Biology or Biochemistry

4

I really want to do an integrated masters in biology, but my chemistry teacher has told me that 1. Biology graduates don't earn as much as chem/physics graduates and 2. Biology and biochemistry share similar modules. I want to earn a good amount of money (hopefully middle-uppermiddle class) so I'm considering a biochem degree as it offers more opportunities which will make me more money. I definitely don't like the non-chemical parts of biology such as exchange and transport or ecology but I also don't really enjoy some chemistry topics (like equilibrium) so I'm not sure if I'll even enjoy a biochem degree (I also can't find much resources about what specific courses are in biochem) . I also don't really want to change my entire personal statement and so far all my extra/supercurriculars are biology focused, not biochemistry, so I don't know if i'd be a strong applicant for a biochemistry degree.
Does anyone in the biology/biochem field have any advice??

Reply 1

LittleFire10

14

Original post

by Dmdnfkfkdkd

I really want to do an integrated masters in biology, but my chemistry teacher has told me that 1. Biology graduates don't earn as much as chem/physics graduates and 2. Biology and biochemistry share similar modules. I want to earn a good amount of money (hopefully middle-uppermiddle class) so I'm considering a biochem degree as it offers more opportunities which will make me more money. I definitely don't like the non-chemical parts of biology such as exchange and transport or ecology but I also don't really enjoy some chemistry topics (like equilibrium) so I'm not sure if I'll even enjoy a biochem degree (I also can't find much resources about what specific courses are in biochem) . I also don't really want to change my entire personal statement and so far all my extra/supercurriculars are biology focused, not biochemistry, so I don't know if i'd be a strong applicant for a biochemistry degree.
Does anyone in the biology/biochem field have any advice??

I assume you’ve looked at the modules that unis do for biochemistry? Also remember that biochemistry is more like biological chemistry than half of both, so earnings aren’t that different. It’s more just deep into the biological molecules section of A Level biology. This also means your personal statement will probably be okay, maybe just add one thing that’s more chemistry related.

Reply 2

thomaslwm

6

biochemistry _{thomaslwm thomaslwm thomaslwm}

Reply 3

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

18

Original post

by Dmdnfkfkdkd

I really want to do an integrated masters in biology, but my chemistry teacher has told me that 1. Biology graduates don't earn as much as chem/physics graduates and 2. Biology and biochemistry share similar modules. I want to earn a good amount of money (hopefully middle-uppermiddle class) so I'm considering a biochem degree as it offers more opportunities which will make me more money. I definitely don't like the non-chemical parts of biology such as exchange and transport or ecology but I also don't really enjoy some chemistry topics (like equilibrium) so I'm not sure if I'll even enjoy a biochem degree (I also can't find much resources about what specific courses are in biochem) . I also don't really want to change my entire personal statement and so far all my extra/supercurriculars are biology focused, not biochemistry, so I don't know if i'd be a strong applicant for a biochemistry degree.
Does anyone in the biology/biochem field have any advice??

Hi @Dmdnfkfkdkd

I'm a biochemistry final year at Lancaster. I don't think a biochemistry degree will open up more significantly more opportunities than a biology or biomedicine degree - they're all bioscience degrees. Each degree will have a slightly different specialism and therefore different core and optional modules, but you could likely tailor each degree to your area of interest through optional modules.

I chose biochemistry because I disliked "bigger" biology like the human body, ecology, etc. and this degree allowed me to focus on cellular, subcellular, and molecular biology. At Lancaster, I also had the opportunity to take a decent amount of chemistry, so I learn organic chemistry and reactivity, analytical chemistry etc. I did take equilibrium in first year as kinetics are important across biology and chemistry.

However, biochemistry degrees are going to be slightly different across all universities. Some offer a lot of chemistry, some offer none. They'll all offer similar core topics e.g. biochemical pathways, cellular biology, genetics, but the optional, more specialised, modules might differ.

A biology focussed personal statement could easily work for biochemistry, as it's just a specialised bioscience degree, but don't do a biochemistry degree just because you'll think you'll make more money. Also, doing a bioscience degree doesn't necessarily mean you'll end up working in scientific research, you could go into finance, law, teaching, regulatory affairs, scientific communications, medical writing, clinical trials, management - all of which have different salaries and career trajectories.

My recommendation would be to look very carefully at the modules available in the courses you're considering at each university and apply to a degree you think you'll enjoy. 3 years is a long time if you're not passionate about the area! During your degree you can attend careers talks and workshops, work hard to apply for relevant internships/placements, and figure out your next steps as you continue to learn and grow. Most people have no idea what their future careers will be when they enter university - and I know that before I started at university I couldn't even comprehend all the possible jobs available to me.

Best of luck with your applications!
Rebecca (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Reply 4

UEA Rep Fatma

Official Rep

11

Original post

by Dmdnfkfkdkd

I really want to do an integrated masters in biology, but my chemistry teacher has told me that 1. Biology graduates don't earn as much as chem/physics graduates and 2. Biology and biochemistry share similar modules. I want to earn a good amount of money (hopefully middle-uppermiddle class) so I'm considering a biochem degree as it offers more opportunities which will make me more money. I definitely don't like the non-chemical parts of biology such as exchange and transport or ecology but I also don't really enjoy some chemistry topics (like equilibrium) so I'm not sure if I'll even enjoy a biochem degree (I also can't find much resources about what specific courses are in biochem) . I also don't really want to change my entire personal statement and so far all my extra/supercurriculars are biology focused, not biochemistry, so I don't know if i'd be a strong applicant for a biochemistry degree.
Does anyone in the biology/biochem field have any advice??

Hi! @Dmdnfkfkdkd 🙂
I'm a second year Natural Sciences student and I mainly take modules in biology and chemistry (i.e. I mainly do biochemistry).
Biochemistry and biology are both very similar, and even some biology modules will need you to study chemistry.
Do you have an idea of which universities you'd like to go to? If so, I'd highly recommend you look at both biology and chemistry course profiles to see what modules will be covered. Different universities will offer different levels of chemistry involved.

Have you also considered degreed such as biological sciences? This is essentially a biology degree but you get to pick which parts of biology you can do. As you mentioned you don't like topics such as ecology, you can simply not choose that module. Again, you may have modules that have chemistry in them but these will probably be less chemistry than a pure biochemistry degree. Similarly natural sciences degrees allow you to choose topics across all sciences.

I think the best next steps would be to just browse university websites for biology/biochemistry/biological sciences or any courses similar and see which ones you'd enjoy most. 🙂

In terms of choosing a degree for money, I'd highly recommend you go with the subject you enjoy most. This will be reflected during your final years where you may find it extremely difficult to study for something you do not enjoy. Obviously money does a play a role in course decisions, but I wouldn't choose a degree purely for the money, so do see if you can get a balance between the two!

I hope this helps, but I just wanted to say this is a big decision so don't feel like you have to rush it! I personally changed courses from chemistry to natural sciences because I couldn't make my mind up, so you are definitely not alone! 🙂
Fatma.

Reply 5

Kingston Jenifer

Official Rep

11

Original post

by Dmdnfkfkdkd

I really want to do an integrated masters in biology, but my chemistry teacher has told me that 1. Biology graduates don't earn as much as chem/physics graduates and 2. Biology and biochemistry share similar modules. I want to earn a good amount of money (hopefully middle-uppermiddle class) so I'm considering a biochem degree as it offers more opportunities which will make me more money. I definitely don't like the non-chemical parts of biology such as exchange and transport or ecology but I also don't really enjoy some chemistry topics (like equilibrium) so I'm not sure if I'll even enjoy a biochem degree (I also can't find much resources about what specific courses are in biochem) . I also don't really want to change my entire personal statement and so far all my extra/supercurriculars are biology focused, not biochemistry, so I don't know if i'd be a strong applicant for a biochemistry degree.
Does anyone in the biology/biochem field have any advice??

Hi there!

I have a degree in Medical Biology and a Masters in Pharmaceutical Science.

Your pay depends on what you do with your degree. Becoming a lab technician doesn't pay very well. The majority of lab based jobs do not pay as well across the life sciences and I presume chemistry and physics.
However, going into jobs such as patent attorney for biotech, the pharmaceutical industry (commercial graduate schemes, sales, marketing, regulatory affairs or medical affairs) pays a lot more.
It is unfortunately a myth that biology graduates must only stick to "biosciences" roles but that simply isn't true. I did a placement year (where you take a gap year in your degree and work full time) at a pharmaceutical company and it opened my eyes to the world of pharmaceuticals. I also worked in clinical research for a bit, and there is a plethora of jobs there surrounding pharmacovigilance (monitoring a medicine for long term side effects after it has been allowed to be sold in the UK). I knew from the start I did not like lab roles due to the low pay and also repetitive nature of the role, which then allowed me to explore other non-lab routes.

Also, biochemistry, biomedical science, biological sciences etc are all bioscience degrees, so all fall into the same boat anyway, I would not say you would earn more doing a biochemistry degree as opposed to a biology degree. Employers don't necessarily just look for a degree - they also want to see experience as well.

A lot of modules I did had biochemistry students in them, so I would say a Biochemistry degree has a lot more biology than what you are anticipating. Since you enjoy the more chemistry side I would say degree explore degrees such as pharmaceutical or analytical science which implement a lot more chemistry. It is important that you do something you enjoy otherwise you will not enjoy your degree and not perform as well.

I hope this helps and if you have any more questions, do let me know!

kind regards, Jenifer (Kingston uni rep)

Biology or Biochemistry

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated