The Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology offers
three separate Bachelor of Science (BS) degree programs in Biochemistry,
Microbiology, and Molecular and Cellular Biology. All three programs are
designed to provide the student with a broad background in the biological and
physical sciences and an opportunity for in depth concentration in one or more
of the most active disciplines in the biological sciences.
Departmental Requirements:
Cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in the major.
Hands-on Experience:
An important aspect of all three undergraduate programs is the requirement for
hands-on experience in the laboratory. Laboratory courses are offered in
fundamental aspects of biochemistry and microbiology as well as specialized
topics such as recombinant DNA techniques, virology, cell culture, immunology,
pathogenic microbiology and microbial genetics. Laboratory courses in these
topics are not generally available at smaller institutions without graduate and
research programs or at many larger research universities where student numbers
are too large to accommodate numerous laboratory courses in such specialized
areas. At the University of Maine, however, we are large enough to have faculty
with expertise in most sub disciplines but small enough in terms of students to
be able to provide a wide variety of laboratory courses. We also take pride in
the fact that all of our laboratory courses above the introductory level are
taught by professors, not by graduate students or part-time instructors. We
believe strongly that such close interactions between students and faculty in
small groups typical of most laboratory courses is very important and mutually
beneficial to the student and the faculty. Because the Department also offers MS
and Ph.D. programs in the areas of biochemistry, microbiology, and molecular
biology, we provide a variety of opportunities for undergraduate students to
engage in independent study and research with individual faculty. In fact, we
believe that this is one of the most important aspects of our undergraduate
programs. In the required senior year research course, you’ll be part of a
research team of faculty, postdoctoral research associates, technicians, and
graduate and undergraduate students who are actively engaged in ongoing research
projects that are both publicly and privately funded. Field Experience courses
also provide opportunities to earn academic credits while working off-campus in
industry, hospitals, and research institutes.
Facilities:
The facilities for teaching and research are located in two modern additions to
Hitchner Hall. The building contains one of the newest and most modern
facilities in New England for teaching and research in biochemistry,
microbiology and molecular biology, including specialized equipment and
laboratories for teaching molecular biology, virology, pathogenic microbiology,
and animal cell culture. The University’s Automated DNA Sequencing Facility is
also located adjacent to our research laboratories in Hitchner Hall. Close
proximity to research laboratories enables students to participate in
independent study and undergraduate research projects using state-of-the-art
equipment and methods.
Career Opportunities:
Rewarding career opportunities for biochemists, microbiologists, and molecular
biologists are exceptionally numerous and varied. A career in one of these
fields is not just a job, but an opportunity to explore new phenomena,
participate at the frontiers of the most actively expanding areas of science
today, and make significant contributions to human beings, our society and our
world. These disciplines are at the core of the rapidly expanding fields of
biotechnology, molecular biology and the allied health professions. Graduates of
these programs work in: public health laboratories, medical, dental, veterinary,
and university research laboratories; pharmaceutical, food, and chemical
industries; environmental research and monitoring laboratories; colleges and
universities; and a variety of existing as well as emerging genetic engineering
and biotechnology industries.
Health Professions:
Majoring in biochemistry, microbiology or molecular biology provides the ideal
preparation for further study in medical, dental, veterinary and other
health-related professional schools. Students interested in these careers should
register in their first year with the Health Professions Committee, which
provides information and assistance in selecting proper supporting courses and
the application process.
Accelerated UM/UNECOM Binary Degree Program with a BS in Biochemistry or
Microbiology
The University of Maine and the University of New England College of Osteopathic
Medicine (UNECOM) cooperate to offer an Accelerated Binary Degree Program (3+4
program), which allows qualifying students majoring in Biochemistry or
Microbiology at UMaine to be admitted to the College of Osteopathic Medicine at
UNE after three years at UMaine rather than the customary four. Upon successful
completion of the first year of medical school at UNE, students participating in
this program will receive a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from UMaine. The
intent of this program is to facilitate an increase in the number of primary
care physicians practicing in the State of Maine. This agreement is specifically
between the University of Maine and the University of New England College of
Osteopathic Medicine. Consult the Health Professions Office for qualifications
and curriculum requirements.
Biochemistry
Biochemistry is concerned with the study of all living systems at the cellular
and molecular level and is, therefore, fundamental to all life sciences. The
field is broad in its disciplinary subjects and applications. It emphasizes the
use of chemistry and other physical sciences to understand basic life processes
and the products of such processes. In addition to traditional study of the
structure and function of biological molecules and understanding of metabolism,
the field has come to encompass aspects of molecular biology, molecular
genetics, and many areas of biotechnology. It forms a major component of modern
medical research and practice, bioengineering and contemporary agriculture and
environmental research.
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microscopic forms of life such as bacteria and
viruses and the immune response to these microorganisms. It is a broad,
multidisciplinary field using techniques of genetics, chemistry, biochemistry,
physiology, ecology, and pathology to study the biology of microorganisms from
gene expression at the molecular level to the composition of populations of
microorganisms. Exciting discoveries involving microorganisms have important and
far-reaching implications for biotechnology, molecular biology, medicine, public
health and the environment. AIDS and other important diseases present new and
exciting challenges for microbiologists in the public health field. Advances in
recombinant DNA technology, immunology, and the ability to manipulate the
biology of microbial cells have revolutionized science and thrust microbiology
into the center of the rapidly expanding arena of biotechnology.
Molecular and Cellular Biology
Molecular and Cellular Biology has evolved in recent years as a response to the
increased ability to study organisms at the molecular level. This discipline
involves the systematic study of the molecular and structural basis for the
organization, transmission and expression of genetic information, in addition to
the general study of macromolecular systems involved in the structure and
function of cellular components. Recent years have seen explosive advances in
the study of DNA and molecular genetics including gene cloning, sequencing and
mapping. Developments in recombinant DNA technology have opened up entirely new
areas of study and provided powerful techniques that are revolutionizing the
pharmaceutical, health and agricultural industries and have spawned new
industries in biotechnology.
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