Undergraduate Prospectus

Medical Biochemistry

Course Title	UCAS Code	Duration	Typical Offer
BSc Medical Biochemistry	C720	3 years/4 years sandwich	ABB
BSc Biological Sciences (Biochemistry)	C700	4 years with sandwich/year abroad	ABB

Please note:

Entry requirements and scholarship information relates to 2010 entry. For 2009 entry requirements and scholarship details please contact the Department. Not all courses are available for both 2009 and 2010 entry. For details on which years a course is recruiting for, please see individual course pages.

Entry Requirements

• A/AS Levels: Three A-levels, including Chemistry and preferably Biology.
  Two AS levels considered in place of one A-level. General Studies not accepted. Equivalent UCAS Tariff points (300-360) may be offered.
• GCSE: English Language and Mathematics required, if not held at A/AS level. Biology and Physics required, if not held at A/AS level, either single subjects or part of a Dual Award Integrated Science.
• Access to HE Diploma: Pass the diploma with at least 45 credits at level 3.
• European Baccalaureate: Pass with 70% overall
• International Baccalaureate: Pass Diploma with 32-34 points
• Cambridge Pre-U: MGeol – D3/M2/M2 in Principal Subjects, including Chemistry and preferably Biology.
• Leicestershire Progression Accord: BSc – BBB plus full Accord credits. BTEC Nationals: Diploma with DDM, plus A Level Chemistry.
• Other Qualifications: Other national and international qualifications welcomed.
• Mature students with alternative qualifications considered.
• Second Year Entry: Possible for those with advanced qualifications strictly comparable with our degree structure.
• Interviews are not normally required.
• All applicants receiving an offer will be invited to visit the Department.
• This degree is not available on a part-time basis.

Why choose Leicester?

If you want to study biochemistry with an emphasis on its relevance to medicine, then look no further than the Medical Biochemistry programme at Leicester. Over the course of three years (four, if you take the additional sandwich year, see page 164), you will learn about the very latest developments in our understanding of the chemistry of life. This includes consideration of the normal functioning of cells, and what goes wrong when they become cancerous; the importance of gene expression in health and disease; and the way that knowledge about drug action and drug metabolism can inform the development of new and better medicines. With the Department of Biochemistry at Leicester having an internationally-recognised reputation for the quality of its research, your lectures and tutorials will frequently be led by scientists who are directly involved in ground-breaking work in these fields.

Special Features

In addition to the most relevant components of the Biological Sciences programme, the first year of the course also includes modules on, for example, Biological Molecules, Metabolism and Membranes and Receptors that are also taken by Medical students.

In the second year, the module Targeting Biochemical Knowledge to Medical Problems is exclusively for Medical Biochemists. This unit develops your understanding of a range of important biochemical techniques that are becoming increasingly applied in clinical settings. You will also consider how knowledge about the structure of a potential drug target can be exploited to develop carefully designed medicines. A third strand of this module considers the ethical implications of cutting-edge developments in biomedicine such as gene therapy, stem cell research and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).

A final year project offers you the opportunity to carry out genuine research work as part of a laboratory team, either within the Department or in a lab located at one of the teaching hospitals of the Medical School. The Biochemistry Department research teams are housed in the Henry Wellcome Building, a state-of-the-art facility that opened in December 2004. Library projects are also available for those who prefer to investigate the recent discoveries of other workers rather than carrying our experiments themselves. Students considering a career in teaching can carry out their project as a placement at a secondary school.

In addition, the final year module Biochemical Mechanisms of Human Disease is offered exclusively to Medical Biochemists. Other modules Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology (which is also available to Biological Scientists) and Understanding Disease (which is also available to students on the other medically-related courses) are very highly regarded by previous students.

The Learning Environment

A variety of assessment methods are used in different modules of the Medical Biochemistry programme. Medical modules are assessed by short answer examination. Biochemistry practicals, Key Skills (both in year one) and Targeting Biochemical Knowledge to Medical Problems (year two) are assessed entirely on the basis of coursework, although this takes a variety of forms; including essays, oral presentation, production of a website and data-handling questions. Most other modules in the second and third year are 30% continual assessment, 70% final examination.

There is also variety in the ways that modules are delivered. The medical modules listed above consist of approximately 18 hours of lectures and 18 hours of ‘work sessions’ where you work closely within a team of approximately eight students to answer questions set from the previous week and/or present talks or posters. Other modules have up to 30 hours of lectures, combined with tutorials of six students and practicals where you work individually or in pairs. Self-study and other support materials and provided online via the University’s virtual learning environment.

Sandwich Year

During year two, students are invited to apply for a sandwich placement. If you are successful in the competitive selection process, you will spend the third year working in an industrial laboratory. An extra year of this kind not only helps you to develop your laboratory skills, but also gives you first hand experience of the workings of, for example, a pharmaceutical company. Alternatively, after your second year, you have the opportunity to study abroad under the Erasmus scheme.

Skills Gained

You will develop communication skills, oral and written, computing/word-processing, problem-solving and analytical skills. The extensive practical programme and research project develop teamwork skills and introduce you to the practical aspects of modern biochemistry.

Graduate Opportunities

Our graduates enter careers within the life sciences, including the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and in a wide variety of professions.

Others progress to postgraduate studies (PhDs or MScs) and those who stay in Leicester will be studying in one of the leading research departments in the country. In the recent past, graduates in Medical Biochemistry have gone on to complete MSc programmes in, for example, Forensics, Molecular Genetics and Bioinformatics. This course is also a suitable qualification for graduate entry Medicine degrees.