General Chemistry
Covers fundamental principles of chemistry, including atomic structure, chemical bonding, and reactions.
Difficulty
Moderately challenging
Students rate Biochemistry 3.5/5 for difficulty across 11 ratings.
Average difficultyBased on 11 students across 2 schools.View review makeup
3.5/ 5
Share of students at each rating
Class-year breakdown needs more responses.It appears after at least two class years have 5 difficulty ratings each.
What makes this major demanding?
Worth it?
91% would recommend it
Based on 11 reviews across 2 schools
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Curriculum and careers
Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes within and related to living organisms. It combines principles of chemistry and biology to understand cellular processes, enzyme functions, and genetic information, equipping students with skills to pursue careers in research, healthcare, and biotechnology.
Core course themes
Organic Chemistry
Focuses on the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and materials.
Biochemistry I
Introduces the study of biomolecules, enzyme kinetics, and the biochemical pathways of cells.
Biochemistry II
Explores metabolism, nucleic acids, and the regulation of biochemical processes in more depth.
Molecular Biology
Examines the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication, transcription, and translation.
Analytical Chemistry
Teaches techniques for analyzing chemical compounds, emphasizing quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Common roles
- Biochemist
- Pharmaceutical Scientist
- Clinical Research Associate
- Biotechnology Analyst
- Forensic Scientist
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Biochemistry by school
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Community
Big questions in Biochemistry
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Student reviews
PositiveDifficulty & workload
I personally really enjoy learning about chemistry. However, I picked biochemistry because there’s one less physics class to take than a chem major. Learning about the concepts is difficult but the application in a laboratory setting could be more challenging. The workload is heavy and very challenging, but I enjoy this challenge. The good part is that there’s not too much math to do, besides the calc 1&2 requirement for biochemistry majors at USC. The faculty is supportive and professional, some are really good that teaching and are always happy to help. It might be hard to get internships/research opportunities because USC is such a big school, and therefore the competitive is intensive. Most biochemistry majors attend medical school or the MD/PhD program after their undergraduate career. But overall I would recommend this major only if you are very very very interested in both chemistry and biology and also the intensive amounts of labs to do.
Jul 2025
CriticalDifficulty & workload
Biochemistry is for students that actually like chemistry and enjoy the theoretical aspects of biology that then relate back to it all. I do not recommend for those that are looking for a broad major to open up their interests because of how heavy the workload is. This senator u have to take calc 2, molecular biology, and organic chemistry all in the same sem.
Oct 2025
PositiveDifficulty & workload
hardest class is organic chemistry. double majoring with math, classes are much easier for biochemistry/lifesciences-more memorization heavy
Apr 2026
MixedDifficulty & workload
It is one of the longer majors and has several weeders. People freak out about it a lot but you just need to be calm and probably sacrifice some other things for studying.
Apr 2026
PositiveEnjoyment & fit
Less math prereqs than I thought. Pretty fun major
Apr 2026
PositiveEnjoyment & fit
It's so fun! it challenges your ability to study and think. So many interesting concepts! I am excited to go to grad school, and would 100% recommend to others.
Oct 2025
CriticalDifficulty & workload
Very tough, it is going to be a lot of studying, a lot of procrastinating, and a lot of regretting the procrastinating
Oct 2025
PositiveEnjoyment & fit
It is very interesting, make sure to stay on top of everything.
Apr 2026
PositiveEnjoyment & fit
My passion for biochemistry comes from my father. Taking chemistry in high school opened my eyes to the world of the physical sciences
Oct 2025
PositiveEnjoyment & fit
I love biology and i love chem. Biochemistry is great!!!
Apr 2026
PositiveCourses & teaching
I haven’t had much experience tbh but excited to learn more! I love the courses and potential opportunities
Oct 2025
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