Biochemistry Prerequisite Topic Requirements
The Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine
Program prerequisite requirement for biochemistry is at least 5
credit hours of upper level undergraduate biochemistry course work
taught at a level to prepare pre-professional students for careers
in medicine, veterinary medicine and the like that encompasses the
major areas of biochemistry. We only accept lecture hour
courses as equivalent to the 5 hour prerequisite course
requirement. Model texts for this purpose include "Biochemistry"
3rd edition by Berg, Tymoczko and Stryer, Freeman and Company, New
York, 2002 and "Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry" 4th edition,
Nelson and Cox, Freeman and Company, New York, 2005. Satisfactory
prerequisite courses must include all of the topics listed
below.
- Chemistry of water
- Bioenergetics
- Molecular structure and function: proteins, fats,
carbohydrates, nucleic acids, enzymes, ion channels and pumps,
structural molecules including glycoproteins, glycosaminoglycans
and the like
- Comprehensive coverage of intermediary metabolism including
glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glycogen synthesis, glycogenolysis,
pentose phosphate pathway, Krebs cycle, fatty acid synthesis, fatty
acid oxidation, protein catabolism, urea cycle and oxidative
phosphorylation.
- Protein synthesis
- Biosynthesis of membrane lipids and steroids
- Nucleic acid replication, recombination and repair
- Control of gene expression
- Signal transduction
Up to two credit hours of this requirement may be met by
substituting cell biology, molecular biology or molecular
endocrinology courses.
Anyone wishing to utilize one of the three courses specified
above in addition to the Biochemistry course already taken
must
submit both syllabi from the Biochemistry course as well as one of
the suggested three courses to ymbrinkman@cvm.tamu.edu.
In the "Subject" portion of your e-mail, please specify that this
is a "Biochemistry
Evaluation" needed for applying to the College of
Veterinary Medicine's DVM Program.
Please do not wait until you are applying to have this
evaluation done.