生物化学涉及细胞和分子水平上所有生命系统的研究，因此对所有生命科学都是至关重要的。该领域的学科和应用广泛。它强调使用化学和其他物理科学来理解基本的生命过程以及这些过程的产物。除了对生物分子的结构和功能以及对代谢的理解的传统研究以外，该领域还涵盖了分子生物学，分子遗传学以及生物技术的许多领域。它构成了现代医学研究和实践，生物工程以及当代农业和环境研究的主要组成部分。
Biochemistry is concerned with the study of all living systems at the cellular and molecular levels and is, therefore, fundamental to all life sciences. The field is broad in its disciplinary subjects and applications. It emphasizes the use of chemistry and other physical sciences to understand basic life processes and the products of such processes. In addition to traditional study of the structure and function of biological molecules and understanding of metabolism, the field has come to encompass aspects of molecular biology, molecular genetics, and many areas of biotechnology. It forms a major component of modern medical research and practice, bioengineering and contemporary agricultural and environmental research. Requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at the University of Maine are satisfied with the completion of at least 120 degree hours, with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 overall in biochemistry courses.