Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) – Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) – Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major investigates how the natural world works. You’ll gain an insight into the mechanisms of evolution, growth, development, reproduction and disease, plus tools to improve our quality of life. As well as careers in academic, medical and agricultural research, graduates with a major in Biochemistry…
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COURSE DESCRIPTION
The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major investigates how the natural world works. You’ll gain an insight into the mechanisms of evolution, growth, development, reproduction and disease, plus tools to improve our quality of life. As well as careers in academic, medical and agricultural research, graduates with a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology are equipped for careers in patent law, scientific equipment sales, management of clinical trials, forensic science and many others.
Biochemists and molecular biologists are interested in the molecular functions of all living organisms, from the smallest bacterium to the largest whale. In this major, you’ll study the way molecules are organised and how they interact to achieve the functions of the living cell and that of the organism.
Course Structure
Our undergraduate degrees offer you a broad range of options allowing you to combine subjects in a way that matches your career goals and personal interests.
Career Pathways
UWA is Western Australia’s top ranked University, and is also one of the Group of Eight leading research universities in Australia. UWA’s biological disciplines, including Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, are particularly renowned nationally and internationally and rank amongst the world’s best 100 in their subject area.
A bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UWA is highly recognised amongst employers. Career options include biotechnology, drug development, food production and quality control, fermentation industries and chemical production. Biochemists and molecular biologists find jobs in diagnostic laboratories in hospitals, veterinary health, toxicology and in broader public health. Opportunities beyond the laboratory include education, patent law and policy-making, as well as in agriculture and the environment, sales and marketing for medical, research and pharmaceutical industries. With their specialist knowledge of living systems, biochemists can work as journalists and science communicators. A degree in biochemistry and molecular biology is a starting point for specialised courses such as bioinformatics, synthetic biology or forensics. Many biochemists and molecular biologists choose to follow further study towards a higher degree by research, so that they can reach more senior positions in research and development, whether in academia or in industry.
To prepare you for these diverse career pathways, UWA’s unique degree structure provides you with the widest range of specialisation options amongst Western Australian universities. For example, it is possible to do the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major with a second major in Chemistry, Microbiology, Genetics, Data Science, Neuroscience, Human Biology, or Population Health. You can use your personal interests as a basis for your choice of subjects to study, and, ultimately, to direct your career. Through the unique design of the UWA curriculum, a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will enable you to become the next leader in biotechnology, synthetic biology, biomedicine or science communication.
Further Study
By undertaking Honours in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, you will develop an understanding of the research process and your abilities to conduct independent research. You will acquire training and practice in skills such as experimental methods, problem solving, literature searching, data analysis, computing, team building, and written and oral communication.
REQUIREMENTS
Entry requirements may vary from country to country. Students are required to complete an international academic qualification equivalent to Australian High School (or equivalent).
English language requirements:
IELTS (academic): Overall minimum score of 6.5, no band lower than 6.0
TOEFL Internet-based TOEFL (iBT): an overall score of 82 or above with a minimum score of 22 in writing, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 20 in listening
Pearsons Test of English (PTE) (academic): An overall score of 64 with a minimum score of 59 in the speaking and writing sections, and no less than 54 in the other sections
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a proud member of the Group of Eight and is the only university in Western Australia to be ranked in the world top 100 universities (QS World University Rankings 2023).UWA’s main campus is located in Perth, Western Australia and is home to more than 23,000 students. Perth is Australia’s fourth-largest city with over two million people from a variety of cultures worldwide, a strong economy and vibrant lifestyle. Perth is one of the country’s most affordable cities, the closest major Australian city to Asia, and in the same time zone as most of Asia.