The Medical Biochemistry programme is offered at the Royal Holloway University of London.

BSc Medical Biochemistry emphasises the importance of biochemistry in medicine, and will provide an understanding of the molecular basis of disease. As well as studying topics in biochemistry for medicine, you will receive a sound basis in physiology, genetics and microbiology. You will study a range of specialist medically-orientated options including how to make clinical diagnoses of diseases, a course taught entirely by health professionals from local hospitals. The degree includes both background knowledge and practical application. You will gain laboratory experience in all three years with the opportunity to conduct a lab-based research project in the final year.

You will gain an impressive portfolio of transferable skills that are highly attractive to employers in a wide range of sectors. These skills include practical laboratory experience, data handling, time-management, retrieving and organising information, and communication skills. Over the last five years 97% of our students have been placed in graduate positions within six months of completing their degree.

Why choose this course?

• Flexible degree structure; if you are undecided as to what degree you will finally take, our flexible course structure allows you to keep your options open. You can change your course within the organismal or molecular areas right up to the start of the second year, providing the degree you change to is not oversubscribed.
• Transferable skills; you learn a wide range of skills during the degree, which will serve you well whether you go into a career within or outside Biological Sciences.
• First-class facilities; we have state-of-the-art mass spectrometry, proteomics and metabolomics facilities, marine and freshwater aquaria, plant and animal cell culture, glasshouses, and an electrophysiology suite. We also have access to extensive areas of natural habitat for fieldwork and are close to sites of national scientific importance, such as Windsor Great Park, Box Hill and Chobham Common.
• Strong support network; an exceptionally friendly and welcoming environment. Because of our high staff-student ratio, we can offer teaching in small groups, even one-to-one when the need arises.
• Financial help; we offer Bioscience Entrance Scholarships for students of outstanding ability. These are worth up to £1,000 along with a guaranteed place in a hall of residence for all three years of your degree.

Employability & career opportunities

Studying biological sciences at Royal Holloway will provide you with a wide variety of skills highly valued by employers. You will develop your ability to research and present your findings, analyse and critically assess data, work as an individual and as part of a team and manage your time effectively.

Some courses offer a study abroad option, as an additional year via our international exchange partner institutions. The School also has strong links with Operation Wallacea allowing students to carry out conservation projects throughout the world.

The School has links with a large number of local industries which provide internships and research project placements. Our annual careers event offers you the chance to network with external speakers and previous graduates.

Our graduates are highly employable and, in recent years, have entered many different biology-related roles in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, food, brewing, agriculture and associated biotechnology industries, as well as launching careers in medicine (both in research institutes and hospitals), forensic science and microbiology. Other graduates have gone into careers in environmental consultancy, research (in universities and research institutes), veterinary medicine, agriculture, conservation, nature reserve management and forestry.

Additionally, the School provides plenty of opportunities to develop your communication skills through outreach work. We host an annual Rare Disease Day event for schools, involving speakers and researchers from around the UK. Our undergraduates are involved in event organisation and putting on activities. Our undergraduates also contribute to the annual Royal Holloway Science Festival directing activities such as making liquid nitrogen ice-cream and extracting DNA.