Biomed / Pharmacy

This may be a ridiculous question but are there any universities that offer biomed or pharmacy without a level chemistry?
I’m not planning to take a level chemistry; I am planning to take english literature, biology and psychology.
Thanks!

Reply 1

bibachu

Universities Forum Helper

14

Original post by isabella829138

This may be a ridiculous question but are there any universities that offer biomed or pharmacy without a level chemistry?
I’m not planning to take a level chemistry; I am planning to take english literature, biology and psychology.
Thanks!

For biomedical sciences there would likely be some universities that require either biology or chemistry and one other science related subject, of which psychology would probably be included. For pharmacy however, I don’t think there is a single uni that does not require chemistry as the nature of pharmacy is very chemistry focused. You’ll have to check the universities your interested in’s websites and see their requirements, but I highly doubt they would let you in for pharmacy if you aren’t doing A level chemistry. Unless you’re doing a BTEC in pharmaceutical sciences, which you aren’t, you probably wouldn’t be accepted with your current A levels. Your best bet is biomedical sciences, but again, you’ll have to check different university requirements.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 2

Helpmedecide123

1

Hiya,
Im in year 13 and going to take a gap year because i want to figure out properly what i want to pursue in the future. I really love biochemistry and chemistry hence why im considering the biochem/biotech industry. However I would really like a career with lots of security and makes a stable amount. If anyone knows/has experience does pharmacy have a good amount of biochem/chemistry content? And is there opportunity to do more hands on Science (industry) if not should i go through a biochemistry degree route? However I’ve seen a lot of people on here say that biochemistry isn’t the best in terms of careers in terms of money - PHDs needed etc and can be hard to climb ladder. Can anyone help me brain storm some thoughts?

Reply 3

BroccElli3

1

Original post by isabella829138

This may be a ridiculous question but are there any universities that offer biomed or pharmacy without a level chemistry?
I’m not planning to take a level chemistry; I am planning to take english literature, biology and psychology.
Thanks!

Hey,
I'm not sure about Pharmacy but I study Biomed (final year integrated masters) and I didn't take A Level Chemistry! There aren't many unis that don't require Chemistry but there are a few. The ones I applied for were Cardiff, Birmingham, Warwick, Portsmouth, and Exeter but I'm sure there were others too. I think most of these required taking either Biology or Chemistry plus another science A Level (I'm not sure if Psychology would count, might be worth contacting the unis you're interested in to check). Also I think I needed to have a certain grade in GCSE chemistry. I hope that helps, let me know if you have any more Biomed Qs! :smile:

Reply 4

BroccElli3

1

Original post by Helpmedecide123

Hiya,
Im in year 13 and going to take a gap year because i want to figure out properly what i want to pursue in the future. I really love biochemistry and chemistry hence why im considering the biochem/biotech industry. However I would really like a career with lots of security and makes a stable amount. If anyone knows/has experience does pharmacy have a good amount of biochem/chemistry content? And is there opportunity to do more hands on Science (industry) if not should i go through a biochemistry degree route? However I’ve seen a lot of people on here say that biochemistry isn’t the best in terms of careers in terms of money - PHDs needed etc and can be hard to climb ladder. Can anyone help me brain storm some thoughts?

I can't speak for biochem (I'm studying biomed, but I've heard the career progression between the two is similar-ish so hopefully this helps). Some info about a biomed career:
If I wanted to continue in a biomed related career the main routes would be to either study a PhD (for research jobs) or get my degree accredited to be able to work in the NHS (diagnostic work - not sure how relevant this is to biochem).
Lots of people I've met on my course have gone on to do PhDs/have got post-doc positions in labs and are loving it, however, doing a PhD requires a lot of work and takes a long time to get there (between 6-8 years from undergrad to PhD), which I found wasn't for me although I had originally intended to do a PhD.
A job in academic research doesn't have much job security, you tend to be on 2-3 year contracts for each project so can require a lot of moving around, although some people get lucky and stay at the same place for years. A research job in industry would likely be more stable and would probably pay better too! But would potentially be more competitive.
If you're passionate and enjoy biochemistry/chemistry then definitely go for it. If you end up like me and decide halfway through your degree that it isn't for you, there are plenty of grad jobs that love STEM degrees so you wouldn't be stuck. Not completely relevant, but in regards to it being hard to climb the ladder I think currently there's a call for scientists that have bioinformatic skills (data analysis etc.), so if you wanted to stand out then studying biochem while learning bioinformatics would make you very sought-after. Also any extra lab experience (shadowing, volunteering, summer internships) would also give you an edge, lots of people don't bother with this.

Sorry for the extremely long reply, but I hope this somewhat helps! I'd be happy to try and answer if you have any more Qs :smile:

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