Overview
This unit will enable students to develop their knowledge and understanding of biomolecules and cell function, including the structure and biological role of amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and lipids. They will develop a basic understanding of how these biomolecules are synthesised, catabolised and interconverted through key biochemical pathways to meet the needs of the cell and organism, and will provide the necessary knowledge to begin to study disease and drug treatment at the cellular level. Students will also develop a theoretical understanding of methods used in biochemical analysis and develop literature searching skills in the recognition and use of primary sources of scientific information.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites: CHEM11041 Chemistry for the Life Sciences or CHEM11042 Fundamentals of Chemistry or CHEM11043 Atoms, Molecules and Matter
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student feedback
Weekly textbook chapters should be provided within Moodle content.
Supplementary readings will be added to each learning week of Moodle.
Feedback from Course Committee
TEQSA and AIMS accreditation guidelines suggest high-stakes assessments should not be conducted online.
Move to invigilated final exam from Term 2, 2026