Biochemistry with a Year Abroad

Biochemistry investigates life at its most fundamental level, examining the chemical processes and molecular structures that underlie everything from the replication of DNA to the signalling cascades that allow cells to respond to their environment. It is a discipline that sits at the meeting point of biology and chemistry, asking how the molecules that make up living organisms, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids and the hundreds of thousands of smaller molecules that regulate and sustain life, carry out the functions that make biology possible. Understanding biochemistry is essential for making progress against disease, developing new drugs, improving crop yields and addressing environmental challenges.

At the University of Kent, this four-year full-time programme, which includes a year abroad, develops your ability to tackle contemporary issues in health, agriculture and the environment by exploring the intricacies of living organisms at the molecular level. You will study protein structure and function, enzyme kinetics, metabolic pathways, gene expression and regulation, and the molecular basis of health and disease across organisms from viruses and bacteria to plants and humans. The year abroad gives you the opportunity to study at a partner institution in a different country, deepening your engagement with biochemistry research and education in an international context.

A typical entry tariff of 88 points makes the programme accessible to students from a range of scientific backgrounds.

Graduates from biochemistry programmes go on to work in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in research, development and quality roles, in clinical and medical research, in agricultural science, environmental consultancy and food science. The analytical and laboratory skills developed through the programme are also valued in diagnostic testing, regulatory affairs and science communication. Postgraduate study in biochemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology or related fields is a natural next step for those wishing to pursue research careers or specialist professional roles.