Biochemistry with a Year in Industry

Biochemistry is the chemistry of living systems. It investigates the molecules from which cells are built, the chemical reactions that sustain life, and the ways in which those reactions are controlled, disrupted by disease, and targeted by drugs. From understanding how enzymes catalyse the processes that power muscle contraction to investigating the genetic code that directs protein synthesis, biochemistry provides the molecular foundation for the biological and medical sciences.

It is a discipline of exceptional breadth and depth, with applications spanning medicine, agriculture, industrial biotechnology, and environmental science.

At Royal Holloway, University of London, this four-year programme includes a year in industry that gives you direct experience of professional biochemical or scientific work in a real organisation. The degree provides comprehensive coverage of the principles of biochemistry, with options that span medically oriented biochemistry, plant biochemistry, and the industrial applications of the discipline. The flexible structure allows you to shape your degree around your interests even within the first year, while the year abroad embedded in the programme broadens your scientific and cultural horizons further.

You will develop strong practical laboratory skills alongside your theoretical understanding, working with the experimental methods and instrumentation that characterise biochemical research.

Biochemistry graduates go on to careers in pharmaceutical and drug discovery research, clinical and medical laboratories, biotechnology companies, food and agriculture sectors, environmental agencies, and academic research. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study, including master's degrees and doctorates in biochemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology, or a clinical science, and the degree also provides a foundation for graduate-entry medicine and dentistry for those who meet additional entry requirements.