Biology/Biological Sciences vs Biochemistry vs Biomedical Science

Hi, I’m currently in year 12 wanting to study one of these three at university, was wondering if anyone could outline the main difference between them? I’m looking at places like Durham, St Andrews, Keele, Royal Holloway, York, Oxford, Imperial, Kings, Edinburgh, Glasgow but most of these offer two if not all here of these courses and I’m hoping to narrow it down a bit
Thanks so much :smile:

Reply 1

totoroisstudying

7

I think biochem/biomed have the most job options afterwards but are more competitive... but as a fellow yr 12 I'm not completely sure (I want to do bio tho bcs that's what I'm most interested in)

Reply 2

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

17

Original post by 989068

Hi, I’m currently in year 12 wanting to study one of these three at university, was wondering if anyone could outline the main difference between them? I’m looking at places like Durham, St Andrews, Keele, Royal Holloway, York, Oxford, Imperial, Kings, Edinburgh, Glasgow but most of these offer two if not all here of these courses and I’m hoping to narrow it down a bit
Thanks so much :smile:

Hi @989068

There will be a good overlap between all these degrees, and you can tailor the broader biological science degree through optional modules to make it more biomedical or biochemical. The compulsory modules will be different for each, so I'd check the modules available at any universities you're considering to see if you have any preferences.

I chose biochemistry, because I much prefer smaller biology, and it meant I could focus on cellular and sub-cellular biology, as opposed to the human body or ecology.

Most postgraduate opportunities wouldn't see much of a difference between these, when I've been applying for PhDs and graduate programmes most don't specify between them.

Rebecca (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Reply 3

989068

OP

3

Original post by Lancaster Student Ambassador

Hi @989068
There will be a good overlap between all these degrees, and you can tailor the broader biological science degree through optional modules to make it more biomedical or biochemical. The compulsory modules will be different for each, so I'd check the modules available at any universities you're considering to see if you have any preferences.
I chose biochemistry, because I much prefer smaller biology, and it meant I could focus on cellular and sub-cellular biology, as opposed to the human body or ecology.
Most postgraduate opportunities wouldn't see much of a difference between these, when I've been applying for PhDs and graduate programmes most don't specify between them.
Rebecca (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Thank you so much! So biochem is mostly cellular? I’d really love to focus on cells, genetics, the human body etc and if possible avoid doing more environmental areas?

Reply 4

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

17

Original post by 989068

Thank you so much! So biochem is mostly cellular? I’d really love to focus on cells, genetics, the human body etc and if possible avoid doing more environmental areas?

Hi @989068

It's going to vary between universities, and all bioscience degrees will likely include some breadth of modules. The biochemistry degree I do is mainly molecular biology, cell signalling, chemical pathways in cells, genetics and cellular biology - however because of the pathway I chose (biochemistry at Lancaster has three "pathways" which affect which modules are compulsory/core) I also do a decent bit of chemistry alongside this. Different universities can have the same degree name and have variety in modules which is why it's so important to check.

Based on what you said, maybe look into biomedicine, biomedical science, and biochemistry over biological sciences, as a broader biology degree might have a few ecology/zoology/environmental modules as core in first year? But again, it'll depend on the university and how they've chosen to structure their degree so I would highly recommend looking through the module list; it's usually available on the website page for each course.

Rebecca (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Reply 5

Royal Holloway, University of London

Official Rep

13

Original post by 989068

Hi, I’m currently in year 12 wanting to study one of these three at university, was wondering if anyone could outline the main difference between them? I’m looking at places like Durham, St Andrews, Keele, Royal Holloway, York, Oxford, Imperial, Kings, Edinburgh, Glasgow but most of these offer two if not all here of these courses and I’m hoping to narrow it down a bit
Thanks so much :smile:

Hi there,

It's great to hear you're considering studying this subject area. We offer a variety of courses in our Department of Biological Sciences, including BSc Biochemistry, BSc Biomedical Sciences, BSc Medical Biochemistry, and BSc Genetics - you can view all undergraduate courses in this department here.

We would also recommend chatting to our current Biomedical Sciences student Grace who'll be able to give you invaluable insight into her course and experience of studying at Royal Holloway in general.

We hope this helps!

Best wishes
Royal Holloway, University of London

Reply 6

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

15

Original post by 989068

Hi, I’m currently in year 12 wanting to study one of these three at university, was wondering if anyone could outline the main difference between them? I’m looking at places like Durham, St Andrews, Keele, Royal Holloway, York, Oxford, Imperial, Kings, Edinburgh, Glasgow but most of these offer two if not all here of these courses and I’m hoping to narrow it down a bit
Thanks so much :smile:

Hi 989068,
There can be a lot of overlap between these courses. I studied a BSc in Biochemistry, but I had friends who did Biomedical Science and Biology. In Biochemistry, we focused on the more molecular aspect of biology like protein interactions and genetics. My friends doing Biomed also did some of these modules. They then also did some work on organ systems/ physiology. For example, the lungs or kidneys.

Biomed also had more of an emphasis on disease and development. However, if you are still interested in disease but want a more molecular focus, I found Biochemistry to be a good degree choice too! For example, my Biochemistry degree has led me to study a masters in Cancer Biology.

Biology tended to be a bit more broad in terms of module options, and a lot of my friends doing biology also did some molecular modules alongside ecology etc.
Hope this helped,
Sofia :smile:

Biology/Biological Sciences vs Biochemistry vs Biomedical Science

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you