Apply through UCAS
- UCAS course code
- C701
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Science (BSc)
BSc Biochemistry with Industrial/Professional Experience
Gain a year of workplace experience in the UK or overseas to improve your employability through our four-year course.
Duration: 4 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: C701 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Industrial experience
Research placement
Accredited course
- Typical A-level offer: AAA-AAB including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: AAB-ABC including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: ABB-ABC including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36-35 points overall with 6, 6, 6 to 6, 6, 5 at HL, including specific requirements
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £34,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Tuition fees are considerably lower for your placement year. Please see the fees page
for full details.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Students participating in placements outside the UK may be able to apply for funding from the UK's Turing scheme
depending on eligibility. Priority will be given to students from low income households.
Course unit details:
Evolution of Genes, Genomes & Systems
| Unit code | BIOL31391 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 10 |
| Unit level | Level 3 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
You will learn about the evolutionary process in genes and genomes, and how changes in DNA alter the structure and coding capacities of genes and genomes and hence enable populations and species to evolve. Topics will include: how the evolution of developmental processes has resulted in changes in the expression and function of highly conserved genes that control animal development, and how evolution of the genome is linked to the evolution of proteins, protein interactions, function and disease.
Pre/co-requisites
| Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals of Evolutionary Biology | BIOL21232 | Pre-Requisite | Recommended |
Aims
To convey how comparisons between genetic sequence data can be used to study the evolution of genomes, organisms and species. To explain how changes in DNA, proteins and their interactions contribute to evolutionary change. Using examples from single genes, genomes, viruses, microbes, plants and animals, demonstrate how studying evolution can help us understand complex biological systems.
Learning outcomes
Understanding of: Evolutionary process in genes and genomes. How changes in DNA alter the structure and coding capacities of genes and genomes and hence enable populations and species to evolve. How the evolution of developmental processes has resulted in changes in the expression and function of highly conserved genes that control animal development. How evolution of the genome is linked to the evolution of proteins, protein interactions, function and disease.
Syllabus
• Introduction to molecular and genome evolution. • Molecular evolution - the neutral theory of molecular evolution; detecting adaptive evolution; the evolutionary history of life. • Genome evolution - the evolution of genome structure and complexity; the central role of gene duplication in genome evolution. • Protein evolution - evolution of proteins and function; functional constraints and specificity of protein interactions; the evolution of complexity. • Evo-devo - the evolution of developmental genes: insights from the Hox genes and the common ancestor of bilateral animals; linking genome evolution and gene regulation to the evolution of organisms and species. • Evolutionary systems biology - the evolution of protein interaction networks; redundancy and robustness; linking molecular evolution, genome variation and disease.
Employability skills
- Oral communication
- Up to five lecture slots are set aside for student presentations of topics in evolution from the primary research literature.
- Research
- Much of the unit is based around the primary research literature.
- Written communication
- Students are required to write two essay questions in the exam.
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Other | 10% |
| Written exam | 90% |
Written exam 90% Group presentation 10% 2 hour examination: 2 essay questions out of 5 (90% of marks).Course work: presentation based on primary literature (10% of marks).
Feedback methods
Feedback on student presentations and the exam, and discussion session with all lecturers present. Students can also submit practice essays (from past papers) for assessment prior to the exam and receive feedback on these.
Recommended reading
Dan Graur and Wen-Hsiung Li, Fundamentals of Molecular Evolution.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Assessment written exam | 2 |
| Demonstration | 5 |
| Lectures | 13 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 80 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| David Gerrard | Unit coordinator |