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Biochemistry with Molecular Biology & Biotechnology

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,A-A,B,B

Standard offer: AAA including Chemistry and another core science/mathematics subject. Contextual offer: ABB including A in Chemistry and B in another core science/mathematics subject. Please visit: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15

Access to HE Diploma in Science, Biomedical/ Medical/ Health Science or Psychology (or similar titles). The 45 graded Level 3 credits must include: - at least 30 credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit or above; and - at least 12 credits at Distinction from Chemistry units and at least 12 credits (including 9 at Distinction) from units in another science. Mature students can contact [email protected] to check the suitability of their Access course.

Requirements for principal subjects are as for A-level, where D1/ D2 is A*, D3 is A, M1/ M2 is B and M3 is C

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32-36

Standard offer: 36 points overall with 18 at Higher Level, including 6 at Higher Level in Chemistry and 6 at Higher Level in another core science/mathematics subject. Contextual offer: 32 points overall with 16 at Higher Level, including 6 at Higher Level in Chemistry and 5 at Higher Level in another core science/mathematics subject. Please visit: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/entry-requirements-qualifications/contextual-offers/ for more information about contextual offers.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

DDD in Applied Science BTEC National Level 3 Extended Diploma, with Distinctions in five specified Chemistry units.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,A

Advanced Higher: AA in Chemistry and another science/mathematics subject

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,A,B

Standard Higher: AAAAB.

Requirements are as for A-levels, where you can substitute a non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate at that grade.

UCAS Tariff

112-159

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Biochemistry

Biochemists study the molecular basis of life. This underpins our fundamental understanding of human health and disease, and also supports applied science like drug discovery, diagnostics and biotechnology. Our Biochemistry course immerses you in ground-breaking research and gives you the opportunity to develop high-level analytical and problem-solving skills that prepare you for a diverse range of careers.

The centrepiece of the MSci Biochemistry degree is an extended research project that allows you to develop in-depth expertise in your area of specialism and acquire the skills required to embark on a research career. The MSci covers all the major aspects of biochemistry with an emphasis on cutting-edge research.

In your first two years you will supplement your study of biochemistry with optional units that are relevant to molecular biology and biotechnology. Recent options have included Fundamentals of Molecular Microbiology, Disease and Defence, and Infection and Immunity.

Your third year introduces specialist, cutting-edge aspects of biochemistry such as synthetic biology, DNA-protein interactions, and protein science in therapy and technology. You will also participate in a laboratory-based research training unit where you will develop the skills needed to define and solve research problems.

This prepares you for a research-intensive fourth year, where you will spend up to 16 weeks on an individual research project under the supervision of one of our research group leaders.

You will learn about the context in which scientific research is undertaken through the Science and Society unit and complete your studies by choosing two advanced options, which could include Synthetic Biology, Cell Biology of Development and Disease, and Protein Assemblies and Molecular Machines.

We prepare you for your future career with subject-specific employability and enterprise sessions and the chance to gain additional research experience in a summer studentship. Recent graduate destinations from our biochemistry programmes include higher degrees such as a PhD, the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology companies, research institutes, the NHS, graduate medicine, teaching, forensics, the civil service, medical publishing, finance, business consultancy, patent law, science communications and more.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£31,300
per year
International
£31,300
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Bristol

Department:

School of Medical Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

95%
Biochemistry

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Molecular biology, biophysics and biochemistry

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
97%
Staff are good at explaining things
95%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
88%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

81%
Library resources
86%
IT resources
97%
Course specific equipment and facilities
90%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

85%
UK students
15%
International students
38%
Male students
62%
Female students
97%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Molecular biology, biophysics and biochemistry

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£22,000
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
73%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

16%
Business, research and administrative professionals
16%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
12%
Natural and social science professionals

Around 2,500 graduates got degrees in this demanding but valuable subject last year. Graduates who want a career in research usually take postgraduate qualifications - over a third of graduates in the subject took this option - but those who want to start work when they graduate have a lot to choose from. Laboratory work and other jobs in the biosciences are popular, as well as in education, but many biochemistry graduates find their way into the finance industry and as a consequence, graduates from these disciplines are particularly likely to get jobs in London and the South East.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Molecular biology, biophysics and biochemistry

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£22k

£22k

£30k

£30k

£35k

£35k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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UCAS Points: 136-165
Lower entry requirements
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UCAS Points: 104-147

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here