While aspects of biochemistry and molecular biology can be very diverse, a common set of chemical and biological principles underlie the more advanced topics. With this in mind, the program has been structured to provide the necessary background in chemistry and biology and the opportunity to study the many facets of the modern areas of the biochemical sciences.

Required Courses:
BIOL 101,
BIOL 102,
BIOL 202,
CHEM 151 or 153 or 155,
CHEM 156,
CHEM 251,
CHEM 256
BIMO 321 and BIMO 322
BIMO 401
and one elective from the list below.

In addition--you must attend at least 8 Biology Dept. or Chemistry Dept. colloquia during your four years at Williams. When you attend a colloquium, be sure to look for a sign-up sheet!

Elective Courses:

BIOL/CHEM 322
BIOL 301		CHEM 324
BIOL 306		CHEM 341
BIOL 308		CHEM 342
		CHEM 364
BIOL 313		CHEM 366
BIOL 315		CHEM 367
BIOL 409		CHEM 436T
BIOL 410		CHEM 464T
BIOL 412
BIOL 413
BIOL 414

From the Registrar's site:
Biology: Courses | General Info
Chemistry: Courses | General Info
BIMO: Courses | General Info

Students interested in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program should plan their course selection carefully. Since it is expected that Biochemistry 321 would be taken in the junior year, students are advised to take the prerequisites for that course in both chemistry and biology during their first two years at Williams. While the program is open to all students, it is expected that it will appeal primarily to majors in biology and chemistry because of the number of courses required in those fields. In addition to taking the required courses, students planning to complete the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program are strongly encouraged to elect courses in mathematics and physics. Students anticipating going on to graduate school in a BIMO-related area are encouraged to take BIOL/CHEM 322 as one of their electives.

It looks like a lot, but... Since the Chemistry Department counts two biology courses and the Biology Department counts two chemistry courses toward the majors (each of which can be completed with only eight other courses), a student majoring in either chemistry or biology would have to take only three additional courses to complete the program.