Biochem degree approved
The state Board of Regents in June gave the stamp of approval for Utah State University to offer a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry.
The new major was a top priority for the university after the board lifted a three-year moratorium last September preventing schools from adding new degrees.
“The students really wanted this,” Steve Scheiner, head of the chemistry and biochemistry department, said. “This is something the students can really use. It opens up a lot of professional avenues.”
Students looking to continue their education in medical or dental school will particularly benefit from the major, he added.
While the degree itself is in its infancy, the coursework is not, he said. Previously, the university offered a biochemistry emphasis, and Scheiner said the classes students will have to take to earn a bachelor’s degree in the program will largely stay the same.
“A chemistry major with a biochemistry emphasis was a reasonable substitute, but this is the real thing,” he said.
A dozen or so students have switched their major to biochemistry already, Scheiner said, and the program is expected to continue growing.
Scheiner said attempts to get the program accredited went smoothly at university level three years ago and the program was passed by the university board of trustees with little difficulty. But state budget issues forced a moratorium just about the time the program was to be reviewed by the Board of Regents, he said.
Since the university already offers a doctorate in biochemistry, Scheiner said giving students the opportunity to complete their undergraduate work in the same field was a logical step.
Biochemistry majors take many of the same classes as chemistry majors, but take heavier loads of biology classes. Genetic engineering and studies such as the Human Genome Project and stem cell research are heavily dependent on biochemistry.
-acf@cc.usu.edu