BMB at UMass, Amherst:
The Undergraduate Program

We offer an interdisciplinary program in biochemical, cellular and molecular biosciences within the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. We provide training in cell biology, molecular biology and biochemistry, offering B.A. and B.S. degrees as well as an accelerated Fifth-Year M.S. program. Our curriculum prepares students for post graduate education and for successful careers in the ever-changing arena of science. Research opportunities in the department include: Cell Cycle Control and Cancer, Developmental Biology, Organelle Biogenesis and Development, Protein Folding and Maturation, Protein Synthesis, Structure and Function, RNA Synthesis, Structure, and Function and Signal Transduction. Our academic requirements ensure that you will be well-versed in the sciences when you graduate.

Career Opportunities:
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Pays Off in the New Millennium!

After graduation, many BMB majors decide to continue their education and go on to graduate, medical or dental schools. Others pursue scientific careers at universities, government laboratories, biotechnology companies, in the food industry, agribusiness, clinical laboratories, and scientific or medical equipment suppliers. BMB graduates are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the explosive growth of the biotechnology and health industries. Our graduates can easily combine biochemistry and molecular biology with business, computers, or law, for example, and tailor their careers to take advantage of emerging fields. For instance, new career opportunities in gene (G)-commerce continue to grow as business and science capitalize on the gold mine of information generated by the Human Genome Project. BMB graduates understand the potential of scientific careers in the post-genomic era and are well prepared to pursue successful careers in the new millennium.

The Campus Career Network is a great resource for UMass students and alumni, providing services such as career counseling and exploration, job search and resume assistance, and a resource library, to name a few. Undergraduate majors can participate in off-campus Co-ops and Internships, which offer a wide variety of professional opportunities in industry and research institutions. Our college, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, has its own career counselor and field experience coordinator (offices in Room 120, Lederle Graduate Research Tower C). Field experiences can be valuable adjuncts to your undergraduate training to develop additional expertise, make important contacts in the professional world, earn college credits and to attain additional job skills.

Independent Research Opportunities:
BMB Students Work in Real Research Labs

As a BMB major, you will have the opportunity to work with others in federally-funded research labs, using cutting edge techniques to address fundamental questions in science. This experience is different from your work in classroom labs, where you learn the basics of scientific techniques. In our research labs, you apply those techniques creatively to real-life research questions. You work as part of a team, alongside other undergraduates, PhD students and postdoctoral research associates, under the expert guidance of a faculty member. Along with other lab members, you attend weekly research meetings and learn to present your own work in a professional manner. Your original research, like that of many BMB students before you, may well lead to co-authorship of a published scientific paper.

BMB majors can start to work in a research lab as early as their sophomore year if they desire. Usually students choose a lab by their junior year, and many opportunities exist for students to work on their research over the summer. Qualified students are invited to do honors research, which involves writing and defending a thesis, and is excellent preparation for further work in science.

Departmental Honors:
In-Depth Research for Undergraduates

As sophomores, qualified BMB majors may apply for Departmental Honors through the UMass Commonwealth College. In addition to extensive laboratory research experience, Honors students write a thesis and present the results of their work to their Honors Committee. Honors research is another excellent way for students to develop very important working relationships with faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and other undergraduate students working in a laboratory environment. For more information on the honors program, visit the Commonwealth College web site or contact the Honors Coordinator, Dr. Molly Fitzgerald-Hayes .

At Home with BMB:
Present and Future

At present, BMB is located in the Lederle Graduate Research Tower at the north end of campus, close to the Student Union. Lederle is a 16-story tower that houses not only BMB but also Physics & Astronomy, Mathematics & Statistics, and some Chemistry and Computer Science facilities. Our laboratories are well-equipped with modern instrumentation for biochemical, molecular biological and cell biological research. Other instrumentation facilities on campus include a flow cytometry facility, an electron and optical imaging facility, a Genomics & Bioinformatics Facility, and the Biology Computer Resource Center (BCRC).

A future home for our teaching labs is in the works: the University expects to have a new, three-story Integrated Sciences Building (ISB) designed by 2002 and under construction soon after. The ISB is part of the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Initiative, a state, federal, and privately funded collaboration between UMass and Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, designed to combine academic research with clinical expertise.

Faculty Advising:
A Key to Your Success

BMB Faculty take student advising very seriously. Once an undergraduate student decides to major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology he or she meets with a BMB faculty advisor to discuss academic options and career goals. Students continue to meet periodically with the same BMB faculty member throughout their four years as a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major. The faculty advisor is responsible for much more than just advice about coursework or help maneuvering in a large university setting. Firsthand knowledge of our students is essential. Faculty advisors are usually asked to write letters of recommendation for students applying to graduate, medical, dental or other professional schools, and for those students looking for positions in the business world or professional sciences.

Our long-term advising system helps to foster a mentoring relationship between student and advisor, which permits the faculty to be most effective in helping the student set goals and make decisions. Each advisor works with about twenty students, enabling him or her to give plenty of personal attention to each student over the course of their years at UMass. The table below indicates the advisers for each year's class of current BMB majors. Further information about BMB advising is available from the Chief Undergraduate Advisor and Honors Coordinator, Dr. Molly Fitzgerald-Hayes and the BMB Graduate Program Director, Dr. Lila Gierasch. Also see the Degree Requirements page for concise or detailed information on coursework for BMB majors.

Fifth-Year Masters Program (B.S./M.S.): An Excellent Opportunity for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Majors

updated 8/07