Biochemistry Degree

Please turn on JavaScript.
Media requires JavaScript to play.

A Biochemistry Degree student's opinion

Video Transcript

Biochemistry degree course

In a Biochemistry degree, you will study the advances in medicine, nutrition, pharmaceuticals and genetics over the last few decades which stem from an understanding of biology at this molecular level.  The Aberystwyth Biochemistry degree focuses on the structure and functions of the molecules that make up the cell and how they interact in living processes. The techniques you will be learning in your Biochemistry degree – for example, mass spectrometry, electrophoresis, chromatography - have revolutionised studies in medicine and pharmaceuticals and they now underpin much research throughout the biological sciences. As a result, graduates from our Biochemistry degrees find employment in medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural and food industries and are also employed in hospital and other analytical laboratories.

The Biochemistry degree course at Aberystwyth presents the subject very much from the modern biological perspective and introduces topics of modern biology that cross the boundaries of separate disciplines. As a result, graduates from the Aberystwyth Biochemisty degree will have a specialist knowledge in biochemistry within a broad biological context, as well as the general scientific skills expected of a science graduate.

Biochemistry degree course structure

Year 1

Your first year provides a solid foundation in the biological sciences with modules that explore Biochemistry and the energetics of the cell, investigate the chemical basis of biological processes, including metabolism, cell biology, genetics and evolution and provide training in research and communication skills.

Years 2 and 3

In the second and third years you will specialise increasingly in Biochemistry and related topics through a mixture of core and optional modules. Besides core Biochemistry, the modules give you the necessary supporting knowledge in areas of recent advances, such as molecular biology and functional genomics, systematics and bioinformatics. Emphasis is given to the development of your practical skills in Biochemistry and this is further encouraged in your final year research project where you have the opportunity to develop and pursue specialised interests in your subject.

Detailed Course Structure

Careers related to your Biochemistry degree

As our understanding of the functions of the cell increases, and as our analysis of genetics becomes more and more comprehensive, so the range of applications of Biochemistry and the range of employment opportunities for Biochemists rapidly increase. Your degree in Biochemistry from Aberystwyth will provide you with the skills to be at the forefront of some of the most important and life-changing scientific and technological developments of the next few decades. Whether or not you choose to pursue a career related to Biochemistry, your Biochemistry degree will have provided you with skills of research, analysis and reporting vital to many kinds of work, and valued by many kinds of employers, in all sectors of the economy. This scheme also frequently leads to postgraduate research at MSc and PhD level.