CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY at University of California San Diego

The following is a quick overview of our five majors and Chemistry minor. For specific information on requirements and suggested four-year plans for each major, please use the navigation bar to the left.

Chemistry Majors

• The Chemistry B.S. provides a broad introduction to the chemical sciences.
• The Biochemistry B.S. focuses on the chemical processes in living organisms, including the structure and function of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates.
• The Environmental Chemistry B.S. combines a strong foundation in chemistry with studies in other environmentally-related disciplines, including economics, biology, political science, and earth science.
• The Pharmacological Chemistry B.S. has a curriculum that includes the requirements of most California pharmacy schools, but which also allows students to prepare for graduate school, health careers, or chemistry work.
• The Molecular Synthesis B.S. provides thorough training in all aspects of molecular substances with a fundamental understanding of structure and reactivity.

Chemistry Minor

• A minor in chemistry requires completion of three lower-division and four upper-division chemistry courses. One of the upper-division courses must be a lab. All minor classes must be courses within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. See details here. 

DISCONTINUED MAJORS

• The Bioinformatics B.S. in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry provides an interdisciplinary program focusing on the quantitative study of biological systems from a chemical sciences perspective.
• The Chemical Education B.S. combines training in chemistry, physics, earth science, biology and teaching to prepare students for a career in science teaching.
• The Chemical Physics B.S. applies concepts from physics to the description of atoms and molecules to analyze matter as a statistical assembly of molecules.

*The majors listed above (Bioinformatics-CH37, Chemical Eduation-CH33, Chemical Physics-CH32) have been officially discontinued by the Academic Senate. No new students will be admitted to these majors.  However, students who are currently declared will still be able to continue on and earn their degree in these major codes.  Please contact an academic advisor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department if you have any questions.