Biochemistry (BA)

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

University of Mississippi

Program Overview

The University of Mississippi B.A. in Biochemistry is a 120-credit degree designed primarily for students planning careers in medicine, dentistry and other health-related fields, combining chemistry with the study of biological substances and their molecular processes. Its curriculum follows the recommendations of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) and is structured to support preparation for professional entrance exams such as the MCAT and DAT.

Curriculum Structure

First Year: Students establish their chemistry and quantitative foundation through CHEM 105 General Chemistry I, CHEM 106 General Chemistry II, and their associated CHEM 115/116 General Chemistry Laboratories. Mathematics and general education courses are taken alongside these subjects, giving students the core scientific preparation needed for later organic chemistry and biochemistry study.

Second Year: Students progress into CHEM 221 Elementary Organic Chemistry I and CHEM 222 Elementary Organic Chemistry II, supported by CHEM 225/226 Elementary Organic Chemistry Laboratories. They also continue the required mathematics and physics sequence, developing an understanding of chemical reactions and laboratory methods that provides the foundation for studying biological molecules.

Third Year: Students begin the programme's specialised biochemistry sequence with CHEM 471 Biochemistry I and CHEM 472 Biochemistry Laboratory, alongside CHEM 331 Physical Chemistry I or CHEM 334 Biophysical Chemistry. This stage moves from foundational chemistry into the composition, properties and reactions of biological substances while developing practical laboratory skills.

Fourth Year: Students complete CHEM 473 Biochemistry II and choose either CHEM 580 Molecular Biochemistry I or CHEM 581 Molecular Biochemistry II for advanced study. These courses allow students to deepen their understanding of molecular-level biological processes and complete the specialised biochemistry preparation expected from the degree.

Focus Areas

Biochemistry, molecular biochemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, biophysical chemistry, biological substances, molecular processes, laboratory science, quantitative science and health-related sciences.

Learning Outcomes

Students develop an understanding of the composition, properties and reactions of biological substances while strengthening reasoning, problem-solving and scientific skills through chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics, physics and laboratory coursework. The curriculum also provides preparation aligned with the MCAT and DAT for students pursuing health-professional education.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

The B.A. in Biochemistry follows the guidelines of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). The university separately identifies its B.S. in Chemistry as ACS-certified, so the B.A. in Biochemistry should not be recorded as an ACS-certified degree.

Reputation (Employability)

The university's official alumni information shows that 52% of its biochemistry undergraduate alumni are in healthcare, with alumni examples including a family-medicine physician, orthopedic surgeon and neurology resident. Other documented alumni career paths include an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense and a Research and Development Process Scientist at MilliporeSigma; these are alumni examples rather than a programme-wide employment guarantee.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Students in the B.A. in Biochemistry can gain practical experience through laboratory-based coursework and the department's undergraduate research opportunities. The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry states that students can become involved in original research as early as their freshman year, including multi-year projects and opportunities to become published authors.

The programme's practical and research environment includes:

General and organic chemistry laboratories: Students complete CHEM 115/116 General Chemistry Laboratory and CHEM 225/226 Elementary Organic Chemistry Laboratories as part of the major.
Biochemistry laboratory: CHEM 472 Biochemistry Laboratory provides dedicated practical experience within the advanced biochemistry sequence.
Undergraduate research: Students can join original faculty research as early as their freshman year and may work on multi-year projects, including opportunities to become published authors.
NMR spectroscopy: The department has three NMR systems—two 300 MHz instruments and one 400 MHz instrument—with autosamplers, variable-temperature capabilities and multi-nuclei detection.
Mass spectrometry: Research facilities include Waters SYNAPT G2 ESI HRMS, Waters SYNAPT XS HRMS and MALDI-TOF-MS, along with GC/MS, ICP-MS and LCMS systems.
Biomolecular analysis: The Nano-Bio ImmunoEngineering Consortium facilities include flow cytometry, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, digital PCR, qPCR, gel imaging, single-cell analysis and confocal imaging equipment.
Science Library: The Science Library adjacent to Coulter Hall contains more than 20,000 chemistry books and journals and subscribes to more than 140 chemistry research journals.
Natural products research: The National Center for Natural Products Research provides analytical chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry and computational chemistry facilities, including high-resolution mass spectrometers, NMR instruments and high-performance computing.
Instrumental analysis: Students can encounter modern chromatography and spectroscopy methods through chemistry coursework; CHEM 469 Introduction to Instrumental Analysis covers GLC, HPLC, atomic emission, infrared, UV-visible, NMR, fluorescence and mass spectrometry.
Research environment: Coulter Hall houses teaching and research laboratories and is supported by facilities including the Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research, National Center for Physical Acoustics and National Center for Natural Products Research.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The B.A. in Biochemistry is particularly structured for students progressing toward medicine, dentistry and other health professions, while Ole Miss alumni also pursue careers across research, science policy and healthcare. Official alumni examples include a Research and Development Process Scientist at MilliporeSigma, a U.S. Department of Defense science-policy fellow and a neurology resident at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Typical career directions include Physician, Dentist, Research and Development Scientist, Science Policy Specialist.

Students can build their next steps through:

Career Center support: The Ole Miss Career Center provides career advising, résumé reviews, mock interviews, graduate-school planning, job and internship opportunities, networking opportunities and access to Handshake.
Health Professions Advising Office: The HPAO specifically advises health-professions students, helping them understand opportunities and prepare competitive applications; the B.A. in Biochemistry is one of the department's three designated pre-health degree tracks.
Employment and alumni outcomes: Official department data reports that 52% of biochemistry undergraduate alumni are in healthcare; the department also identifies alumni in STEM, higher education and government-related careers.
Salary figures: The official Ole Miss programme and alumni pages located do not provide a programme-specific graduate salary figure, so a B.A. Biochemistry salary should be recorded as NA rather than substituting an unrelated national salary statistic.
Employer connections: The Career Center connects employers and students through job postings, career fairs, on-campus interviews, information sessions and internship recruitment using Handshake.
Industry and research partnerships: Ole Miss maintains formal business-and-industry engagement that connects companies with university researchers, facilities and student talent; the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry also has research infrastructure supporting pharmaceutical, natural-products and biomolecular research.
Professional alignment: Following ASBMB recommendations gives the B.A. a curriculum framework specifically aligned with biochemistry and molecular-biology education, while the programme's pre-health design supports preparation for MCAT and DAT pathways.
Career flexibility: The university's alumni examples demonstrate progression into healthcare, research and development, science policy and academic/clinical pathways rather than a single career destination.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the B.A. in Biochemistry, students can pursue medical, dental and other health-professional programmes, supported by the programme's MCAT/DAT preparation. Students interested in research can also continue into graduate-level study; the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry offers M.S., D.A. and Ph.D. programmes in Chemistry.