Genetics with a Placement Year

Genetics is the science of heredity and variation, concerned with how biological information is stored in DNA, how it is passed from one generation to the next, and how changes in that information drive both the diversity of life and the development of disease. It is a field of extraordinary scope and rapid development, underpinning advances in medicine, agriculture, evolutionary biology, and biotechnology. From the identification of disease-causing mutations to the engineering of crops and the reconstruction of ancient genomes, genetics touches almost every area of modern biology.

At Swansea University, this four-year programme offers a full genetics degree that incorporates a placement year, giving you direct professional experience in a research, clinical, or industrial setting as a formal part of your studies. The placement year is an exceptional opportunity to apply your academic knowledge in a real-world context and to build professional networks before you graduate. You will study the mechanisms of inheritance, gene expression, and mutation, as well as more advanced topics in molecular genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, population genetics, and the genetics of disease.

Practical laboratory skills are central to the degree, ensuring you develop hands-on competence alongside your theoretical understanding.

Genetics equips you to think analytically about complex biological data, to design and interpret experiments, and to engage with the methodological and ethical questions that genetic science raises, particularly as it becomes ever more closely connected to clinical practice and society.

Graduates work in research, clinical genetics, genetic counselling, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, agriculture, and conservation biology. Roles in genomics, diagnostics, and bioinformatics are growing rapidly as the cost of sequencing falls and the clinical applications of genetic knowledge expand. Postgraduate study in genetics, genomics, molecular biology, or related fields is a natural route for those pursuing research or specialist professional careers.