Biochemistry program requirements
What the Biochemistry Specialist and Major require, as the 2026-2027 Arts & Science Calendar states it, and every course they name.
Biochemistry Specialist
- Science program
- 14.0 credits
- Limited enrolment
- ASSPE1762
Enrolment
This is a limited enrolment program. Students must have completed a minimum of 4.0 credits and meet the requirements listed below to apply for enrolment. The full enrolment requirements are on the Calendar's page for this program.
Completion requirements
(14.0 credits, including at least 2.5 credits at the 400-level)
First Year:
1BIO120H1, BIO130H1
2(CHM135H1, CHM136H1)/ CHM151Y1
3(MAT130H1/ MAT135H1, MAT136H1)/ (MAT148H1, MAT149H1/ MAT137Y1)/ (MAT158H1, MAT159H1/ MAT157Y1)
First or Second Year: (PHY131H1, PHY132H1)/ (PHY151H1, PHY152H1) [PHY131H1, PHY132H1 recommended]
Second Year:
1BCH242Y1
2MGY280H1
3BIO230H1/ BIO255H1
4STA220H1/ STA288H1
5CHM247H1/ CHM249H1
6BIO260H1/ HMB265H1 (See NOTE 1)
Third Year:
1BCH340H1, BCH377H1
2MGY311Y1
Third or Fourth year:
1One course from the following list: JPM300H1/ BCH479H1/ BCH372Y1/ BCH374Y1/ BCH472Y1/ BCH473Y1 (see NOTE 2).
Fourth Year:
1BCH478H1
2Two courses from the BCH 400-series lecture courses: BCH422H1, BCH425H1, BCH426H1, BCH428H1, BCH440H1, BCH444H1, BCH445H1, BCH446H1, BCH448H1, BCH449H1, BCH450H1
3An additional 1.0 credit at the 4th year level from the following list: any other BCH 400-series course including the 4th year BCH research project courses (see NOTE 2), BCB420H1, CHM447H1, MGY420H1, MGY425H1, MGY428H1, MGY441H1, MGY450H1, MGY470H1
4To bring the program total to 14.0 credits, students may select from the following list: BIO220H1/ CHM217H1/ CHM220H1 (See NOTE 3)/ CHM223H1/ one of CSC108H1 or CSC148H1/ (MAT235H1, MAT236H1)/ MAT235Y1/ MAT237Y1/ STA221H1/ any suitable 300-level lecture-based course from CHM/ CSB/ EEB/ HMB/ IMM/ LMP/ MGY/ PCL/ PSL (departmental approval required prior to enrolling)
NOTES:
Note 1BIO260H1 is recommended.
Note 2Students may not use more than 1.0 credit of BCH372Y1/ BCH374Y1/ BCH472Y1/ BCH473Y1 to fulfill program requirements. Additional BCH research project courses can be taken as part of the 20.0 credits needed for your degree.
Note 3CHM220H1 is highly recommended for students who are interested in pursuing studies in the physical aspects of biochemistry such as structural biology and molecular biophysics.
Courses these requirements name
- BIO120H1Adaptation and Biodiversity
- BIO130H1Molecular and Cell Biology
- CHM135H1Chemistry: Physical Principles
- CHM136H1Introductory Organic Chemistry I
- CHM151Y1Chemistry: The Molecular Science
- MAT130H1Calculus I for Life Sciences
- MAT135H1Calculus I
- MAT136H1Calculus II
- MAT148H1Calculus I with Proofs
- MAT149H1Calculus II with Proofs
- MAT137Y1Calculus with Proofs last in the 2025-2026 Calendar
- MAT158H1Analysis 1A
- MAT159H1Analysis 1B
- MAT157Y1Analysis I last in the 2025-2026 Calendar
- PHY131H1Introduction to Physics I
- PHY132H1Introduction to Physics II
- PHY151H1Foundations of Physics I
- PHY152H1Foundations of Physics II
- BCH242Y1Introduction to Biochemistry
- MGY280H1Second Year Specialist Research
- BIO230H1From Genes to Organisms
- BIO255H1From Genes to Organisms with Advanced Laboratory
- STA220H1The Practice of Statistics I
- STA288H1Statistics and Scientific Inquiry in the Life Sciences
- CHM247H1Introductory Organic Chemistry II
- CHM249H1Organic Chemistry
- BIO260H1Concepts in Genetics
- HMB265H1General & Human Genetics
- BCH340H1Proteins: From Structure to Function
- BCH377H1Biochemistry Laboratory I
- MGY311Y1Molecular Biology
- JPM300H1Research Readiness and Advancing Biomedical Discoveries
- BCH479H1Advanced Seminar in Biochemistry
- BCH372Y1Summer Research in Biochemistry
- BCH374Y1Research Project in Biochemistry
- BCH472Y1Advanced Summer Research Project in Biochemistry
- BCH473Y1Advanced Research Project in Biochemistry
- BCH478H1Advanced Biochemistry Laboratory
- BCH422H1Membrane Proteins: Structure, and Function
- BCH425H1Structural Biology: Principles and Practice
- BCH426H1Regulation of Signalling Pathways
- BCH428H1Genomics of Microbial Communities in Human Health and Beyond
- BCH440H1Protein Homeostasis
- BCH444H1Protein Trafficking in the Secretory & Endocytic Pathways
- BCH445H1Organelles in Cell Function and Death
- BCH446H1Membrane Dynamics of the Cell Surface
- BCH448H1Structure and Function of the Nucleus
- BCH449H1Medical Biochemistry
- BCH450H1Antibiotics and Antibiotic Targets
- BCB420H1Computational Systems Biology
- CHM447H1Bio-organic Chemistry
- MGY420H1Regulation of Gene Expression
- MGY425H1Signal Transduction and Cell Cycle Regulation
- MGY428H1Functional Genomics
- MGY441H1Bioinformatics
- MGY450H1
- MGY470H1Human and Molecular Genetics
- BIO220H1From Genomes to Ecosystems in a Changing World
- CHM217H1Introduction to Analytical Chemistry
- CHM220H1Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences
- CHM223H1Physical Chemistry: The Molecular Viewpoint
- CSC108H1Introduction to Computer Programming
- CSC148H1Introduction to Computer Science
- MAT235H1Vector Calculus I
- MAT236H1Vector Calculus II
- MAT235Y1Multivariable Calculus last in the 2025-2026 Calendar
- MAT237Y1Multivariable Calculus with Proofs
- STA221H1The Practice of Statistics II
Biochemistry Major
- Science program
- 8.0 credits
- Limited enrolment
- ASMAJ1762
Enrolment
This is a limited enrolment program. Students must have completed a minimum of 4.0 credits and meet the requirements listed below to apply for enrolment. The full enrolment requirements are on the Calendar's page for this program.
Completion requirements
(8.0 credits, including 1.0 credit at the 400-level)
First Year:
1BIO120H1, BIO130H1
2(CHM135H1, CHM136H1)/ CHM151Y1
3(MAT130H1/ MAT135H1, MAT136H1)/ (MAT148H1, MAT149H1/ MAT137Y1)/ (MAT158H1, MAT159H/ MAT157Y1)
Second Year:
1BCH210H1
2BIO230H1/ BIO255H1
3CHM247H1/ CHM249H1
Third Year:
1BCH311H1
2BCH370H1
3CHM217H1/ CHM220H1/ BCH340H1
41.0 credit from BIO220H1/ one of BIO260H1 or HMB265H1/ JPM300H1 or a biochemistry research project course: BCH372Y1/ BCH374Y1/ BCH472Y1/ BCH473Y1 (See NOTE). The department is also open to the use of 300-level lecture-based course(s) in CHM/ CSB/ EEB/ HMB/ IMM/ LMP/ MGY/ PCL/ PSL. Students must first seek approval from the department prior to enrolling in any lecture-based 300-level course(s) not listed.
Fourth Year:
1.0 credit from: BCH422H1, BCH425H1, BCH426H1, BCH428H1, BCH440H1, BCH444H1, BCH445H1, BCH446H1, BCH448H1, BCH449H1, BCH479H1, CHM447H1, MGY441H1
Note 1NOTE: Students may count up to 1.0 credits from a biochemistry research project course taken in 3rd or 4th year to fulfill the program requirements. Additional BCH research project courses can be taken as part of the 20.0 credits needed for your degree, but cannot be counted towards the program completion.
Courses these requirements name
- BIO120H1Adaptation and Biodiversity
- BIO130H1Molecular and Cell Biology
- CHM135H1Chemistry: Physical Principles
- CHM136H1Introductory Organic Chemistry I
- CHM151Y1Chemistry: The Molecular Science
- MAT130H1Calculus I for Life Sciences
- MAT135H1Calculus I
- MAT136H1Calculus II
- MAT148H1Calculus I with Proofs
- MAT149H1Calculus II with Proofs
- MAT137Y1Calculus with Proofs last in the 2025-2026 Calendar
- MAT158H1Analysis 1A
- MAT157Y1Analysis I last in the 2025-2026 Calendar
- BCH210H1Biochemistry I: Proteins, Lipids and Metabolism
- BIO230H1From Genes to Organisms
- BIO255H1From Genes to Organisms with Advanced Laboratory
- CHM247H1Introductory Organic Chemistry II
- CHM249H1Organic Chemistry
- BCH311H1Biochemistry II: Nucleic Acids and Biological Information Flow
- BCH370H1Laboratory Course in Biochemical Techniques
- CHM217H1Introduction to Analytical Chemistry
- CHM220H1Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences
- BCH340H1Proteins: From Structure to Function
- BIO220H1From Genomes to Ecosystems in a Changing World
- BIO260H1Concepts in Genetics
- HMB265H1General & Human Genetics
- JPM300H1Research Readiness and Advancing Biomedical Discoveries
- BCH372Y1Summer Research in Biochemistry
- BCH374Y1Research Project in Biochemistry
- BCH472Y1Advanced Summer Research Project in Biochemistry
- BCH473Y1Advanced Research Project in Biochemistry
- BCH422H1Membrane Proteins: Structure, and Function
- BCH425H1Structural Biology: Principles and Practice
- BCH426H1Regulation of Signalling Pathways
- BCH428H1Genomics of Microbial Communities in Human Health and Beyond
- BCH440H1Protein Homeostasis
- BCH444H1Protein Trafficking in the Secretory & Endocytic Pathways
- BCH445H1Organelles in Cell Function and Death
- BCH446H1Membrane Dynamics of the Cell Surface
- BCH448H1Structure and Function of the Nucleus
- BCH449H1Medical Biochemistry
- BCH479H1Advanced Seminar in Biochemistry
- CHM447H1Bio-organic Chemistry
- MGY441H1Bioinformatics
Requirements are quoted from the 2026-2027 Arts & Science Calendar, which is the official version. Atlas is independent of U of T, so confirm important decisions with your department or college registrar. See how to read program requirements or browse every program.
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