The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education has approved changing the name of the NDSU Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

The change was requested to better reflect the ongoing research activities, teaching focus and interests of the faculty in the department. Greg Cook, chair of the department, says this change also helps avoid confusion of the department's mission with the NDSU cellular and molecular biology interdisciplinary program’s mission.

In 2003, the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology merged. At that time, the name Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology was adopted.