Fall Courses

Please search ConnectCAROLINA for course schedules and availabilities.

*Courses with asterisks are appropriate for first year BBSP students.

*BIOC 650 Macromolecular Thermodynamics and Binding(1.0). Prerequisites, CHEM 430 and two semesters of physical chemistry or permission of the instructor. Basic molecular models and their use in developing statistical descriptions of macromolecular function. Course intended primarily for graduate students. TBA (course director) Lecture Course

*BIOC 651 Macromolecular Interactions and Forces (1.0). Prerequisites, CHEM 430 and two semesters of physical chemistry or permission of the instructor. Macromolecules as viewed with modern computational methods. Course intended primarily for graduate students. Qi Zhang (course director), Lecture Course/Paper Discussions

*BIOC 652 Macromolecular Dynamics (1.0). Prerequisites, CHEM 430 and two semesters of physical chemistry or permission of the instructor. Stability of macromolecules and their complexes with other molecules. Course intended primarily for graduate students. Kuhlman (course director). Lecture Course/Paper Discussions

*BIOC 655 Principles of Cellular and Molecular Biochemistry (3.0). This 3-credit course is designed for early PhD students with a focus on protein and nucleic acid structure, regulation, and function. The format is an equal mix of faculty-led instruction with student-led primary literature discussion. It will ensure grounding in fundamentals common to many biomedical disciplines, introduce modern computational and laboratory methods, and build skills in analyzing papers. Baker (course director)

*BIOC 701 Critical Analysis in Biochemistry (2). Prerequisites, permission of course director. Critical analysis of current research in conjunction with biochemistry faculty and departmental seminar series. Students select and present research papers, lead discussions, attend seminars and meet with seminar speakers. Course provides an opportunity to become familiar with departmental research as well as state-of-the-art and standard laboratory techniques. Lunch with external seminar speakers. Students will create a podcast of at least one of the speakers talks. Button (course director). Seminar Series/Paper Discussions

*BIOC 702 Advanced Topics in Chromatin and Epigenetics (2). Each class covers a unique topic in epigenetics and provide a historical view of the major discoveries that shaped the field with discussions and examinations of current literature. Students who sign up for BIOC 702 are expected to have some prior exposure to epigenetics and familiarity with the subject matter. This could be in the form of taking BIOC 631, which covers the basics of this topic, or having past research and/or significant class experience in epigenetics. Strahl (course director)

*BIOC 703 Seminars in Chromatin and Epigenetics (PHRS 712) (0.5). The course focuses on the ongoing Chromatin and Epigenetic seminars that occur each month through the Carolina Chromatin Consortium. During the semester, students will attend the monthly seminars given by different faculty across campus and participate in the scientific discussions by asking questions and engaging the speaker and others.  Students will be expected to familiarize in advance with the speaker’s work so that they can optimally engage the speaker when she/he presets. Students will also be expected to attend and present at the annual spring Chromatin and Epigenetics symposium, where they will present a poster or give a talk on their work.  Students will receive critical feedback on their projects as well as their presentations to improve their scientific approach and presentation skills. Brian Strahl (course director)

*BIOC 706 Biochemistry of Human Disease (3) Prerequisites, Students are expected to have had an undergraduate course in biochemistry or to have gained biochemical principles in a related biology or cell biology course. The objectives of this course are to provide students with a familiarity of contemporary biochemical principles and cutting edge approaches, and increase critical thinking and literature analysis, in the context of human disease. By the end of this course students should be familiar with biochemical causes of the diseases discussed, as well as current and future opportunities for biochemical-based treatments. Liu (course director), Staff.

BIOC 710 Scientific Communication (2). Students are expected to take BIOC 710 twice. During the first enrollment, students will engage in curriculum on scientific writing and prepare grants. During the second enrollment, student will engage in curriculum on scientific presentation and students present original research results as a formal seminar. Feedback on presentation effectiveness and style will be provided by faculty instructors and classmates.

BIOC 716 Biophysics Colloquium (0.5). The biophysics colloquium provides a variety of professional training opportunities to MCBP students. Portions of the class are student organized with oversight from the course director. Training and learning activities include career development workshops, alumni panels, research presentations from faculty, discussion on topics in rigor and reproducibility, student conference reports and student practice talks in preparation for oral exams. In addition to providing professional training opportunities, a primary goal of the class is to build and maintain the biophysics community at UNC by creating regular interactions between students and faculty.

*BIOC 722A&B&C Cellular Molecular Neurobiology (NBIO 722) (3) The purpose of this course is to present the experimental and theoretical basis for our current understanding of nervous system function and disease. The course fosters an understanding of how we accumulate knowledge and test hypotheses in neuroscience. It is team-taught by NBIO faculty who teach sections in their particular areas of expertise, in order to assure students gain optimal understanding of the information. Jay Brenman.

BIOC 805 Molecular Modeling (MEDC 805) (3). Prerequisites, MATH 231, 232, and CHEM 481. Introduction to computer-assisted molecular design, techniques and theory with an emphasis on the practical use of molecular mechanics and quantum mechanics programs. Tropsha.

BIOC 992 Master’s Thesis

BIOC 994 Doctoral Dissertation