Biochemistry with an Industrial Placement Year

Explore the basis of life at the molecular level, from cells, proteins and DNA, to how these molecules interact to sustain life. Spend a year on a work placement as part of your degree, putting what you've learnt into practice, and testing out a career you're considering.

Why study this course?

• Accredited by the Royal Society of Biology: Shows employers that you've developed the practical skills and scientific knowledge that they're looking for.

• Make the course your own: Study the full range of Biochemistry or specialise in areas such as biotechnology, molecular genetics, antibiotic resistance or sustainability.

• Build connections and a career: Our students secure placements with organisations including GSK, Thermofisher, Labcorp, the UK Health Security Agency, and the Institute of Cancer Research.

Our four-year BSc Biochemistry with an Industrial Placement Year course allows you to investigate the structure and function of biological systems at a molecular level.

Bringing together biology and chemistry, you’ll study the science that’s behind many medical discoveries. You'll learn about proteins, enzymes, hormones, and receptors, and explore the various ways that biochemistry can be applied to major challenges affecting humanity today, from how we sustainably feed a global population, to healthy ageing and how new drugs are designed.

You'll also apply what you've learnt and gain real-world experience during a year-long placement as a recognised part of your degree.

At Sheffield, you’ll be encouraged to be creative, think independently, and express your ideas. In the lab you’ll be studying the basis of life right down to the atomic level, completing practicals across molecular genetics, DNA manipulation, and protein structure analysis.

Outside of the lab, you'll get the chance to develop IT solutions to global challenges that could range from how we deliver a sustainable food supply, to how we detect and treat heritable disease.

As you progress through your degree, you'll have the option to specialise in the area of molecular bioscience that interests you across biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, or even biotechnology.

No matter what areas of biochemistry you choose to study at Sheffield, you'll develop practical laboratory and transferable skills that make our graduates attractive to employers, including project management, problem-solving, communication skills, and data analysis.

Your placement year will give you the chance to test out a career path that you're considering. This will take place in year three.

Our students have found placements in science and non-science-based roles with a range of organisations including GSK, Thermofisher, the UK Health Security Agency, and the Institute of Cancer Research. Some students have even been offered graduate-level jobs at the end of their placement.

All this experience will prepare you for your final-year research project, where you could be laboratory based, focus on computer modelling, science education, or even science communication.

This course is accredited by the Royal Society of Biology which shows employers that you've developed the practical skills and scientific knowledge that they're looking for.