2025-2026 Academic Catalog
Combined Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, BS & Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MS (BMB-MS-PREG)
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 Return to: Combined
Program Description
The Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BMB) offers a combined 4+1 degree program leading to Bachelor of Science (BS) and Master of Science (MS) degrees within a five-year plan of study. This program will focus on preparing students for careers in fields including, but not limited to, drug manufacturing and design, agriculture, forensic science (crime lab science), academic/clinical/industrial research, human and veterinary medicine, physical therapy, physician assistancy, dentistry, pharmacy and optometry with a focus on the development of student research skills. The program allows 9 Cr-h of “overlap” courses, where credit is given at both the undergraduate (UG) and graduate (GR) level facilitating both BS and MS completion in five years.
Admission Requirements
Only exceptionally well-prepared students are admitted to the program. Qualified applicants must have the following:
- At least 90 credit hours by the end of the semester in which they are applying;
- A minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA on all undergraduate coursework, including undergraduate credits earned at other institutions and transferred to Wright State;
- Completion of BMB 3850, BMB 4210, and BMB 4230 with a grade of “B” or better, and a minimum calculated GPA of 3.2 for these three courses;
- Approval of the undergraduate advisor;
- Approval of the BMB Department Chair.
Applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of intent to the department Vice-Chair for Education during the semester that they intend to complete the application criteria outlined above (typically Spring semester of Junior year). All qualified applicants will be given full consideration by the department Graduate Admissions Committee.
Program Learning Outcomes
The main goal of our program is to prepare students for careers in fields related to biochemistry and molecular biology and/or admission into graduate and further professional degree programs. The BMB BS portion of the program will follow the foundational and threshold concepts and skills accredited by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) and uses innovative science education pedagogies such as active learning, flipped classrooms and formative assessment to build skills in teamwork, critical thinking, scientific reasoning and oral/written communication. Additionally, within the BMB MS portion of the program students will undertake research endeavors with the intention of becoming proficient readers and writers of BMB research literature, the understanding of various BMB research techniques and the development of experimental design and data analysis skills.
For More Information
Program Requirements
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Wright State Core: 41 Credit Hours
As a part of the requirements for a bachelor’s degree at Wright State University, all students must complete the Wright State Core, a general education curriculum. Most programs require 36 hours in the Core, some programs may require additional hours. Specific Core classes in some of the Elements may be required by some majors. When this occurs, the specific Core courses required will be listed below. In Elements where a specific course is not required, students can choose any course from the Wright State Core Program Requirements. First-Year Seminar: 1 Credit Hour
All students must successfully complete a First-Year Seminar during their first year. Transfer students who transfer 24 or more credit hours (post high school graduation) are exempt from this requirement and will need to satisfy one additional credit hour in the Additional Core Courses category. Element A - English Composition: 6 Credit Hours
Element B - Mathematics, Statistics, and Logic: 4 Credit Hours
Based on Math Placement Level, students may need additional prerequisite or corequisite coursework in mathematics prior to enrollment in the required course below. Required: Element C - Arts and Humanities: 6 Credit Hours
Students will select two Arts and Humanities courses, with different course prefixes from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements. One course must fulfill the History requirement. Element D - Social Sciences: 6 Credit Hours
Students will select two Social and Behavioral Sciences courses, with different course prefixes from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements. Element E - Natural Sciences: 8 Credit Hours
Students will select two Natural Science courses, from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements. At least one course must contain a laboratory. Required: Additional Core Courses: 10 Credit Hours
Students will select up to 10 additional credit hours from Elements A-E from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements to reach the 36 minimum hours required in the Core. Unless specified by the student’s major, these are selected by the student. When a major has required courses in this area, the specific Core course(s) required will be listed below. Required: Additional Core Requirements
Within the 36 credit hours of the Wright State Core students must successfully complete the following: · One Global Inquiry (GI) course · Two Inclusive Excellence (IE) courses · One to two Integrated Writing (IW) courses. To meet degree requirements all students must complete a minimum of 3 IW courses by choosing either (a) 1 in the Core and 2 in the major or (b) 2 in the Core and 1 in the major. Students should check their major program requirements for courses that fulfill Integrated Writing. Students who do not make choices within the 36 required hours of the Core to fulfill the GI, IE, and IW requirements will take additional Core hours beyond the minimum of 36. Departmental Core Requirements: 20 Credit Hours
Departmental Requirements and Electives: 6.5 Credit Hours
6.5 Credits from the folloiwng Related Course Requirements: 38.5 Credit Hours
General Electives: 5 Credit Hours
Students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours for a baccalaureate degree. If the total number of credit hours in the WSU Core (general education program) and the major requirements do not total at least 120 credits, students will choose additional courses (general electives) to meet the minimum required 120 credit hours. Students may choose from any undergraduate course in the Academic Catalog for which they meet the course prerequisites and for which they do not already have earned credit. Undergraduate and Graduate Overlap Requirements: 9 Credit Hours
These courses are applied to the BMB electives portion of our standard 4 year degree under the Departmental Requirements and Electives. Additional Core Requirements: 3 Credit Hours
Advanced Courses: 19 Credit Hours
Graduate Seminars: 3 Credit Hours
Three credits from the following (Courses may be repeated) Elective Courses: 2 Credit Hours
Five credits from the following courses Research: 14 Credit Hours
Additional Information
Other key aspects of the program are:
• Students in the 4+1 program must complete a minimum of 120 Cr-h to earn a BS degree by end of their 4th year, and a minimum of 30 Cr-h of graduate work to fulfill the requirements for the MS degree. This will require at least 14 Cr-h of laboratory research (BMB 8990) and a written thesis. Students must take BMB 8990 during the summer following completion of the BS degree in order to complete the program within 5-years (as shown in the Program of Study).
• The program allows 9 Cr-h of “overlap” courses, where credit is given at both the undergraduate (UG) and graduate (GR) level. These courses are indicated by a double-asterisk (**) in the Program of Study. An additional 3 credit hours of graduate course work can be completed as undergrad to a total of 12 graduate credits which can be applied to their graduate degree Program of Study.
• BMB 6020 (Research Perspectives; 3 Cr-h) is a requirement for the MS degree. Any BMB major who takes the UG version of this course (BMB 4020; 1 Cr-h), and later wishes to transition into the 4+1 program, can satisfy the GR requirement for Research Perspectives by taking 2 additional Cr-h of BMB 8990 (Research). This will reduce the total program hours to 30 from 31.
• Research Ethics is a course requirement for both the UG major (BMB 3030; 1 Cr-h) and the MS degree (BMB 7030; 0.5 Cr-h) in BMB. Students in the 4+1 program may take BMB 3030 and satisfy the graduate requirement for this course.
• The MS degree requires 5 Cr-h of seminars (BMB 8000 and/or BMB 9000). In the 4+1 program, this requirement can be fulfilled by a combination of seminars taken at the UG and GR level as follows: 2 Cr-h of BMB 4000/4870 plus 3 Cr-h of BMB 8000/9000.
Graduation Planning Strategy
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Return to: Combined
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