About the course

Reasons to study

1. This course is accredited by the Royal Society of Biology, which provides you with industry-wide recognition regarding the quality of your qualification.
2. Your learning will take place in new £18.2 million facilities such as our biological sciences labs, using scientific instrumentation to gain hands-on experience.
3. Enhance your graduate prospects by undertaking a work placement year. Previous placements have been with the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre and Public Health England.

From the tallest tree to the smallest cell, all life stems from biochemical processes. Investigating these processes right down to the molecular level has brought about huge leaps in our understanding across many disciplines – from evolution and reproduction to disease prevention and engineering. Biochemical research will be extremely important in the coming decades. If you want to be part of it then this course could be a great place to start. Biochemistry is the investigation of the chemical processes that leads to life and the processes of metabolic regulation, nervous integration and information storage by biochemical systems. The ability of biological machines to reproduce and pass on information of our evolutionary history are all driven by chemical processes that are in themselves becoming very well understood and well characterised at the molecular level. Biochemical research has the capacity to unlock stem cell therapies and overcome cancer and dementia. It also has much to offer engineering in advanced materials and novel solutions to problems that have evolved over billions of years. The potential for biochemical research in the coming decades is vast and the course is the starting point for many areas of further study and application in industry.

• 92.06% of responders to the National Student Survey 2022 agreed that they have been able to access course-specific resources (e.g. equipment, facilities, software, collections) when they needed to.
• This course is accredited by the Royal Society of Biology.
• You’ll have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience using scientific instrumentation in our modern biological sciences labs. In the third year of your course, you’ll also have the chance to benefit from a work placement. This could help you to gain relevant real-world experience and enhance your future employability prospects.
• All our teaching staff are educated to doctoral level in their respective subject areas and have expertise in most areas of biological sciences.
• As a student on this course you’ll be able to apply for undergraduate membership of the Biochemical Society and The Physiological Society (UK). You’ll also be eligible for student affiliate membership of the Royal Society of Biology and upon successful graduation be eligible to apply for one year associate membership, this can help open up networks at a crucial time when applying for jobs.

Entry requirements

BBC-BCCat A Level including a grade B in Chemistry, plus C in another relevant Science subject. The endorsement for practical work is an essential part of Science A Level study, and is a requirement for entry to our degree course.

112-104UCAS tariff points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications including a grade B in Chemistry at A Level, plus C in another relevant Science subject.

Meritat T Level in Science including a grade B in A Level Chemistry or Biology.

DMMin BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Applied Science.

Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits at Merit or above to include modules in relevant Science subjects. 112-104 UCAS tariff points from International Baccalaureate qualifications which should include modules in relevant Science subjects.

If you do not have the appropriate qualifications for direct entry to this degree you may be able to apply to our Science Extended Degree (BCF0).

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.

Other suitable experience or qualifications will be considered. For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.