Biochemistry with a Placement Year BSc (Hons)

University of East Anglia

Overview

Immerse yourself in the wonder of biological organisms and processes at the molecular level. Explore all aspects of life from molecules to cells, tissues and organisms, right up to populations and ecosystems. Learn from leading research scientists who are specialists in their fields of study.

This version of the BSc Biochemistry degree allows you to spend a year working on placement, gaining valuable experience, contacts and insight. 

This course is for you if you have a strong background in chemistry and are enthusiastic about applying this to the study of biological systems. It is ideal if you want to go on to work in industry, or to progress to a PhD and a career in research. 

As a biochemist, you’ll have the potential to make an impact on many areas of contemporary science, including health, nutrition, clean energy and tackling pollution. Biochemists are frequent winners of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry and Michael Houghton, an alumnus of the UEA School of Biological Sciences and Biochemistry PhD, won the Nobel prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2020.

About This Course

On this course, you’ll follow the same programme as our BSc Biochemistry students, but you will spend your third year on a work placement relevant to your interests – perhaps in a pharmaceutical company, or a biotechnology or research institute laboratory. For example, our students have worked in large pharmaceutical companies like GlaxoSmithKline, small biotechnology companies such as Phico Therapeutics, research institutes like the John Innes Centre, educational and science communication placements with the Field Studies Council. Your placement can be in the UK or abroad, with recent students travelling to Europe, Australia and North America. During your placement you’ll gain experience and insight that’s highly valued by future employers, putting you one step ahead of other graduates.

Upon returning in your final year, you’ll have the chance to further develop your laboratory and technical skills with an independent research project in a unique area of science. You could even see your research published. 

Our biochemistry degrees are taught jointly by the Schools of Biological Sciences and Chemistry. This dual approach means that in all elements of the course you benefit from subject-specific experts who inform our undergraduate teaching. Both Schools have research environments recognized to be internationally excellent and with researchers generating outputs of international standing.

Our research makes use of a wide array of facilities such as multi-photon and laser scanning confocal microscopes for the study of cells and tissues at the molecular level, high-field magnetic resonance spectrometers (both NMR and EPR) and X-ray diffractometers for the study of molecular structure, mass spectrometers, liquid and gas chromatography systems, and fluorescence and electron microscopes.  

You will benefit from our enviable position as an integral partner of the Norwich Research Park, which is also home to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and independent, world-renowned research institutes such as the John Innes Centre (research in plant and microbial sciences), the Sainsbury Laboratory (plant-microbe interactions), the Earlham Institute (computational biosciences and biotechnology) and the Quadram Institute (gut health, microbiology and food science). 

Disclaimer

This course is accredited at advanced level by the Royal Society of Biology for the purpose of meeting in part the academic and experience requirement for the Membership and Chartered Biologist (CBiol). Graduates can apply for membership of the Royal Society of Biology at Member (MRSB) level after two years of practice, rather than the usual three years, due to the significant research experience acquired.