Biochem at uni 2025 entry

10

Will I be able to enter the pharma industry with a biochem degree (may have placement year) despite not having an MPharm degree.

Reply 1

UoNstudents

Official Rep

12

Original post

by AlishaKT

Will I be able to enter the pharma industry with a biochem degree (may have placement year) despite not having an MPharm degree.

Hey!
I’m doing Biochemistry and just wanted to say that there are many ways to get into pharma —especially if you do a placement year. My summer internship at a pharmaceutical company made me realise how much of my degree would be useful in this industry.

1. Opportunities with a Biochemistry degree

•

R&D roles: Biochemistry gives you a strong foundation in molecular biology, enzymes, cell signaling, and analytical techniques—all highly relevant to pharma.

•

Quality control/assurance: Biochemistry grads often work in QC labs, ensuring drugs meet safety standards.

•

Regulatory affairs & clinical trials: Understanding biochemistry helps in monitoring drug development and compliance.

•

Sales, marketing, or technical support: Some companies hire science graduates for scientific liaison roles.

*Tip: A placement year in a pharma company can be a huge advantage—it gives practical lab experience and makes your CV stand out.

2. Considering Pharmacology

•

Pharmacology is more directly focused on drug action, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology, so it can be slightly closer to the core of pharma R&D.

•

If you’re interested in drug mechanisms or clinical trials, modules in pharmacology or a pharmacology-related placement could be very beneficial.

Strengthen your profile

•

Gain lab experience—techniques like HPLC, PCR, protein purification, or cell culture are highly valued.

•

Take relevant modules or online courses in pharmacology, drug design, or regulatory affairs.

•

Network via placements, internships, or societies (e.g., Biochemical Society, RSB, or university pharma societies).

Your biochemistry degree plus relevant experience (especially a placement year) is often enough for lab-based, R&D, or regulatory roles. Considering pharmacology modules or extra experience can make your profile even stronger for drug-related roles. And the best thing to do is always explore and reasearch more about the Pharma industry!

Hope this helps!
Leena
-UoN rep

Reply 2

AlishaKT

OP

10

Original post

by UoNstudents

Hey!
I’m doing Biochemistry and just wanted to say that there are many ways to get into pharma —especially if you do a placement year. My summer internship at a pharmaceutical company made me realise how much of my degree would be useful in this industry.
1. Opportunities with a Biochemistry degree

•

R&D roles: Biochemistry gives you a strong foundation in molecular biology, enzymes, cell signaling, and analytical techniques—all highly relevant to pharma.

•

Quality control/assurance: Biochemistry grads often work in QC labs, ensuring drugs meet safety standards.

•

Regulatory affairs & clinical trials: Understanding biochemistry helps in monitoring drug development and compliance.

•

Sales, marketing, or technical support: Some companies hire science graduates for scientific liaison roles.

*Tip: A placement year in a pharma company can be a huge advantage—it gives practical lab experience and makes your CV stand out.
2. Considering Pharmacology

•

Pharmacology is more directly focused on drug action, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology, so it can be slightly closer to the core of pharma R&D.

•

If you’re interested in drug mechanisms or clinical trials, modules in pharmacology or a pharmacology-related placement could be very beneficial.

Strengthen your profile

•

Gain lab experience—techniques like HPLC, PCR, protein purification, or cell culture are highly valued.

•

Take relevant modules or online courses in pharmacology, drug design, or regulatory affairs.

•

Network via placements, internships, or societies (e.g., Biochemical Society, RSB, or university pharma societies).

Your biochemistry degree plus relevant experience (especially a placement year) is often enough for lab-based, R&D, or regulatory roles. Considering pharmacology modules or extra experience can make your profile even stronger for drug-related roles. And the best thing to do is always explore and reasearch more about the Pharma industry!
Hope this helps!
Leena
-UoN rep

I’m also wondering if it would be harder for me to get into the pharma industry if I don’t attend a Russel group uni/ have low a level grades? Would I be able to secure internships/work experience despite this?? (there is also a placement year for the uni i will be attending)

Reply 3

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

18

Original post

by AlishaKT

Will I be able to enter the pharma industry with a biochem degree (may have placement year) despite not having an MPharm degree.

Hi @AlishaKT

It really depends on what area you'd like to work in. Based on my knowledge of the industry (which is undoubtedly limited), if you'd like to be a pharmacist you'd need an MPharm. If you'd like to work in medicinal chemistry, synthesising drug compounds, you'd need a chemistry degree. If you'd like to work in R&D relating to drug discovery/development (or any of the roles mentioned by @UoNstudents) then biochemistry is absolutely appropriate.

I don't think lower A level grades will impact you much if you work hard to get strong university grades and get lab-based work experience (e.g. an internship/placement). I think if you manage to secure this extra experience and attain high grades then your university choice shouldn't limit you either. I spent a year working in R&D at a biotechnology company which hired placement students from all over the country including plenty of non-Russell group universities.

Rebecca (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Reply 4

AlishaKT

OP

10

Thank you! Do you think I’d be able to secure work experiences/internships in my first two years of uni? (My placement year is in my third year), and I was told that it’s difficult to get internships during the final two years as that’s when there’s more demand. I was also told that my a level grades may hinder me from receiving graduate jobs but I may be able to overshadow this with my experience. Also I would like to ask how you personally found working in R&D and what you had to do in your role. Was it difficult to acquire the position you had?

Reply 5

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

18

Original post

by AlishaKT

Thank you! Do you think I’d be able to secure work experiences/internships in my first two years of uni? (My placement year is in my third year), and I was told that it’s difficult to get internships during the final two years as that’s when there’s more demand. I was also told that my a level grades may hinder me from receiving graduate jobs but I may be able to overshadow this with my experience. Also I would like to ask how you personally found working in R&D and what you had to do in your role. Was it difficult to acquire the position you had?

I don’t do Biochem but in my experience and from what I’ve heard from others in other courses, internships are easier to acquire in the summer before your final year. This is because a lot of employers with prioritise those graduating the following year so they don’t have to wait 2 or 3 years before offering them graduate roles. That said, it is definitely possible to get internships in your first or second year, it just might require a bit more digging. Also consider looking into opportunities that are offered within your university. For example, some universities have students working as TAs in the lower year’s labs, see if that’s something your uni offers.

In terms of your A Level grades, those are really easy to overshadow if you work hard to get good grades early on at uni. Also, if your grades were good enough to get you onto a Biochem course, you need to give yourself a bit more credit!

I wish you the best of luck at uni!

Reply 6

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

18

Original post

by AlishaKT

Thank you! Do you think I’d be able to secure work experiences/internships in my first two years of uni? (My placement year is in my third year), and I was told that it’s difficult to get internships during the final two years as that’s when there’s more demand. I was also told that my a level grades may hinder me from receiving graduate jobs but I may be able to overshadow this with my experience. Also I would like to ask how you personally found working in R&D and what you had to do in your role. Was it difficult to acquire the position you had?

Hi @AlishaKT

Finding internships between your first and second year is quite rare but not impossible. If your placement year is in your third year, depending on the start and end dates, you may be able to do an internship between the second year and placement, or placement and final year. My placement year started in September and I managed to squeeze in an 8-week internship July to early Sept before I started.

Internships will always be competitive so all you can do it make sure your CV and application is as strong as possible. There is a chance your university will run some internships over summer in their labs. Definitely reach out to your university's careers team and ask for advice as they often have some amazing tips.

For my placement I worked in the protein, cell, and structural science department. My role was very flexible and my manager really wanted to make sure I could get experience in a lot of different skills across the department. Predominately I expressed and purified recombinant protein that would be used in further experiments. I then worked towards crystallising protein for X-ray crystallography (to determine the structure of the protein) and to support this I used biophysical techniques to find antibody fragments that could bind to the target protein and stabilise it so it would crystallise more consistently. Some of the skills were familiar to my university degree - I'd expressed and purified a protein on a very small scale in university practicals - but most of them were entirely new and on a massive scale! I absolutely loved my year in industry, I learnt so much both in and out of the lab and I felt really valued.

For my role I had to apply with a CV and application form, I then had a telephone screen and an interview. If I remember correctly I applied for 5 placements in total, was rejected by 2, ghosted by 1, and made it through to the final interview for 2. I knew that the role and company that I ended up taking aligned much more with my interests so I didn't end up attending the final interview for the other opportunity!

Best of luck with your next steps - please let me know if I can help answer any other questions!
Rebecca (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

(edited 2 months ago)

Biochem at uni 2025 entry

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