The interdepartmental Biochemistry program at Earlham College has been granted a full seven-year term of accreditation by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB).
In a letter affirming Earlham’s accreditation, the ASBMB praised the quality of the faculty and its thorough assessment of student performance into the design of the major. The ASBMB also recognized the availability of research opportunities for students, the low student-to-faculty ratio, and its emphasis on developing communication skills.
Biochemistry is the second academic program in Earlham’s Division of Natural Sciences to receive national accreditation. The Department of Chemistry is accredited by the American Chemical Society and also offers an ACS-certified degree with additional requirements valued by potential employers and graduate schools.
We are thrilled to receive such a positive review of our program,” says Associate Professor of Chemistry Kalani Seu ’02 (pictured right), who also served on the department’s accreditation committee. “This gives us another level of validation that the coursework, research, content, resources and instrumentation available to students is of an extremely high quality. This is also reaffirming that we’re preparing students to be competitive in their field.”
Biochemistry, an interdisciplinary program combining Biology and Chemistry, is a popular major for Earlham students seeking careers in medicine, research or biotechnology. Graduates are competitive for admission into graduate school, medical school, veterinary school, or advanced programs in public health or other health science fields, at some of the nation’s top programs. In fact, Earlham ranks in the top 2 percent nationally for the percentage of graduates who go on to receive Ph.D.’s, according to a report from the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium.
The Biochemistry program is led by faculty who support research in the areas of malaria genomics, three-dimensional genome structure, and the role of exosomes in the production of red blood cells, to name a few. In addition to research, Earlhamites pursuing a degree in Biochemistry have access to funded internships and off-campus study. Earlham’s Epic Advantage program has funded international travel experiences in May resulting in opportunities for students to contribute to public health campaigns and clinical shadowing experiences in Peru (2017) and Costa Rica (2018).
Recent graduates have interned or have been hired to work for renowned organizations that include the Schepens Eye Research Institute (an affiliate of Harvard Medical School), Baylor School of Medicine, and Indiana University School of Medicine Stark Neuroscience Research Institute.
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