Lakeland College

About Biochemistry

Biochemists study the chemistry of life - the ways that life operates at its most fundamental levels. They explore and seek to understand the structure and function of all living things at the molecular level. As even a casual glance at the news indicates, though, the exploration of the smallest pieces of life opens up huge employment opportunities. The field of biochemistry is central to current groundbreaking work in genetics, bioengineering, and health care.

Biochemistry is the most specialized of Lakeland's natural science majors and asks its students to apply their knowledge from different fields to highly complex problems. Majoring in biochemistry allows one access to future graduate and professional study, as well as jobs in, among other areas, the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, forensic science, agricultural research, and food science.

Students who major in Biochemistry will be able to:

• understand and work with the central concepts of the field, including bioenergetics, biochemical pathways, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleotides, and proteins;
• formulate and solve biochemistry problems by applying the scientific method, particularly within a laboratory setting;
• write effective lab reports, which follow the form and meet the expectations of scientific journals; and
• perform lab practices safely and professionally, employing up-to-date computer and instrumentation technology.