Curriculum
PMCB and Biochemistry core courses
A major goal of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is to provide its graduate students with a rigorous and complete education in the underlying principles and practice of modern biochemistry and molecular biology.
To do so, the department furnishes a thorough didactic education. In the 1st year, students take required conjoint PMCB courses in the Structure and Function of Biological Molecules (CON 661), genetic mechanisms (CON 662), Bioregulation (CON 663), and Molecular and Cell Biology (CON 664). BMB students also study the biophysical chemistry of macromolecules (CON 668). For more information about the PMCB Conjoint Courses, please click here.
BCMB Course Requirements
Students are required to register for, attend and present their thesis work annually in the Departmental Seminar Series, BCMB 607, held Tuesdays at noon as well as a Journal Club, BCMB 605 (Years 2 through end of program).
Elective Courses:
A total of 9 credit hours of elective courses are required to be eligible for the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ph.D. degree. Students are strongly encouraged to start taking at least one elective course no later than winter term of their second year. The following are only a few of the popular electives taken by the graduate students in BMB. Some of the elective courses are offered every other year, relative dates are noted below:
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Biochemical & Biophysical Properties of Membranes |
2 credits/Winter | |
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BCMB 628 |
Protein Crystallography |
2 credits/Winter |
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Advanced Molecular Bio. & Nucleic Acid Biochemistry |
3 credits/Spring | |
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Protein Design: How Structure is Related to the Function of Proteins |
3 credits/ Spring | |
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Intro to Biophysics (PSU/OHSU joint course) |
3 credits/Winter | |
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Adv. Biophysics (PSU/OHSU joint course) |
3 credits/Spring |
As a key complement to this course work, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology offers outstanding opportunities for our students to do cutting-edge research on a wide variety of biochemical and molecular problems. The choice of which laboratory to join is the most important decision of your graduate career and members of the department will be happy to guide you in that selection. To help you choose the most appropriate laboratory you will carry out three laboratory rotations during your first year. From these you will select a mentor with whom you will develop a thesis project. Following your decision you and your mentor will form a research advisory committee, the function of which is to help you reach your research goals.
