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Which degree? I'm Interested in Genomics, Cancer, Disease & Immunology

I've managed to narrow down my options to the following:
1) Biomedical Science
2) Medical Biochemistry
3) Medical Genetics
4) Medical Pharmacology
5) Biology
6) Chemistry

Although, I'm not sure which to pick?
The course content for Biomedical Science, Biochemistry, and Genetics seems to overlap and in parts, it seems quite similar at times which confuses me as to which I should be picking. Then again, perhaps being broader by picking Biology or Chemistry would be better? I'm not sure? Any advice?
Original post by 048243
I've managed to narrow down my options to the following:
1) Biomedical Science
2) Medical Biochemistry
3) Medical Genetics
4) Medical Pharmacology
5) Biology
6) Chemistry

Although, I'm not sure which to pick?
The course content for Biomedical Science, Biochemistry, and Genetics seems to overlap and in parts, it seems quite similar at times which confuses me as to which I should be picking. Then again, perhaps being broader by picking Biology or Chemistry would be better? I'm not sure? Any advice?


1, 2 & 3 seem to be the way to go.

They're all very similar, they all fall under Biochemistry really but in a more medical setting which is why you're seeing that they overlap a lot. In fact, I don't understand the difference between 1 & 2 as in my eyes, they're the same course.

The only thing would be if the same Uni did 2 & 3, you would have the same modules probably, but some of the optional modules relating to Genetics would be prioritised to the people taking course 3.

4 - It could be useful, but 1, 2 & 3 would be better to get you into your desired career.

5 - Biology is pretty much all biology (including plants), with some focus, but much less focus on applied human biology than a biomedical/chemical degree. A good analogy is that a biologist sees an apple, and studies its properties mostly from the outside. A biochemist blends up the apple, and then sees how they can build it back up to its original form.

6 - Chemistry is very unrelated to this type of career, unless you had the options to specialise in medicinal chemistry, however that would be more akin to pharmacology than your desired career path.

Hope this helped!
Reply 2
Original post by dbhc2411
1, 2 & 3 seem to be the way to go.

They're all very similar, they all fall under Biochemistry really but in a more medical setting which is why you're seeing that they overlap a lot. In fact, I don't understand the difference between 1 & 2 as in my eyes, they're the same course.

The only thing would be if the same Uni did 2 & 3, you would have the same modules probably, but some of the optional modules relating to Genetics would be prioritised to the people taking course 3.

4 - It could be useful, but 1, 2 & 3 would be better to get you into your desired career.

5 - Biology is pretty much all biology (including plants), with some focus, but much less focus on applied human biology than a biomedical/chemical degree. A good analogy is that a biologist sees an apple, and studies its properties mostly from the outside. A biochemist blends up the apple, and then sees how they can build it back up to its original form.

6 - Chemistry is very unrelated to this type of career, unless you had the options to specialise in medicinal chemistry, however that would be more akin to pharmacology than your desired career path.

Hope this helped!

Thank you so much! I went to an Open Day at a University today and pretty much ruled out Biology (I hate plants), Chemistry, and pharmacology (interesting but not for me) which left me with the three you recommended! I completely agree with you and honestly, from the talks today about biochemistry and biomedical science I also couldn't tell the difference between the course - they looked identical aha? I was advised to take biochem or biomed rather than medical genetics since you can still follow a career in the fields above with them but at the same time have a more broad scope of research that provide you with more career options :smile:

I never expected anyone to answer in this much detail! Thank you so much! It's really reassuring to know you have the same opinion as me. Thank you!
Original post by 048243
Thank you so much! I went to an Open Day at a University today and pretty much ruled out Biology (I hate plants), Chemistry, and pharmacology (interesting but not for me) which left me with the three you recommended! I completely agree with you and honestly, from the talks today about biochemistry and biomedical science I also couldn't tell the difference between the course - they looked identical aha? I was advised to take biochem or biomed rather than medical genetics since you can still follow a career in the fields above with them but at the same time have a more broad scope of research that provide you with more career options :smile:

I never expected anyone to answer in this much detail! Thank you so much! It's really reassuring to know you have the same opinion as me. Thank you!


I'm so pleased you found it useful and kinda relieved what I said rang true when you went to the open day!

Yes I think that's the sensible approach! Even if you bloody loved genetics you could still probably do 80% of the same modules in biomedical/biochem without putting yourself in a nice little genetics box like you described.

Also, welcome to TSR! Good luck :smile:
Reply 4
Original post by dbhc2411
I'm so pleased you found it useful and kinda relieved what I said rang true when you went to the open day!

Yes I think that's the sensible approach! Even if you bloody loved genetics you could still probably do 80% of the same modules in biomedical/biochem without putting yourself in a nice little genetics box like you described.

Also, welcome to TSR! Good luck :smile:

Thank you so much! You're so kind! All that's left for me to do now is to decide on a university :smile:
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by 048243
Thank you so much! You're so kind! All that's left for me to do now is to decide on a university :smile:


University of Nottingham is pretty swish for biochem :smile:
Original post by 048243
I've managed to narrow down my options to the following:
1) Biomedical Science
2) Medical Biochemistry
3) Medical Genetics
4) Medical Pharmacology
5) Biology
6) Chemistry

Although, I'm not sure which to pick?
The course content for Biomedical Science, Biochemistry, and Genetics seems to overlap and in parts, it seems quite similar at times which confuses me as to which I should be picking. Then again, perhaps being broader by picking Biology or Chemistry would be better? I'm not sure? Any advice?

Hey,

I am a current 3rd year natural sciences student at the uni of Nottingham.
I personally study Biology and Psychology with chemistry in my first year.

By the sounds of it the subjects that would interest you most are:
Biology
Chemistry
Cancer sciences
Psychology
There are also sciences like maths and physics that you need the A level to study or earth science, ecosystems and environment and archaeology which you don't need the A level to study.

The way it works at Nottingham is you chose 3 subjects in your first year then 2 in second and third year.

I hope this helps and if you have any questions just let me know,
Emily :smile:
Reply 7
Hello, I came across this thread while I was looking for Universities that require ABB for Biological Science courses.It was interesting to read about choosing 3 subjects in the first year, then 2 in 2nd and 3rd yr. To do so what basic course do you choose in the University of Nottingham? As I understand Biology BSc would be C100, Biochemistry would be C700, etc.Could you elaborate on how to choose specific subjects?Thank you
Original post by Hmmm..
Hello, I came across this thread while I was looking for Universities that require ABB for Biological Science courses.It was interesting to read about choosing 3 subjects in the first year, then 2 in 2nd and 3rd yr. To do so what basic course do you choose in the University of Nottingham? As I understand Biology BSc would be C100, Biochemistry would be C700, etc.Could you elaborate on how to choose specific subjects?Thank you


It's the Natural Sciences course at Nottingham, where you choose different streams so you can take multiple subjects and attend lectures etc from the different science schools - all the info is available here - however the entry requirements at Nottingham are A*AA: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ugstudy/course/Natural-Sciences-BSc

Here are some Universities you can apply for Natural Sciences with the grades ABB: https://www.whatuni.com/degree-courses/search?subject=natural-sciences&score=0,128
Original post by 048243
Thank you so much! I went to an Open Day at a University today and pretty much ruled out Biology (I hate plants), Chemistry, and pharmacology (interesting but not for me) which left me with the three you recommended! I completely agree with you and honestly, from the talks today about biochemistry and biomedical science I also couldn't tell the difference between the course - they looked identical aha? I was advised to take biochem or biomed rather than medical genetics since you can still follow a career in the fields above with them but at the same time have a more broad scope of research that provide you with more career options :smile:

I never expected anyone to answer in this much detail! Thank you so much! It's really reassuring to know you have the same opinion as me. Thank you!

Hey @048243

I'm glad you've managed to narrow down your choices! I've just finished my first year of biochemistry at Lancaster and as someone who spent a lot of time comparing biochemistry courses I'd recommend to check the modules each course offers when applying. I found out through my application that not all biochemistry courses contain exactly the same content and I'd assume similar for biomedical science.

Also, at some universities biomedical science and biochemistry can be near identical, and at some they can be quite different! Some biochemistry courses look more at cellular to subcellular biology, often with more of a chemistry based approach, whereas biomedical science often includes modules on human physiology and diagnosis. Obviously this is dependent on the university but it might be important to look out for when applying!

I've linked the course pages for biochemistry and biomedical science at Lancaster as an example:

Biomedical science - https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/biomedical-science-bsc-hons-b990/
Biochemistry - https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/biochemistry-bsc-hons-c700/

Good luck with your applications!
Rebecca
Reply 10
Original post by Lancaster Student Ambassador
Hey @048243

I'm glad you've managed to narrow down your choices! I've just finished my first year of biochemistry at Lancaster and as someone who spent a lot of time comparing biochemistry courses I'd recommend to check the modules each course offers when applying. I found out through my application that not all biochemistry courses contain exactly the same content and I'd assume similar for biomedical science.

Also, at some universities biomedical science and biochemistry can be near identical, and at some they can be quite different! Some biochemistry courses look more at cellular to subcellular biology, often with more of a chemistry based approach, whereas biomedical science often includes modules on human physiology and diagnosis. Obviously this is dependent on the university but it might be important to look out for when applying!

I've linked the course pages for biochemistry and biomedical science at Lancaster as an example:

Biomedical science - https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/biomedical-science-bsc-hons-b990/
Biochemistry - https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/biochemistry-bsc-hons-c700/

Good luck with your applications!
Rebecca

Thank you so much Rebecca! This is really helpful thank you!
Reply 11
Original post by Lancaster Student Ambassador
Hey @048243

I'm glad you've managed to narrow down your choices! I've just finished my first year of biochemistry at Lancaster and as someone who spent a lot of time comparing biochemistry courses I'd recommend to check the modules each course offers when applying. I found out through my application that not all biochemistry courses contain exactly the same content and I'd assume similar for biomedical science.

Also, at some universities biomedical science and biochemistry can be near identical, and at some they can be quite different! Some biochemistry courses look more at cellular to subcellular biology, often with more of a chemistry based approach, whereas biomedical science often includes modules on human physiology and diagnosis. Obviously this is dependent on the university but it might be important to look out for when applying!

I've linked the course pages for biochemistry and biomedical science at Lancaster as an example:

Biomedical science - https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/biomedical-science-bsc-hons-b990/
Biochemistry - https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/biochemistry-bsc-hons-c700/

Good luck with your applications!
Rebecca


How likely are students to gain a placement year within the NHS to complete their portfolio to become hcpc registered? I'm aware that not every university is accredited by the IBMS which can make it very difficult and competitive to gain placements after the degree whilst at Lancaster the university supports you to gain an interview alongside your degree for a placement.
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by 048243
How likely are students to gain a placement year within the NHS to complete their portfolio to become hcpc registered? I'm aware that not every university is accredited by the IBMS which can make it very difficult and competitive to gain placements after the degree whilst at Lancaster the university supports you to gain an interview alongside your degree for a placement.

Hey @048243

I unfortunately don't know the statistics on how many people are successful in getting a NHS placement. I can give you some information about how I've found the support at Lancaster but as I don't study biomedical science, and the NHS placement is very specific, I can't be 100% sure your experience would be the same.

I am currently in the process of applying for a placement year, hoping to start applying for roles over the next few months, and I have found the Placement Team incredibly useful. I was given access to webinars and resources throughout my first year, and had the option to discuss my plans at drop-ins and in 1-on-1 meetings. The team has been both incredibly friendly and also informative; I have sent them copies of my application forms and CVs before applying to roles and they give extremely detailed feedback and advice.

If you have specific questions I would consider emailing [email protected] (I found this email linked on the biomedical science web page) and hopefully they will be able to either answer your questions or direct you to someone who can.

I hope I could help!
Rebecca
Reply 13
Original post by Lancaster Student Ambassador
Hey @048243

I unfortunately don't know the statistics on how many people are successful in getting a NHS placement. I can give you some information about how I've found the support at Lancaster but as I don't study biomedical science, and the NHS placement is very specific, I can't be 100% sure your experience would be the same.

I am currently in the process of applying for a placement year, hoping to start applying for roles over the next few months, and I have found the Placement Team incredibly useful. I was given access to webinars and resources throughout my first year, and had the option to discuss my plans at drop-ins and in 1-on-1 meetings. The team has been both incredibly friendly and also informative; I have sent them copies of my application forms and CVs before applying to roles and they give extremely detailed feedback and advice.

If you have specific questions I would consider emailing [email protected] (I found this email linked on the biomedical science web page) and hopefully they will be able to either answer your questions or direct you to someone who can.

I hope I could help!
Rebecca

Thank you very much Rebecca
Bit of an old thread but as you're still around, I'd suggest biochemistry (i.e. just biochemistry, not "medical biochemistry"), as it's the common thread between the all of those areas and the foundation of basically all modern biomedical research anyway.

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