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The disciplines of biology and chemistry are undergoing remarkable and converging transformations. In response to these new developments, Harvey Mudd College has established a unique opportunity for undergraduate students at the interface of biology and chemistry -- the Joint Major in Chemistry and Biology.

The Joint Major provides an organized framework that will enable students to think at the interface, to effortlessly move back and forth between chemistry and biology. They will have the background to appreciate the biological context of their research questions and they will have mastered the chemistry fundamentals that underlie the properties and reactions of biomolecules. These successful students will be able to make connections and have insights that are difficult to obtain without a thorough training in both chemistry and biology. The new program in Chemistry and Biology will capture the imaginations of talented HMC students and reinforce their abilities to think across disciplines.

Many schools have used the terms “biochemistry” or “biological chemistry” and some of the newer programs call themselves “chemical biology.” But since the boundaries between chemistry and biology as separate disciplines are rapidly dissolving, and students can choose to steer their studies in many directions, we chose to call it simply the “Joint Major in Chemistry and Biology.”

Students interested in the Joint Major, which is administered by the Biology and Chemistry Departments, should contact Prof. David Asai (Chair of Biology) and/or Prof. Bill Daub (Chair of Chemistry).

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Requirements for the Joint Major in Chemistry and Biology

Chemistry:

• Chemistry 51: Physical Chemistry
• Chemistry 53: Physical Chemistry Laboratory
• Chemistry 56: Carbon Compounds
• Chemistry 58: Carbon Compounds Laboratory
• Chemistry 103: Chemical Analysis
• Chemistry 105: Organic Chemistry
• Chemistry 109: Chemical Analysis Laboratory
• Chemistry 111: Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Biology:

• Biology 54: Biology Laboratory
• Biology 111: Molecular Biology Laboratory
• Biology 113: Molecular Biology
• One course selected from:
  • Biology 101: Structure and Function
  • Biology 108: Ecology and Environmental Biology
  • Biology 109: Evolutionary Biology
• One seminar course selected from:
  • Biology 122: Cell and Developmental Biology
  • Biology 164: Genetics
  • Biology 185: Physiology
• Two elective credits of upper level Biology courses, to be selected by the student in consultation with her/his adviser. Prior permission from the Biology department is required.

Joint Chemistry/Biology courses:

• Biology/Chemistry 182: Chemistry in Living System
• Biology/Chemistry 184: Methods in Biochemistry
• Biology/Chemistry 189: Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Colloquium:

• Two successive semesters of Biology 191-192: Biology Colloquium
• Two successive semesters of Chemistry 199: Chemistry Seminar

Capstone Project:

• Six credits of Biology 193-194: Senior Thesis Research or Chemistry 151-152: Research Problems. (The senior thesis will have two readers, a mentor from one department and a co-reader from the other department)