U1 Program
Information presented here is student feedback and opinions only, we highly encourage all students to refer to the Undergraduate Department of Biochemistry Website for the most recent information about required classes, prerequisites, etc. regarding their specific program.
Required Courses
| Courses | Pros | Cons | Evaluation Methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOL200: Molecular Biology 3 credits Syllabus Fall 2024 | Entire course is base useful base knowledge for life science. Will likely see this content again in future courses. Tutorials are helpful! | Lack of practice questions/answers. Tutorials in-person only. Material is not always organized, lectures can be dry. | 20% midterm 15% quizzes 60% final |
| CHEM204: Physical Chemistry/Biological Sciences 3 credits Syllabus Fall 2024 | Change of pace from normal bioc content. Chemistry/physics theory behind other techniques. | High level of self-teaching/student collaboration to get through the course, taught material is not clear. Math heavy, difficult to understand if you don’t have background knowledge. | 30% midterm 30% final 30% homework 10% quizzes |
| CHEM242: Organic Chemistry I for Chemistry and Biochemistry 3 credits | |||
| CHEM252: Organic Chemistry II for Chemistry and Biochemistry 3 credits Syllabus Winter 2025 | Flexibility in grading scheme. | 5% tutorial 5% quizzes 25% midterm 40% final 25% lab |
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| BIOL202: Basic Genetics 3 credits Syllabus Winter 2025 | Comprehensive. Profs provide practice problems that are fairly representative of the midterm, less representative for the final. Course is a third math-based and two-thirds genetics theory/history about knowing experiments and concepts. Prior knowledge (AP Bio) definitely beneficial. | For the theory and history part, the course can be memorization heavy. The math can get challenging | 10% exercises 30% midterm 60% final |
| BIOC220: Laboratory Methods in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology I 3 credits Syllabus Winter 2025 | Very good introduction to techniques in research. Gain lab experience early in U1 (earlier than other majors). Lots of practice at scientific writing. Practical applications of concepts learned. | Long lab reports, VERY time consuming, do NOT underestimate the work-load of this course! Lab reports are marked strictly (looking for specific key words/concepts that they expect to be included). Tutorials not very helpful, reading slides would work. | 70% lab reports (varying weight: 2-4-8-14-18-18-6) 5% lab quizzes 5% performance/data quality 20% practical final |
| BIOC/ANAT212: Molecular mechanisms of cell function 3 credits Syllabus Winter 2025 | Non-cumulative final exam, makes it easier since you don’t need to re-study pre-midterm content. | Content dense and memorization heavy. Lots of profs teach this course, variation. | 50% midterm 50% final |
Complementary Courses
| Courses | Pros | Cons | Evaluation Methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOL205: Functional Biology of Plants and Animals 3 credits | Only class in the degree with plant biology (one of the only plant bio classes offered downtown campus). | Material is pretty basic plant biology. | Assignments Midterm Final |
| MIMM211: Biology of Microorganisms 3 credits Syllabus Fall 2024 | Covers lots of areas of microbiology, interesting to explore many fields. Experts in the field as guest lecturers. Non-cumulative final exam. | All multiple choice. Some concepts can be a bit broad. Hard to study for a lot of concepts weakly connected to each other. Many profs with a variety of teaching styles and expectations for the course. | 40% Midterm 60% final |
| MIMM214: Introductory Immunology: Elements of Immunology 3 credits | Great introduction to immunology. Dr. Chahal is amazing! Content broken down in a way that is easy to understand. Grade breakdown built for students to do well. | None! | 10% Quiz 1 25% midterm 5% Quiz 2 45% final 10% assessments 5% creative assignment |
| PHGY209: Mammalian Physiology 1 3 credits Syllabus Fall 2024 | very manageable, especially with background knowledge. Good overall flow – fast-paced enough to keep student attention but not overly content heavy. Content is more big-picture systems instead of specific molecular pathways seen in BIOC classes. | Can feel disconnect between organ systems covered. Some topics covered very briefly and surface level. | 30% midterm 60% final 10% quizzes |
| PHGY210: Mammalian Physiology 2 3 credits Syllabus Winter 2023 | Continuation of PHGY209. Big-picture systems. | Multiple choice questions only. | 30% midterm 60% final 10% quizzes |
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Additional course outlines can be found at the Science Syllabus Repository, organized by SUS.