BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences

Core units

• Academic and Professional Study Skills: You will gain the fundamental academic and research skills required for degree level study. The unit will introduce you to a broad grounding in literature searching, literature review, data collection, methodological approach, data analysis and interpretation and ethical practice. It will also support you to begin to develop a critical and analytical approach to your work and identify areas for personal development. 
• Applied Sciences: You'll gain a basic understanding of some fundamental aspects of science underpinning more specific disciplines, and an appreciation of how various scientific disciplines impact human life. You'll understand the differences between pure and applied science, as well as the roles of different ways applied science can be funded, and implications of these funding mechanisms. 
• Introduction to Biology: Biology is the study of life and hence knowledge of plant and animal cell biology is fundamental to understanding wider concepts in biology. This unit also introduces key themes in human, environmental and ecological sciences to provide a sound underpinning in knowledge for future studies. 
• Introduction to Psychology: This unit is designed to prepare you for advanced coursework in psychology. You will complete the unit with a good understanding of the various areas of psychology and how they seek to explain behaviour. 
• Mathematics in Science: You will build your confidence in mathematics, in order to perform calculations on a range of scientific data from biology, chemistry and psychology and to be able to represent the findings in an appropriate format, including graphs. In order to carry this out, it is essential to be able to convert the data between systems of units and to understand how to present very large and very small numbers in standard form. Basic statistical analysis of tabulated data will be carried out to introduce the concept of confidence limits and familiarisation of statistical testing.
• Foundation Year Project: You will carry out a research task on scientific topics chosen by the unit leader, which you will be able to conduct a scientific investigation on. You will devise your own investigation and produce a literature review as a final scientific report. 

Core units

• Scientific Research Skills: This unit provides the fundamental skills to conducting research, much of which takes place in tutorial sessions, allowing you to get to know your core teaching team for the degree. You will perform simple data collection, manipulation and presentation of results in appropriate scientific form, using computer software. You will also learn to search, locate, read and understand relevant scientific literature, formulating scientific arguments and discussion, writing and presenting these ideas as essays, opinions and research papers.

• Cell Biology: Cells are the basic unit of life and hence knowledge of cell biology is fundamental to understanding wider concepts in biology. This unit introduces key themes in cell biology to provide a sound underpinning knowledge of cells and the way they function. The unit will equip you with an understanding of cell structure, function, control, basic molecular biology, the interaction of cells with viruses and the basic experimental techniques used to investigate cells.

• Chemistry: You will be provided with an understanding of some aspects and processes within fundamental chemistry and analytical chemistry and develop your laboratory skills. The unit will predominately be delivered through lectures and practical laboratory sessions. The laboratory sessions will enable reinforcement of the theoretical concepts by dealing with experimentally generated data and will allow for one-to-one and small group discussions.

• Diversity of Life: Gain an understanding of the origin and diversity of life on earth, how the environment and selection have shaped the patterns of distribution of plants, animals and micro-organisms since life first originated some 3.5 billion years ago, and how it is increasingly being influenced by humans. You will have insights into the basis for classifying organisms and in dealing with the relationships among major groups, and examine the organisation and structure of major groups of living (and some fossil) organisms (microbes, protists, higher plants, invertebrates and vertebrates). You will cover aspects of body size and life history strategies.

• Human Anatomy & Physiology: Giving you an overview of the structure and function of the human body, you will be introduced to the principal concepts underlying pathophysiological processes that disturb health. Key biological and physiological practical techniques relevant to measuring human health and disease are covered, together with the skills you will need for the analysis and presentation of the resulting data.

• Practical Skills in Biology: Knowledge of how to work in a modern laboratory is very much the emphasis of this unit. You will develop logic and common sense for working in laboratories, correctly handle common equipment or apparatus, use biological samples with respect, master essential skills in calculating concentrations (or dilutions) of reagents or buffers, array samples in designing experiments, keep laboratory notebooks, and perform experimental procedures with ‘multi-task’ in mind. This unit will give you the skills to be both confident in designing and executing your own experiments.

Core units - Semester one

• Advanced Scientific Research Skills: This unit builds and refreshes those academic skills needed for independent research in biology and life sciences. You can collect data from a variety of sources but then how do you make sense of it and synthesise it into a question that can sustain an independent research project? You will learn the necessary survey, experimental design and data analysis techniques for completing a research project independently.

• Animal Biology: This unit addresses the developmental, regulatory, physiological, sensory and cognitive processes of a wide range of animals (vertebrates and invertebrates). It provides a sound basis of understanding important differences and similarities in ‘model’ organisms in biomedical research (and the strengths and limitations of using them), and also of how sub-organism or organism level biology influences how individuals act with each other and their environment.

Core units - Semester two

• Evolutionary Biology: Providing you with the fundamental understanding of evolutionary theory and population genetics, the unit gives you a broad overview of the factors involved in the species evolution, through an introduction to selection forces, heredity and Mendelian genetics. We will also introduce you to the concept of adaptation to a changing environment and how to apply this in future thinking.

Option units

Semester 1 (choose one):

• Biochemistry: Providing a foundation for your final year of study in Biomolecules and Advanced Topics in Genetics by covering the fundamental basics of biochemistry, the unit will give you a broad overview of macromolecules (structure and function) and their metabolism. You’ll also have an appreciation of systems biology through the introduction of metabolism interconnectedness.

• Ecosystems: We will enable you to develop an awareness of the importance of a range of ecosystems and develop your understanding of how ecosystems can be managed to conserve them.

• Behavioural Ecology: Concepts will include the evolutionary underpinning of behaviour, and an understanding of the ways in which organisms make behavioural decisions. Applications will include how behavioural ecology can be used to understand population ecology, and support nature conservation. Topics covered will include foraging and reproductive behaviour, and the interactions between competitors, and predators and prey. The unit will focus on animals, but will also stress how behavioural ecology can be applied to plants, fungi and protists.

Semester 2 (choose two):

• Advanced Cell Biology: This unit will examine the operation of cells and the control, development and modification of cells to fulfil highly specialised roles in multicellular organisms. The unit aims to equip students with a detailed understanding of cell structure and function, control and regulation of cellular processes and the development of multicellular organisms.

• Becoming Human: What makes us (as humans) unique? Where did our species come from? Starting from the divergence of the human lineage from that of other apes, this unit will demonstrate how a wide variety of different lines of evidence can inform the way in which we became human. You will learn how archaeologists and anthropologists interpret the fossil and archaeological evidence to understand the ways in which our ancestors and related species lived and how this changed over time. A key focus throughout will be on the relationship between the biological and social environments for evolution, and how the interaction between them influenced the evolution not only of our distinctive biological life histories, subsistence and foraging patterns but also our social life and culture, in the form of technology, material culture, language and symbolism.

• Environmental & Societal Challenges: Whilst you consider the relationships between humanity and the environment, you will be introduced to some of the big challenges faced by society today that stem from the impact of humanity on the earth system. By discussions about your place in society and your role in providing solutions to these challenges this unit will further your knowledge of science policy and application.

• International Field Trip: Information on each trip will be provided during option selection sessions in the previous year or semester. Each trip will have a key theme or themes. Much of the work will involve field-based lectures, discussions and  local speakers, but the bulk of activities will involve work on individual projects focussed on specific tasks. Tutorial sessions will be available daily when on field work with the unit tutors. Please note that you will incur additional costs not covered by your tuition fee if you choose to participate in the International Field Trip. There is also a limit on the number of students that we can take on the fieldtrip so there is no guarantee that you'll be able to attend. 

• Introduction to Toxicology: The basic principles of toxicology will be explored in this unit, designed to offer foundation knowledge for those intending to study toxicology at higher levels or for those intending to study subjects peripheral to toxicology or where a basic understanding of toxicology will be relevant.

• Microbiology: Providing detailed knowledge of structure, organisation, metabolism, growth and evolution of viruses, bacteria, protists and fungi, information is also given on microbial motility, adhesion and on some of the diverse metabolic pathways present in microbes, including anaerobic micro-organisms. Selected aspects of microbial ecology, including the microbial loop, will be introduced to enable you to appreciate the roles of microorganisms in natural habitats and in some created by man. There will be a short formal treatment of sterilisation, disinfection, and cryopreservation. Climate change and past environments will be explained from a microbial perspective as well as microbial consortia (e.g. symbioses). Practicals will aim to further elucidate material covered in the lectures and to develop skills in handling, characterising and identifying microorganisms, and we will try to accommodate field work and/or a visit an industrial unit.

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

You may choose to complete an optional minimum 30-week work placement by enrolling on a sandwich-year course, which can be carried out anywhere in the world. The placement (sandwich) year offers a chance to gain experience and make contacts for the future. Alternatively, you can undertake a short placement of minimally 2 weeks, and complete your course in three years.

Core unit

• Independent Research Project: The Independent Research Project provides you with an opportunity to gain experience of research in a topic of your choice relevant to your degree and to demonstrate your ability to report that research. Such experience is considered essential for those students interested in pursuing academic and/or professional research at a higher level of responsibility and achievement.

Option units

(choose two per semester):

• Advanced Topics in Genetics: You will consider how this modern discipline underpins all aspects of biology. You will be actively involved in discussions about the ethical issues of genetics and introduced to bioinformatics analysis of data. We will consider the roles pharmacogenomics, epigenetics, endophenotypes and optogenetics play in current research outputs as well as the classical model.

• Marine Conservation: This unit aims to enable you to critically evaluate approaches to the conservation and management of marine biodiversity including fisheries and protected areas. You will also examine legal processes and mechanisms that are applied to the conservation of marine and coastal environments.

• Pathophysiology: The detailed study of the molecular bases of a number of important clinical states will be a major component of the unit. We aim to develop your knowledge and understanding of the principal biological mechanisms involved in a range of pathological processes, inherited, malignant, infectious and degenerative diseases including cancer, inherited disease, heart disease, diabetes, infectious diseases, immunological conditions and organ-specific disorders. The transmission of infections, the role of the scientist in control and prevention of disease will be discussed, together with the social and political issues raised by such measures such as vaccination, hygiene and sanitation.

• Biomolecules: By the end of this unit you will be conversant with the concepts and approaches of holism compared with reductionism in modern biological sciences. It will review the principles of biology and modern biotechnologies from molecular levels to systems biology, such as DNA analysis, DNA profiling, functional genomics, gene expression and complementary DNA (cDNA) microarray, proteomics and protein interactions, epigenetics, bioinformatics, recombinant DNA, and biotechnology.

• Parasitology & Epidemiology: The necessary tools to understand and discuss parasitology and disease epidemiology will be provided to present a broad overview of how parasites influence human and wildlife health, behaviour and population dynamics. You will learn to appreciate how policies are adapted to protect public health and the health of farmed and wildlife populations. Quantitative skills will be enhanced by performing survival analysis and evaluating potential disease impacts. Identification of parasites will also be covered.

• Primate Behavioural Ecology: This unit will provide you with an understanding of how primate behaviour can be interpreted from an evolutionary viewpoint, and how human and non-human primates’ behavioural strategies are adapted to the social and ecological environment in which they live. The unit is aimed at stimulating discussion and the critical analysis of theories.

• Topics in Wildlife Conservation: You will critically evaluate currently important topics in wildlife conservation from a range of perspectives, and develop your skills in evaluating ecological data in the context of conservation ecology and your powers of reflection on your own perspective and ability to appreciate and integrate other perspectives within conservation ecology.

• Advanced Systems Biology: This unit teaches you to manage and analyse big data, understand and apply computer modelling processes to test hypotheses relevant to biomedical science research.

• Climate & Environmental Change: Combining the expertise of our lecturers and special guest lecturers, this unit will provide a scientific background in the causes of climatic change, both natural and anthropogenic, and the trends that characterise and attribute this. With a key focus on examining the environmental, social and economic impacts of climatic change, you will have the opportunity to explore and voice your predictions of future impacts and the inevitability of uncertainty of those predicted futures. Including a local field trip to investigate microclimates, this unit will allow you to critically evaluate the potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation and the role of policy makers in this.

• Molecular Ecology: This unit will provide you with the tools to understand and discuss the use of molecular tools in ecology. You will gain a broad overview of how genetic data can be used to investigate the ecological and evolutionary processes in natural populations. 

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry.

If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

With practical learning being integral to your degree, we provide industry standard specialist facilities. We continue to invest in our campuses so all our students can maximise their talents today and into the future. Visit our virtual tour to find out more and get a feel for where you’ll be studying while you’re based on our Talbot Campus.

A placement should be a highly rewarding experience for you and the employing company and we do our best to ensure that everyone involved feels that they have got the most that they can from the experience.

Placements provide a great opportunity to make your first career steps and enhance your employability while you’re completing your studies. You’ll get the opportunity to:

• Put the theory learnt throughout the course into professional practice
• Enhance your study and help you decide on subject options (where appropriate)
• Learn a wide range of skills such as time management, problem solving and team work (all of these are important to succeed in any career)
• Make contacts, as it is not uncommon for our students to be offered permanent positions to return to after graduating
• Gain a real insight into how the industry operates in roles that would be almost impossible to achieve for an outsider.

Many of our students, during their placement, are given responsibilities normally associated with graduate trainees.

Should you choose to undertake the optional placement year, you will begin your placement after completion of your second year of study and you must complete a minimum of 30 weeks. You can also undertake a short, optional placement of at least 2 weeks as part of your studies.

The faculty running your course will offer the support of a Placement Co-ordinator.  

Through timetabled sessions and one-to-one appointments, they’ll help support you in your placement search including advice on finding a placement, information and advice on all aspects of job searching and job applications, as well as ensuring your proposed placement meets the requirements of your course.  

Our CareersBU service is also available throughout your time at BU, offering services like CV checking and careers fairs to meet employers.  

Placement Development Advisors will support you once you have started your sandwich placement – so you will be able to maintain contact with the university throughout.  

Through the Student Environment Research Team (SERT), you can gain experience and practical skills, as a volunteer, through a wide range of short projects relevant to your professional practice.

Each SERT project and its report is viewable online, so you can demonstrate the skills you have gained to future employers.

AccessBU: AccessBU provides you with the opportunity to tell us about your circumstances that are not always evident in your UCAS application. This widening access initiative also considers relevant criteria such as being in care or if you live in an area with a low participation rate in Higher Education - if you are eligible, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Apprenticeships: We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Deferred entry: We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry. If you have already submitted your application, please submit your deferral request through our website. 

Direct entry: We welcome applications from students who have previously studied at degree level at other institutions and wish to transfer onto a BU course. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure enables credit awarded from one institution to contribute to a BU award, subject to an application process. Please visit our RPL webpage for more information.

Mature applicants: We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

We welcome students with a wide range of interests and with a science background. You will have problem-solving skills and a proven ability to express yourself well orally and in writing, as well as working well in groups and as an individual.

We are looking for applicants who are interested in finding out how life works and a general interest in the natural world. Strong candidates would be those who have done some volunteer or other work to expand their practical skills in the laboratory.

We select candidates for this course by looking at your application; there are usually no interviews or selection activities needed. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU. You can find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply web pages.

Our offer-making will typically be based on your most recent qualifications, including any required subjects where applicable. We'll consider all qualifications when assessing your application, although these may not be part of our offer.

If you do not meet the criteria of your original offer, we may still offer you a place. We will review your whole application and consider all academic qualifications (including those not in the offer) to see if you have the academic potential to succeed on the course. If we feel the answer is yes, we will confirm your place.

We look at individual applications and make a tailored offer based on your potential to succeed on the course considering a range of factors, including your academic achievements, work and other experience, reference and personal statement, and in some cases, your performance at an interview or a portfolio review. Typically, we make an offer at the bottom of the tariff range.

If you are unable to meet the entry requirements, we may be able to make you an offer through AccessBU if you meet certain criteria e.g. you have been in care or live in an area where fewer people typically progress to Higher Education. If you don't meet our published tariff, we will accept you at least 8 points below if your personal circumstances match our AccessBU criteria. 

These courses have compulsory elements involving working with dangerous substances in laboratory conditions and/or undertaking field trips in less accessible environments. Students must complete a health and safety risk assessment taking part in these activities, for their safety and that of others. As part of that assessment students provide information about any conditions or disabilities that might affect their ability to undertake these activities fully or safely. 

If you have such a condition or disability, please let us know as soon as possible. You can contact our Additional Learning Support (ALS) service about this before or after making an application.  We will then work with you to identify any support or adjustments you would need.  Our ALS team works with the Faculty to seek to put in place reasonable adjustments and health and safety plans. 

Exceptionally, it may not be possible to arrange for a student to access these courses without either over-riding their core standards or competencies or creating unacceptable risks to health and safety.  If that is the case we will help you explore alternative course choices.

Your degree will be centred around developing the skills you need to work in professional practice, as well as equipping you with a variety of transferable skills that will give you a range of career options.

Our staff have a wealth of research, educational and consultancy experience and are therefore well-placed to ensure you are ready for the world of work once you graduate.

• Biotechnology
• Environmental science
• Forensic and biomedical research
• Education.

Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree. Please visit our postgraduate section for further details about our range of Master’s degrees. Many graduates go straight on to Doctoral level study in medicine, genetics and neuroscience.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions
• Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
• Disability and additional learning support
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team
• Loan of lab coats and safety glasses.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds
• Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website
• Travel costs to and from the university campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation
• Travel costs for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (where applicable)
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Further information is available on funding your placement year
• You will need to meet the cost of any Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if required by your placement setting, including any Post Office verification charges. 
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement
• SportBU membership.

If you need to repeat one or more units during your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full-time fee.

Dr Demetra Andreou is a lecturer and principal academic in Environmental Science. Her research can be subdivided into three main streams which all combine to inform the conservation management of species.

1. Conservation of migratory species

2. Emerging disease and host-parasite co-evolution

3. Microplastics in freshwaters

Dr Hartley's main research interest is in gene function and understanding of how genes affect basic cellular processes - especially the processes relevant to ageing and disease in humans.