<p>So I've had a change in heart in what I want to do with my degree. I am currently a biochem major and originally wanted to do medicinal chemistry. However, I've had a change in plans and want to do organic materials chemistry, organic electronics in particular. I currently have two years left in my degree if I continue with biochem but if I switch to chemistry, I will have about three additional years. I am in my 3rd year of college already. My question is, would having a biochem degree make me any less qualified if applying for a graduate school focusing on organic materials chemistry?</p>
<p>It depends on how much organic chemistry you have taken and whether you have done reseaerch in organic chemistry. If you choose organic chemistry elective courses you should be fine.</p>
<p>just out of curiosity, what are the main differences between Biochemistry and Organic chemistry alone?</p>
<p>For a graduate program, taking advanced organic chemistry courses is important. These are not necessarily biochemistry as they focus on synthetic methods. There is a lot of overlap as many synthetic organic chemists work in the area of bio-related chemistry. I am not an organic or bio-chemist but my colleagues do make a distinction. The biochemistry degree at my university, Illinois Tech, requires a bit less mathematics than a straight chemistry degree and much of the curriculum is biology as opposed to chemistry (meaning organic, inorganic, physical and analytical chemistry). Different schools are certainly different but our biochemistry program is most well-suited to pre-meds.</p>