Some people tell me it is, some say its not…
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. By controlling information flow through biochemical signaling and the flow of chemical energy through metabolism, biochemical processes give rise to the complexity of life.
Biochemistry is the study of chemistry of living organisms. So the answer is…sort of? It’s not in the sense that it’s not essentially a double major between chemistry and biology, which I think a lot of students think it is. It’s a distinct field of its own, albeit a subfield of chemistry. It is in the sense that you will probably take a some biology classes alongside chemistry classes. For example, the University of Washington’s curriculum in biochemistry requires several courses in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry, as well as four courses specifically in biochemistry and two courses in biology and genome science (as well as some physics and math). Columbia’s biochemistry major sequence is very similar.
So most of your courses will be in chemistry, and you will very squarely be studying chemical processes. However, since they are chemical processes of living/biological organisms, there are definitely concepts and foundational knowledge in biology you’ll be expected to know.
Ok then, Is their a Major that combines Chemistry and Biology?
Most biology majors will take some chemistry and most chemistry majors will take some biology. The two fields are intertwined - very much so in biochemistry, but in other ways, too. Biochemistry is essentially a field of study that combines the two; it’s complicated. The field itself isn’t simply a mixture of chemistry and biology, but if you wanted a major that would allow you to study both fields, biochemistry is probably the most common option for that.
Another option is to double major or major in one and minor in the other.