Program Overview

BSc (Honours) Biochemistry with Foundation Year

Course Summary

This course provides a well-rounded education in biochemistry, working in award-winning laboratories and applying learning to current societal issues such as health, drug discovery, and sustainability.

How You Learn

• In-person seminars and lectures
• Independent study
• Tutorials and academic adviser sessions
• Practical lab experiences with industry-standard equipment
• Placements and research opportunities
• Real-life research projects
• The latest scientific software and data analysis tools
• Problem-solving and group activities

Modules

Year 1

• Concepts In Biology And Chemistry (40 credits)
  • Atomic structure, mass, atomic number, and isotopes
  • Chemical symbols, the Periodic Table, and electronic configurations
  • Bonding: ionic and covalent, intermolecular forces, and bonding in metals
  • Elements, mixtures, and compounds: gases, liquids, and solids
  • Relative atomic mass and relative molecular mass: the mole concept
  • Reacting masses, equations, concentrations of solutions, and standard solutions
  • Organic chemistry bonding, shapes of molecules, and functional groups
  • Cells: nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins
  • Cell structure, functions, membranes, organelles, and replication
  • Introduction to general safe laboratory work
• Developing Skills For Science (20 credits)
  • Verbal and non-verbal communication techniques
  • Presentation techniques
  • Scientific writing, citation, and referencing
  • Academic integrity
  • Statistics, measures of dispersion, range, and interquartile range
  • Standard deviation, standard deviation, and variance
  • Algebraic manipulation, expressions, substitution, and re-arrangement
  • Graphs and functions
  • The straight line and its equation
• Foundation Skills For Science (20 credits)
  • Familiarisation with SHU resources
  • MyHallam and course-specific Blackboard sites
  • Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, email, and online tools
  • Introduction to reflective practice and action planning
  • Study skills and time management
  • Using the learning centre and note-taking
  • Foundations of maths
  • Simple arithmetic operations
  • Fractions and decimals
  • Recording and interpreting data
• Foundations Of Biology And Chemistry (40 credits)
  • Atomic structure, mass, atomic number, and isotopes
  • Chemical symbols, the Periodic Table, and electronic configurations
  • Bonding: ionic and covalent, intermolecular forces, and bonding in metals
  • Elements, mixtures, and compounds: gases, liquids, and solids
  • Relative atomic mass and relative molecular mass: the mole concept
  • Reacting masses, equations, concentrations of solutions, and standard solutions
  • Organic chemistry bonding, shapes of molecules, and functional groups
  • Cells: nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins
  • Cell structure, functions, membranes, organelles, and replication
  • Introduction to general safe laboratory work

Year 2

• Biochemistry And Genetics (20 credits)
  • Intracellular communication and biochemical and physiological changes
  • Investigating the structure and function of the genome of an organism
  • Using in vitro and in silico tools
  • How genomic changes can affect physiology function
  • The consequence of genetic mutations
  • Development, physiological functions, health, and disease
• Demonstrating Professional Skills For Scientists (20 credits)
  • Identifying and using appropriate information sources and technologies
  • The application of mathematics to scientific data
  • Effective communication
  • Consideration of ethical issues around the mini-project
  • Awareness and development of employability
  • Fundamental practical training
  • Creativity and problem-solving
• Fundamentals Of Life Sciences (40 credits)
  • Structure, chemical, and biological functions
  • Carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, proteins, enzymes, DNA, and RNA
  • Structure and function of virus, prokaryotic, and eukaryotic cells
  • Genetic regulation and control of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
  • Tissue and organ structures, human anatomy, and physiology
  • The underpinning chemistry for bioscientists
  • Biological and environmental chemistry and pathophysiology
• Introducing Professional Skills For Scientists (20 credits)
  • Appropriate information sources and technologies
  • The application of mathematics to scientific data
  • Introduction to professional ethics
  • Introduction to global science issues
  • Introduction to sustainability and the UN Sustainability Goals
  • Effective communication
  • Awareness and development of employability
  • Fundamental practical training
• Principles Of Chemical Analysis (20 credits)
  • The analytical approach including problem definition and strategy planning
  • Sample preparation, experiment calibration, and quantification
  • Common separation (HPLC, GLC) and spectroscopic/spectrometric techniques
  • Data handling, back-calculations from laboratory data, and spectral analysis
  • Analysis in industry

Year 3

• Applications Of Analytical Science (20 credits)
  • Method optimisation in chromatography
  • Derivatisation and chiral chromatography
  • Further sample prep: SPME, digestion
  • Mass spec MALDI, ESI
  • Proteomics
  • NMR assignment, elucidation, 2D
  • Further spectroscopy: Advances in UV/Vis, IR + Raman
  • Further ICP OES/MS/LA
  • Inorganic MS
  • XRD
• Applying Professional Skills For Scientists (20 credits)
  • Technical activities, experimental design, and project management
  • Sustainability and sustainable lab practice within practical design
  • The use of appropriate information sources and technologies
  • Effective communication, presenting, and written communications
  • Processes in accountability, time management, and decision-making
  • Applications of mathematical and statistical techniques
  • Usage of information technology for the range of scientific activities
  • Data handling and manipulation of large and complex data sets
  • Data application to bioinformatics
• Developing Professional Skills For Scientists (20 credits)
  • Ethical considerations and technical activities
  • Experimental design and project management
  • Use of appropriate information sources and technologies
  • Effective communication, presenting, and written communications
  • Processes in accountability, time management, and decision-making
  • Sustainability and sustainable lab practice within practical design
  • Mathematical and statistical techniques
• Molecular And Cellular Biochemistry (40 credits)
  • Chemical structure and functional properties
  • Pathways involved in energy production and metabolism
  • Gene expression mechanisms
  • Cellular structure, organelles, and function
  • Cellular signalling pathways
  • Biochemical processes
  • Ethical considerations in biochemistry research
  • Use of animal models
  • The potential implications of biotechnology advances

Year 4

• Undergraduate Sandwich Placement Applied Professional Diploma (no credits)
  • The aim of this module is to enhance students' professional development through the completion of and reflection on meaningful work placement(s).
  • A work placement will provide students with opportunities to experience the realities of professional employment and experience how their course can be applied within their chosen industry setting.

Final Year

• Advanced Analytical Science (20 credits)
  • Advanced mass spectrometry (MS)
  • Ionisation techniques
  • Advanced mass analysers
  • Peptide sequencing via MS/MS
  • Protein nuclear magnetic resonance
  • Chemometrics
• Advanced Professional Skills For Scientists (20 credits)
  • Employment and further study opportunities for Biosciences & Chemistry graduates both in scientific and non-scientific settings
  • Oral and written communication of employability skills
• Applied Biochemistry (20 credits)
  • New and developing biochemical techniques
  • Applications to health, sustainability, and climate change
  • Synthesis of proteins and biomolecules
  • Genetic manipulation using biochemical techniques
  • Modification of organisms through cloned genes
  • Altering the biological properties of proteins
  • Investigating biomolecular and genomic function
  • Transcriptional and translational regulation
  • Signalling pathways in cell biology
  • Metabolic pathways leading to systems biology
  • High-resolution cellular imaging
• Research Project (40 credits)
  • The module aims to expand students' ability to independently follow a research strategy, undertake critical assessment of data obtained, and to extend and apply professional and personal skills required for the planning and implementation of a research activity.
  • Projects will be allocated a project from a pool of topics related to academic staff's research and professional interests.

Elective Modules

• Advanced Chemical Synthesis (20 credits)
  • Synthetic route planning
  • Protecting group strategies
  • Asymmetric synthesis
  • Diastereoselective synthesis
  • Synthesis of transition metal complexes
  • Homogeneous catalysis
  • Transition metal catalysed cross-coupling
• Advanced Genetics (20 credits)
  • Genes, chromosomes, and heredity
  • DNA structure, replication, and organisation
  • Gene expression and its regulation
  • Genetics of organisms and populations
• Advanced Therapeutics And Personalised Medicine (20 credits)
  • The genetic basis of diseases, including cancer
  • Next-generation sequencing technologies
  • Targeted sequencing approaches
  • Liquid biopsies and circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA)
  • Assessing minimal residual disease and therapy responses
  • Cancer vaccines
  • Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T cell therapy (CAR-T)
  • Therapeutic outcomes of the 100K genomes study
  • Ex vivo gene therapy
  • Therapeutic antibodies and biologic therapies
• Applications Of Data Science (20 credits)
  • Application of coding to biosciences and chemistry
  • Bioinformatics tools
  • Analysis of data from systems biology
  • Statistical analysis of large data
• Medicinal Chemistry And Drug Discovery (20 credits)
  • The structure of the pharmaceutical industry
  • Drug development, from discovery to market
  • Influence of physical properties on drug action
  • Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs
  • Chemical structure and biological activity
  • Therapeutic uses of drugs
  • Drugs used to treat human diseases
• Neurobiology And Neurophysiology (20 credits)
  • Brain anatomy and physiology
  • Action potential, synapses, and postsynaptic responses
  • Functional systems (e.g., limbic system)
  • Neurotransmitters and receptors
  • Neuroplasticity
  • Specific areas and pathways
  • Aging brain
  • Advances in diagnostic techniques
  • Therapies for neurological and other diseases
• Pharmacology (20 credits)
  • How drugs act in general and at a molecular level
  • Drug specificity and selectivity
  • Drug receptors, enzymes, channels, and transporters
  • Types of drugs
  • Quantitative analysis of drug actions
  • Drug administration and absorption
  • Drug distribution, metabolism, and elimination
  • Therapeutic use of drugs
  • Personalised medicine and precision medical science
  • Development of drugs from discovery to market

Future Careers

This course prepares you for a career in:

• Medical research
• Clinical science
• Analytical science
• Scientific sales and marketing
• Pharmaceutical research and development
• The biotechnology industry
• Scientific communication or journalism
• Doctoral Research
• Academia

Equipment and Facilities

You'll have access to a wide variety of collaborative and independent learning spaces, including our cell culture facilities, which won an S-lab award for the best refurbished laboratory.

• Our specialist laboratories using industry-standard scientific equipment and software
• The latest molecular molecule tools such as RTqPCR, genome sequencing, cellular transfection, plus data analysis and bioinformatics software
• Analytical tools such as HPLC, mass spectrometry, NMR, and gas chromatography equipment
• Digital resources to help with drug design and synthesis, bioinformatics, and practical lab preparation, as well as full lab simulations

Where Will I Study?

You'll study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars, and practical sessions, as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Entry Requirements

• UCAS points: 64
• GCSE: English Language at grade C or 4 or equivalent, Maths at grade C or 4 or equivalent
• Access: An Access to HE Diploma from a QAA recognised Access to HE course in a science-based subject considered
• International students: IELTS score of 6.0 or above, with a minimum score of 5.5 in each skill

Fees and Funding

• Home students: £9,535 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year)
• International students: £17,155 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year)