BSc Biochemistry

Your first year is made up of modules covering the essential foundations of biochemistry, including energy and metabolism, biochemistry skills development, organic chemistry, molecular genetics, and microbiology.

As you progress, you will further develop your knowledge, studying specialised topics including metabolic regulation, techniques in molecular biology, membranes and energy transduction, membrane trafficking, and bioinformatics.

In your final year, you will complete an independent research project under the guidance of a professional research scientist.

Year 1 (Level 4)

FHEQ 4 Undergraduate / HECert

Students choose 120 credits from the following:

Compulsory Modules

• Academic support and professional development
• Genetics, Genomics & Evolution
• Chemistry for Biochemists
• Energy and Metabolism: The Reactions of Life
• Microbiology
• Organic Chemistry: an Introduction to Life Sciences.
• Chemical Analysis: from Composition to Structure Elucidation; an Introduction for Life Sciences.

Year 2 (Level 5)

FHEQ 5 Undergraduate / HEDip

Students choose 120 credits from the following:

Compulsory Modules

• Metabolic Regulation: Enzymes & Signal Transduction
• Clinical Biochemistry & Physiology

Year 3 (Level 6)

FHEQ 6 Undergraduate / Honours

Students choose 120 credits from the following:

Compulsory Modules

• Membranes and Energy Transduction
• Practical Quantitative Research
• Nucleic acids: components, metabolism and modification

A degree in Biochemistry opens up a range of exciting career opportunities in diverse fields including:

• Pharmaceutical development
• Industrial biotechnology
• Biofuels
• Agriculture
• Bioinformatics

Careers and Employability

Swansea Employability Academy (SEA) will support you at each stage of your career journey helping you build a bright future.

Our career support services include:

• Employability workshops, employers’ talks, bespoke events and careers fairs
• Individual advice and guidance from professionally qualified career advisers
• Help with finding jobs, internships, work placements and volunteering opportunities
• Access to information resources on a wide range of career management topics
• Advice and guidance on postgraduate study and funding
• Funding to support student internship opportunities and Student Society/Club events.

We also provide help and advice for Swansea University Alumni up to two years after you graduate.

Why Biochemistry at Swansea?

You Will Benefit from Access to The State-Of-The-Art Research Facilities at The Medical School, Including Bioanalytical Equipment Such as High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, Gas Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, DNA and Protein Analytical Equipment, Computer-Based Image Analysers for Molecular or Cellular Studies.

During each year of your degree, you will be required to study 120 credits, made up of compulsory and optional modules.

Learning will be facilitated using an approach that includes lectures, laboratory practicals, independent learning and small groups. Whilst the programme will be academically rigorous, there will be support from Personal Academic Mentors who are dedicated to helping you succeed in your studies and future career in science and medicine.

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.

Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group work and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching.

Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.

This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.