Biochemistry

Biochemistry is the science of life at the molecular level, examining the chemical processes and substances that underpin how cells function, how organisms grow and reproduce, and how biological systems maintain the remarkable order and specificity they require. It brings together chemistry and biology to illuminate the molecular basis of inheritance, metabolism, signalling, and development, and it is central to understanding how disruptions to these processes give rise to disease. Together with molecular biology, biochemistry has driven some of the most important advances in medicine and biotechnology of the past half-century, from the decoding of the human genome to the development of targeted cancer therapies and mRNA vaccines.

At the University of Strathclyde, this five-year full-time degree in Biochemistry provides a thorough and advanced education in the molecular sciences. The extended programme allows the degree to go to considerable depth, developing your understanding of enzyme kinetics, gene expression, cell signalling, structural biology, and the molecular pathology of disease alongside the laboratory techniques that modern biochemical research relies on. A year abroad is incorporated into the programme, giving you the opportunity to study at an international partner institution and to experience biochemical research in a different scientific environment.

Strathclyde has strong research activity in life sciences and pharmaceutical science, which adds real engagement with current scientific questions throughout the degree.

Biochemistry graduates are among the most highly valued in the life sciences. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries employ biochemists across research and development, clinical trials, quality assurance, and regulatory science. Healthcare, diagnostics, food science, and forensic science are further sectors.

Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in biochemistry, molecular biology, structural biology, or biomedical science, and the depth of a five-year programme provides an excellent foundation for doctoral research. The typical entry tariff is 232 points.