Biochemistry and molecular biology is the study of the chemical basis of life and underpins all disciplines of biology. A major in this area will provide you with a detailed understanding of the molecular events that control growth and development of all living things. In addition, you will develop an understanding of how such events go wrong in certain disease states and also how they can be exploited in the development of new drugs and improved agricultural processes.

Undertaking a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will inform you on current issues in medicine, the environment, agriculture and industry. Biochemistry and molecular biology also forms the basis of the biotechnology industry.

More information about what can be studied in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major.

In this major, you will develop expertise in three main areas:

• Proteins, their structures and functions in cells
• Molecular genetics - the structure and organisation of genes, DNA replication and repair, the control of gene expression and mutagenesis
• Metabolism and nutrition - how cells extract energy from food and store it, how animals and plants obtain their nutrition and manufacture new molecules

Biochemistry and molecular biology offer some of the most exciting and challenging careers in science and medicine. These include:

• Research Biochemists/Molecular Biologists - work in laboratories in universities, biotechnology companies and agricultural, medical and veterinary institutes. They investigate molecular networks in normal biological and defective processes of infectious and genetic diseases in animals and plants. They develop new ways to diagnose and treat diseases using the latest techniques.
• Industrial Biochemists - work in analytical and research laboratories in areas such as the food & beverages or fuel production from waste products by fermentation.
• Clinical Biochemists -work in hospitals studying the chemical composition of tissues and body fluids to aid the study, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
• Biochemists/Molecular Biologists - work in Government agencies in specialist areas such as forensics, biosecurity, and quarantine.