Biochemistry is the science of life. We’re discovering fundamental answers to life's questions about ourselves and our chemical relationship with the environment. We strive to answer questions like:

• How are all living creatures alike – and different?
• What is the chemical basis for health and disease? 
• How is food converted into energy or body substances?
• How is genetic inheritance translated into phenotypically expressed properties?
• How do enzymes—the biological catalysts—differ in power, specificity and controllability from other catalysts?
• How are nerve impulses transmitted, and how do we think?
• What is the chemical basis for health and disease?
• How are all living creatures similar—and how do we differ?
• How do pollutants and pesticides affect life on Earth?
• Can we meet human needs by manipulating the DNA of bacteria, plants and animals?

So, why study biochemistry? As our world-renowned faculty prove every day, it’s the science of life – learning about ourselves and our molecular relationship with the environment, and it opens the door to many hands-on careers. You can work in a private or non-profit organization, or continue on to advanced research in molecular biology, microbiology, immunology or another biomedical science. Biomedical engineering, the designing of materials and instruments for therapy and diagnosis, has roots in Biochemistry. Much of the work of the director of a clinical laboratory is biochemical. Recombinant DNA research and monoclonal antibody production provide new diagnostic tools, new therapies, different ways to combat pests, improve agriculture, and clean the environment. Pharmaceutical companies need biochemists to create and evaluate new drugs. The Biochemistry major can prepare you for many professional health science careers like: dentistry, medicine, clinical nutrition, public health, and veterinary medicine. Finally the Biochemistry major, with its broad foundation in biology, chemistry, physics, and math, can be an ideal program for future science professors and teachers.

Our program is one of few in the U.S. that is centered in a School of Medicine. Choose a B.A. or B.S. degree and learn alongside pre-med, pre-pharmacy and pre-dental students. You'll take classes on the main campus and at the School of Medicine complex. Many student researchers have co-authored publications, and some labs offer work-study positions. 

There is no minor required for the Biochemstry B.A. or B.S. degree.

Undergraduate Program

Departmental Honors

UNM Catalog