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Biochemistry with a Foundation Year

Entry requirements


64 UCAS points. At least one full A level is required.

Only accepted alongside at least one full A level.

64 UCAS points from a QAA Approved Level 3 Access to HE Diploma.

Only acceptable alongside other A level equivalent qualifications.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

26

64 UCAS points from Higher Level.

Only acceptable alongside other A level equivalent qualifications.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MM

Only acceptable alongside other A level equivalent qualifications.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MPP

Only acceptable alongside other A level equivalent qualifications.

64 UCAS points from Higher Level.

UCAS Tariff

64

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2024

Subject

Biochemistry

**Biochemistry is the foundation for understanding all biological processes. Develop an international perspective of how organisms work at the molecular level in the fields of medicine, agriculture, and in many chemical and health-related industries with our BSc (Hons) Biochemistry with Foundation Year degree.**

Biochemistry has become the foundation for understanding all biological processes. Positioned at the cutting-edge of research, Biochemistry is an exceptionally versatile scientific discipline to study at university. The knowledge and methods developed by biochemists are applied to all fields of medicine, in agriculture and in many chemical and health related industries.

**Take your scientific knowledge further**
The foundation year pathway provides you with a solid grounding in key subjects in scientific practice, along with communication and study skills, so you are ready to meet the prerequisites for studying a full degree course. On successful completion of the Foundation Year, you will progress to our full BSc (Hons) Biochemistry degree, which is accredited by the Royal Society of Biology.

Delivered across three further years of study - or four if you choose to include a placement, our BSc Biochemistry degree course will help you to explore important scientific subjects including biological chemistry, organic chemistry, and genetics. You will also build knowledge in areas such as molecular genetics and human physiology.

Throughout your studies, you will develop strong laboratory skills. As a biochemistry student, you will spend lots of time in our advanced Bodmer laboratories while in the UK. These well-equipped, purpose-built facilities ensure your learning remains on the cutting-edge of innovation and discovery. The labs host industry-standard instrumentation, including cell culture facilities, histology specimen preparation station, fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy.

**Get closer to industry**

Once on the full degree, you also have the opportunity to complete a placement year between years two and three, which is arranged with our support. Recent students have completed placement years at AstraZeneca, the Cancer Research UK Manchester institute, and the Respiratory Physiology Unit at the Royal Aintree Hospital in Liverpool. By successfully completing a placement, you can again 'Advanced Degree Accreditation' to your degree award.

**Features**
• Build your knowledge ready to progress to our full BSc (Hons) Biochemistry degree
• Develop laboratory and research skills ready for your graduate career
• Include an optional industry placement, where you can apply your learning across a variety of industries
• Part-time option available

This course is not open to international students.

The Uni


Course location:

University of Salford

Department:

School of Science, Engineering and Environment

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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.

74%
Biochemistry

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.

Molecular biology, biophysics and biochemistry

Teaching and learning

68%
Staff make the subject interesting
84%
Staff are good at explaining things
79%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
74%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
79%
IT resources
83%
Course specific equipment and facilities
63%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
46%
Male students
54%
Female students
89%
2:1 or above
16%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
B

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.

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.

£16,640
low
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

17%
Science, engineering and production technicians
13%
Natural and social science professionals
13%
Customer service occupations

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.

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.

£15k

£15k

£20k

£20k

£21k

£21k

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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Higher entry requirements
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here