resources
You can enjoy hands-on experience in our facilities in both the Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building and the Hackman Physical Sciences Building on campus. These buildings feature 24 student-faculty research laboratories, a greenhouse, and animal rooms. Specialized facilities and research equipment include a mass spectrometer, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers, a gas chromatograph, a fluorometer, preparative and ultracentrifuges, electrophoresis equipment, a confocal microscope, a dark room, a cold room, a quantitative thermal cycler, and UV/visible spectrophotometers.
Success Beyond F&M
What happens after you graduate with a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology? Many students go onto graduate school, medical school, or choose to embark on their chosen career path. You’ll also find recognition and support in the Benjamin Rush Pre-Health Honor Society, an organization that hosts programs and events and creates a sense of community among outstanding students interested in the health professions.
Graduate School
Nearly 85 percent of our majors in the biology-related fields go onto graduate school, medical school, or another health professions graduate program. Their individualized learning and hands-on experience gives them an advantage in getting admitted into some of the nation’s finest graduate programs.
Career Paths
Healthcare is a popular field for our graduates, though careers within the field are diverse. Our alumni have held positions such as:
- Scientist
- Veterinarian
- Biology Teacher
- Clinical Research Coordinator
- Forensic Biologist
- Healthcare Compliance Specialist
- Medical Researcher
- Molecular Biologist
- Ophthalmologist
- Orthopedic Surgeon
- Pediatric Physician
- Physician
- Quality Control Scientist
- Senior Research Associate
- Transplant Hepatologist
Alumni Spotlight
“My major perfectly combined my interest in both biology and chemistry.”
Hailan Yu, of Beijing, China, is the 2022 recipient of the Williamson Medal, the College's
most prestigious award for student achievement. Yu graduated summa cum laude, majoring
in biochemistry and molecular biology and minoring in psychology. She completed an
honors thesis is on the total synthesis and antibacterial activities of holomycin
derivatives. "I've long been interested in studying biological questions related to
human health," Yu said.
Read More »Alumni Spotlight
Helping Develop a Tool for Biochemists
Deep in concentration in the lab, Sarah Schick '22 worked on a technique that would
allow scientists to better understand how proteins function. Schick, a chemistry and
biochemistry and molecular biology double major, was working with Associate Professor
of Chemistry Christine Phillips-Piro to develop a tool to understand the structure
of and the distances between amino acids — distances that, on the Ångstrom scale,
are one-10 millionth the diameter of a golf ball.
Read More »
The biological sciences expand and advance frontiers of knowledge about all forms
of life. From molecules to ecosystems, from oceans to deserts, from the distant past
to present day, biology gives you insights into other species, ourselves, and our
world. How is chemistry essential to the understanding of physical, geological and biological
phenomena? By studying chemistry at F&M, you’ll explore the study of matter and how
it undergoes changes, discovering how chemistry connects to a range of disciplines,
from technology, oceanography, medicine and more. The study of mathematics is ancient, and its roots in clear and creative thought can
still be seen today. While studying mathematics at F&M, you will learn both the fundamental
foundations and theories of the field as well as how to apply these theories to real-life
problems.
Related Fields of Study
Biology
Chemistry
Mathematics
December 1, 2022 Stricken with a mysterious illness in high school, Franklin & Marshall student Sara Beqiraj took adversity and spun it into curiosity. That perspective is what put Beqiraj, a biochemistry and molecular biology major and Spanish minor, on the path toward earning the prestigious Rouse Scholarship. "It was a scary experience, but being able to see the medical world from that patient perspective was really valuable to me because I was able to see how doctors work together in a team and how they approach treating patients with conditions like mine," Beqiraj said. March 30, 2022 As Hailan Yu synthesizes holomycin and its derivatives, she plows relatively untouched ground in her chemistry studies for new antibiotic compounds. March 29, 2022 Marvin Nicoleau '16, a biochemistry and molecular biology major at F&M, is a fourth-year medical student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. He enrolled at the College in 2012 as a result of a new partnership between F&M and the Posse Foundation to create only the third Science Posse cohort in the United States. We asked him to talk about how his broad liberal arts background has helped prepare him for a career in medicine.Biochemistry & Molecular Biology in Action
Rouse Scholar Turns Adversity into Curiosity
Biology, Psychology Interests Lead Researcher to Potential New Antibiotics
'I Formed Great Relationships with My Mentors'