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Faculty of Sciences

(To become Faculty of Arts and Science starting September 2019)

Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry - French Section

Hybrid
96 credits
For students entering the program at the Sophomore level
(holders of a recognized Baccalaureate or Freshman diploma - equivalent to 30 credits)

Courses

General Education
Arts and Humanities
6 credits
Behavioral and Social Sciences
3 credits
Civic Engagement
2 credits
English Communication
3 credits
MAT216General Mathematics
3 credits
This course provides the basics needed by students to progress in their specialty courses. Topics covered include: function of a real variable, elementary functions, Taylor's expansion, simple integral and methods of integration, differential equations, multivariable functions, continuity, partial derivative, the chain rule, differential, introduction to double integrals, methods of integration, Matrix calculus, determinants, and linear systems.
PHY210General Physics
3 credits
The objective of this course is the introduction of various laws, principles and physical mechanisms, whose understanding is essential to students pursuing studies in various branches of science. This course consists of several independent parts. The first one deals with dynamics, the different types of motion, Newton's laws, and conservation of energy. The second part deals with hydrostatics and fluid dynamics. The third part deals with thermodynamics, calorimeters, the first principle and the basic transformations, the ideal gas, and thermodynamic cycles. The fourth part concerns the analysis of simple electrical circuits using Kirchhoff laws and the movement of a particle in an electromagnetic field. In the fifth part we talk about relativity, the theory of photons, and the photoelectric effect. Upon completion of this course the students will have acquired sufficient knowledge of several basic principles in physics and be familiar with these various topics.
History of Lebanon
3 credits
STA220Probability and Applied Statistics
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: MAT213 Or MAT215 Or MAT216 Or MAT218 Or NUT210 Or NTR210
This course prepares students for the practical use of probability and statistics in the biomedical field (agronomy, chemistry, biochemistry, nutrition, medicine, etc.). Topics covered are: elements of descriptive statistics, population, statistical unit, frequency distribution characteristic of central tendency and dispersion; concepts of probability and combinatorics, conditional probability and Bayes' formula, applications, discrete and continuous random variables, expectation and moments, weak law of large numbers, empirical frequencies and probabilities customary laws (Binomial, Multinomial, Poisson, Normal) and asymptotic behavior, the law of large numbers, sampling and estimation, introduction to the use of hypothesis tests, and the Chi­2 contingency table.
Religious Sciences
3 credits
Sports
1 credits
Common Core
CHM425Analysis Techniques
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: CHM222
This course is intended to provide a set of basic knowledge on a number of methods encountered in chemical and biochemical analyzes, qualitative and quantitative, in sectors as varied as the chemical industry, food processing, environmental science, pollution and medical science.
BIO222Animal Histology
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BIO211 Or BLG211
Animal histology describes animal tissues relating structure to function. The lectures present details of the basic tissues (epithelium, connective tissue, muscle, and nerve) and emphasizes human histology.
BIO211Cell Biology
3 credits
In this course students will study the structures and functions of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. We will focus on eukaryotic cells by examining different areas of cell biology including: the plasma membrane and organelles structures and functions, cellular communication, the cell cycle and its regulation, as well as synthesis and function of macromolecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins.
CHM222Chemistry of Solutions
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: CHM212
This course brings together the necessary knowledge to understand the reactions in solutions that are the fundamentals of many methods used both in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry or biology, as well as in pharmaceutical analysis. After a reminder of key points and generalities, the course develops four main components: acid­base equilibria, complexation equilibria, redox reactions and the formation reactions of poorly soluble compounds.
INF304CS for Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biology
3 credits
This course aims to familiarize students of chemistry, biochemistry and biology with the use of advanced software to provide models to illustrate their field of study. Topics include: advanced use of Excel and chemistry applications; tools for drawing molecules; processing molecules in 2D and 3D; introduction to cheminformatics, introduction to bioinformatics and molecular modeling; the structure of proteins (Protein Data Bank and pdb file); demonstration and use of PyMol; and sequence alignment using BioEdit.
CHM212General Chemistry
3 credits
The purpose of this course is to present a general outline on chemistry. Through this course chemistry is introduced in its various aspects: the structure of the atom, the various models, and the properties of the elements in the periodic table; various chemical bonds, the Lewis structure, VSEPR rules; thermochemistry, thermodynamics and chemical equilibrium; kinetic chemistry, reactions rate orders, the Arrhenius law; solutions chemistry, acids and bases and various acid­base equilibrium; complexation, liquid solid equilibrium and solubility product; and redox titration and electrochemical cells.
BIO411General Microbiology
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BIO322 And (BCH410 Or BCH415 Or BCH300 Or BCH320)
This course is designed to give students a comprehensive understanding of bacterial physiology, metabolism, growth conditions, identification, pathogenesis and microbial control methods. It equips students with the tools they will need to understand and address the complex microbial issues related to environmental science, food science, industrial processes and public health. The first part is devoted to the description of bacterial structure (cytoplasm, cytoplasmic membrane, cell wall, glycocalyx, flagella, pili, etc.). The second part studies bacterial metabolism and growth (different trophic types, growth conditions, culture media, etc.). In the third part the main antibiotic families and bacterial genetics are discussed (mechanism of action, spectrum of activity, resistance mechanisms, operons, horizontal genetic transfers, etc.). The fourth part discusses the mechanisms of pathogenicity in bacteria (virulence, toxigenesis, interactions between host and bacteria). The fifth and last part concerns viruses. The basics of virology are explained as well as the different virus families and types, the mechanism of pathogenicity of the virus and the way it affects host cells.
BIO322Genetics
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BIO211 Or BIO210 Or BLG211
The purpose of this course is to provide basic knowledge of genetics: cytogenetic (the study of chromosomes), formal genetics (the study of hereditary transmission mechanisms), molecular genetics (the study of nucleic acids, their replication, transcription and translation), and bacterial genetics.
CHM438Internship and Conferences
1 credits
Students are required to undergo training in an institution where the work domain covers their field of study. After training, the students are required to write a detailed report regarding their work and defend it in an oral presentation.
CHM471Lab of Chromatography and Spectroscopy
1 credits    |    Pre-requisite: CHM370
This laboratory aims to introduce students to the different experimental techniques of quantification and characterization: the separation process and spectroscopic evaluation. All techniques deal with multidisciplinary skills for those with an interest in industrial chemistry, biochemistry and SVT.
CHM370Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry
1 credits    |    Pre-requisite: CHM222 And CHM270
The purpose of this lab is to give students the opportunity to practice the knowledge they have learned in class. They will use the following techniques: titration of a polyacid, preparation and properties of buffer solutions, titration by indirect redox, complexometric assay, conductometric titration, study of solubility, color indicators, and determination of an equilibrium constant by the method of partition coefficients.
BIO270Laboratory of Biology
1 credits
This course has two parts: practical work with cell biology, and practical work with animal biology. The objective of this course is to familiarize students with the basic concepts of cellular architecture and its organelles in the broader context of biological principles and to understand how cells interact with each other and the environment. It also includes the observation and description of families of different tissues constituting our body.
CHM270Laboratory of General Chemistry
1 credits    |    Pre-requisite: CHM212 Or CHE212 Or CHM210 Or CHE210
The general chemistry laboratory aims to develop different skills for the practical application of theoretical knowledge of general chemistry. Techniques to be learned: preparation and dilution of solutions, experimental verification of the Nernst equation, realization of different types of acid­base and redox titration by volumetric, calorimetric, pH­metric or potentiometric monitoring, and the study of solubility and precipitation reactions and characterization of ions present in a given matrix. The goal of the lab course is to ensure that students are capable of understanding the chemical concepts and to carry out experiments safely and carefully in the laboratory, to obtain data accurately and to manipulate the data correctly.
BIO471Laboratory of Microbiology
1 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BIO411 Or BIO270
The main purpose of this lab is to teach students all the basics to be able to undertake different types of microbiological analysis (water analysis, food and liquid analysis). It will focus on the basics of good manipulation in a microbiology lab and all the precautions to take to avoid contamination. The students will also learn to identify the types and species of bacteria.
BIO472Laboratory of Molecular Biology
1 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BIO413
This course provides students with the opportunity to practice most of the concepts covered in the course of Molecular Biology (BLG413): genomic and DNA plasmid extractions, PCR amplification, enzyme digestion, SDS­PAGE, Western blot and bacterial transformation.
CHM371Laboratory of Organic Chemistry
1 credits    |    Pre-requisite: (CHM311 Or CHM317) And CHM270
The objective of this practical work is to illustrate by experiment the concepts covered in the course of organic chemistry for students in chemistry and biochemistry and for medical students.
BIO413Molecular Biology
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BIO411
The course begins with a review of nucleic acids and looks at the methods for their extraction, separation and analysis. Secondly, the course extensively studies the regulation of gene expression and provides an update on the changes to the nucleic acids transcriptionally, post­ transcriptional and translational. Finally, detailed molecular analysis techniques, cloning, PCR, sequencing and development of DNA banks are described.
CHM317Organic Chemistry
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: CHM212
Organic chemistry is an introduction to the structure, reactivity, and properties of organic compounds. This course is intended to introduce students to the major concepts in organic chemistry and prepare them for the upper level classes in chemistry and biochemistry they will take in the coming semesters and the organic chemistry requirements for medical schools. Topics to include: introduction and review of electronic structure and bonding in organic molecules; nomenclature of organic compounds; structure and properties of alkanes, cycloalkanes, and alkyl halides; stereoisomerism and chirality of organic compounds; and the structure, properties and reactivity of alkynes and alkenes.
CHM411Organic Chemistry II
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: CHM311 Or CHM317
This course covers: types of reactions (substitution, addition, elimination, radical, rearrangement); energetic diagrams (kinetic); mechanisms and reaction intermediates (SN1, SN2, E1, E2, etc.); reactivity and reactions: alkanes, alkenes (Markovnikov rule, Kharash, polymerisation), dienes (Diels­Alder), alkynes; reactivity of halogenated derives (SN2 and Walden inversion, SN1, effect of different parameters, E2 and rule of Saîtzef, E1); benzenic hydrocarbons: electrophilic substitution SE2 (Friedel Crafts alkylation, acylation, effect of the substituent, etc.); aldehydes and ketones (Canizzaro, Wittig, etc.); and organometalics.
BIO320Physiology
2 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BIO211
This course aims to introduce homeostasis, defined as the dynamic physiological equilibrium of the organism. It examines the cellular functions of the nervous and endocrine systems. This course will enable the students to establish links between the structure and the function and will present the basic mechanisms regulating the physiological functions of the human organism.
Specialization
BCH422Biochemistry of Integrated Systems
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BCH300 Or BCH410 Or BCH415 Or BCH320 Or BCM320
The course is divided into three parts. In the first part, we discuss the structure and dynamics of membranes. The students will receive specialized information concerning lipid and protein composition of the cell membrane, membrane fluidity and cellular traffic. Then, the domain of the translocation of proteins across the membrane will be detailed explaining to students the destination of a non­cytoplasmic protein (ER, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, nucleus, and peroxisomes). In the last part, the students will be introduced to the concept of cell signaling and signal transduction. The different types of membrane receptors and channels of cellular signaling will be described. The various effectors, the coupling mechanisms between receiver and effector, as well as the second messengers produced by these effectors will be detailed.
BCH411Enzymology
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BCH410 Or BCH300 Or BCH415 Or BCH320 Or BCM320
Enzymology is one of the key disciplines that a student in biology, biochemistry or even chemistry must master. This course presents the basic concepts of enzymology. Students will discover the applications of enzymes in several fields such as scientific research, industry, food, medicine and the environment. Many examples have been included to clarify or supplement the topics covered. Some exercises and solutions will enable students to improve or to assess their level of knowledge.
BCH470Laboratory of Biochemistry
1 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BCH410 Or BCH415 Or BCH320 Or BCM320
Students learn how to prepare a buffer solution and how to determine its capacity and its pKa. They also learn to distinguish major biochemical molecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins) by using specific qualitative tests for this purpose. Glucose in plasma, lipids, triglycerides, proteins in serum, and level of creatinine in urine are evaluated by using spectro­photo­colorimetric techniques.
BCH471Laboratory of Enzymology
1 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BCH411 Or BCM411
In part to provide a more authentic experience of actual lab work, experiments are done in groups of two. Each experimental session is started with an explanation, given by the instructor, of the aim, the interest and the steps of the experiment. Prior to each lab period, students need to spend some time reading the Laboratory Manual. This reading provides background information of the procedures to be performed and a facility to answer the prelab questions covered in each session. Students are required to maintain a laboratory notebook used for the recording of laboratory data and calculations, and critically important for writing lab reports. Students are encouraged to participate as much as possible in discussions during the lab work.
BCH421Metabolic Biochemistry
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: BCH415 Or BCH410 Or BCH300 Or BCH320 Or BCM320
Understanding all vital processes requires knowledge of the biochemical reactions and their integration in metabolic pathways. This course covers two basic areas of molecular biochemistry which are the production and storage of energy, and the biosynthesis of macromolecules. The course starts with the metabolism of carbohydrates, the main producer of energy in the cell. Several topics are devoted to the study of glycogen metabolism, glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and the pentose phosphate pathway, then lipid metabolism (β oxidation, fatty acid synthesis, cholesterol synthesis), and on protein metabolism (transamination, urea cycle), and then nucleotide metabolism.
BCH320Structural Biochemistry
3 credits    |    Pre-requisite: CHM317 Or CHM311 Or CHE311
This course is based on an understanding of the different biochemical processes taking place in the human body. It enables students to acquire a basic foundation in biochemistry so they are able to competently address all areas related to medical biochemistry. Structural biochemistry defines the structure of the various molecules of living matter such as carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, proteins, enzymes, nucleotides and vitamins.
Faculty Electives
Faculty Electives
9 credits

Mission

The mission of the undergraduate biochemistry program is to develop students' knowledge in the modern foundations underlying biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, microbiology, and chemistry. The program will foster a culture that values our students, strives to help them become self­learners and promotes an understanding that social consciousness and ethical behavior are essential features of a principled biochemistry community. The program will train students for graduate programs in science or as professionals in a variety of school, government or private laboratory positions.

Program Educational Objectives

1. Graduates will work as members of multidisciplinary teams (pharmaceutical, biology and chemistry) and develop and practice written and oral communication skills, both within the team and for a broader audience.
2. Graduates will have the ability to solve theoretical and open­ended biochemical problems with opportunities to design and conduct biochemical experiments to meet specific needs and constraints.
3. Graduates will recognize the importance of continued self­improvement, to engage in lifelong learning, and to advance the well­being of our community through an understanding of the social, ethical and cultural context of their work.

Program Outcomes

a. Students will bring together the modern foundational knowledge underlying biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, microbiology, and chemistry.
b. Extrapolate the understanding of the relationships between chemistry and biological sciences.
c. Explain, model and conceptualize chemical and life processes at the molecular level.
d. Manipulate, synthesize, and analyze molecules and their properties using contemporary laboratory equipment, methods and computer software.
e. Practice safe handling of equipment, molecules, and organisms.
f. Apply concepts of approximation, estimation, precision, and accuracy in biochemistry data acquisition.
g. Communicate the results of their work to chemists, biologists or to a lay audience.
h. Recognize the need for and have the ability to engage in lifelong learning.
i. Find employment in a health laboratory, in industry or in government, or be accepted into graduate studies or find employment in school systems.
j. Develop an awareness of ethical, professional and social issues and responsibilities.
Holy Spirit University of Kaslik
Tel.: (+961) 9 600 000
Fax : (+961) 9 600 100
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