Genetics/Biochemistry (with integrated year in industry)
Entry requirements
A level
To include B in A-level Chemistry.
The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
With 5 points in Chemistry at Higher Level.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
In a specified subject.
UCAS Tariff
To include B in A-level Chemistry.
Aberystwyth University welcomes the Welsh Baccalaureate as a valuable qualification in its own right and considers completion of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate to be equivalent to an A level grade.
About this course
In choosing to study the four-year Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Genetics and Biochemistry with an integrated year in industry at Aberystwyth University you will work at the forefront of this exciting discipline. By undertaking a year in industry, you will develop the skills and knowledge that employers are urgently seeking. Genetics has almost limitless potential to help understand and treat genetic disease and develop new medicines. Additionally, you will explore genetically modified organisms and evaluate their benefit to humankind. Building upon a foundation that includes key genetics and biochemistry understanding you will soon start to specialise into genetics, human genetics, gene expression, pharmacology, and data handling.
You will learn in an Institute which has won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. You discover an exceptional environment where you will be surrounded by a great diversity of beautiful environments, including marine, moorland, mountain, waterways, grassland and coast.
At Aberystwyth, we place great emphasis upon practical skills, so that our graduates become practitioners from the word go. You will have access to extensive research and teaching labs equipped with the latest state-of-the-art equipment, including bioimaging facilities, high-throughput DNA sequencing, proteomics, metabolomics and spectroscopic platforms. We also ensure that our graduates have the skills to communicate their science effectively so that they can join the often controversial genetics debates. You will be taught by research-active staff at the forefront of knowledge, and emerge from your course with the knowledge, competencies and skills to forge a career in this fascinating field of science.
The syllabus of this course with the integrated year in industry is identical to its sister course BSc Genetics and Biochemistry (CC48). Your work experience must be relevant to this degree as it will be assessed and will count towards your degree grade. You will organise your work experience under the guidance of our Director for Employability. There is no guarantee that the work experience will be paid. If you cannot obtain a placement, you must transfer to the sister course BSc Genetics and Biochemistry CC48). Make no mistake, you will develop confidence and gaining experience in the industry will stimulate your enthusiasm for the subject.
Completing a year in industry will allow you to: Apply the learning from your course to the work environment; Make industry contacts; Develop practical skills related to your area of study; Apply your practical skills and technical knowledge after returning to study; Enhance your CV and better prepare yourself for a job after graduating.
Upon successful completion of this degree, you will have the skills and attributes necessary for a wide range of careers including biomedicine, forensic science, DNA profiling, clinical cytogenetics, genetic counselling, and food production.
Modules
In your first year you will explore the diversity of biological disciplines including: structure and function of plants; animals and microbes at the organismal, cellular molecular levels; major animal vertebrate and invertebrate which will focus on: physiology, muscle and locomotion, nutrition, endocrinology, cardiovascular respiratory systems and homeostasis; diversity of microbial life; vegetation and ecosystems. In your second year you will study: cell biology; immunology; chromosomes; molecular biology; qualitative and quantitative procedures of data analysis. Your third year will be spent in work experience. In your final year you will study: bioinformatics; genomics; pharmacology; microbes; developmental genetics; you will also undertake a compulsory dissertation.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Aberystwyth University offers a valuable package of scholarships and bursaries to support students. Our long-established Entrance Examination competition means you could get up to £2,000 a year towards your living and study costs. You can combine that with any or all of our other awards, to make your financial package more valuable. Our awards include Sport and Music Scholarships, Bursaries for Care Leavers/Young Carers and a range of department specific awards. Please visit our website for full details.
The Uni
Main Site (Aberystwyth)
Department of Life Sciences
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.
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.
Genetics
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Molecular biology, biophysics and biochemistry
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Genetics
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.
Top job areas of graduates
Only a few hundred people take genetics courses every year and graduates from these courses are amongst the most likely to go on to do a doctorate when they graduate, as that's the level of qualification you need to go into a career in research in this important and fast-moving field. Lab jobs were the most popular outcome for genetics graduates, but whilst other science and technical occupations were also common, you could also find genetics graduates in a range of other roles, particularly business and finance.
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
Genetics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£18k
£22k
£23k
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.
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.
£18k
£22k
£23k
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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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?
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