Program Overview

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Biology with Foundation Year BSc (Hons)

Course Description

The Biology with Foundation Year BSc (Hons) course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of biology and its applications. The course includes a foundation year that helps students build the skills, confidence, and knowledge needed for success in their academic and professional lives.

Why Study Biology at Derby?

• Choose the foundation year route to build the skills, confidence, and knowledge you need for success: you can gain your full honours degree in four years.
• Facilities include an Aquatic Research Facility, glasshouse, insectary, and specialist laboratories.
• Immerse yourself in a subject that is constantly evolving to address important 21st-century challenges.
• Gain a thorough grounding in traditional aspects of biology while discovering the latest research-led innovations.
• Enhance your practical experience through exciting work placement and internship opportunities. This course can be studied with or without an Industrial Placement Year.
• Get to grips with the latest instrumentation and technology in our first-rate laboratories. Your studies won’t be confined to the laboratory as fieldwork is an essential part of the course.
• Draw on our extensive network of contacts and strong employer partnerships to broaden your professional outlook.

Expert Teaching

You’ll be taught by a highly qualified team, including many international researchers whose work is shaping debates in areas including ecology, entomology, and biodiversity. They publish influential papers, speak at global conferences, and serve on the editorial boards of scientific journals. You'll benefit from this research as your lecturers bring the latest thinking to your studies, and in some cases, you will have opportunities to get involved in research projects yourself.

Research Areas

• Improving the resilience of coral reefs to climate change
• Plant conservation and biotechnology
• Biodiversity ecosystem functioning
• Cell biology
• The evolution of primates
• Insect reproduction and behaviour
• Animal ecology
• Coral Reef systems and megafauna
• Soil microbiology

Foundation Year

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge, and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects that are new to you.

Fieldwork Opportunities

Fieldwork is a vital element of our biology courses, and so your studies will be enriched with fieldwork opportunities - the cost of mandatory fieldwork is included in your course fee. Through our fieldwork programme, we introduce students to a variety of survey techniques for a wide range of species, such as:

• Studying animal interaction at Twycross Zoo
• Conducting ecological projects in Mallorca
• Those selecting our optional Tropical Marine Biology module have undertaken scientific investigations in the Maldives
• Investigating plant adaptations at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew
• Exploring Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK Burnaston, to survey wildlife in their nature conservation area

Learning Environment

Our learning facilities have recently been upgraded, so you’ll have an up-to-date setting in which to develop high-level practical skills, including laboratories with modern instrumentation. There is also a student research laboratory where you’ll have a dedicated space for your final-year independent study.

Boost Your Employability with a Placement Year

Take an optional placement year to put your skills into practice in a real-world setting. We’ll support you in finding a placement and throughout your time in industry. It’s a great way to gain valuable experience for your CV, build contacts, and explore career options before you graduate.

What You Will Study

• Foundation Year
• Year 1
• Year 2
• Optional Placement Year
• Year 3

Core Modules

• Organisms and their Environments
• Academic and Practical Skills in Environmental Sciences
• Principles of Cellular Biology
• Introduction to Environmental Science

Optional Modules

• English
• Mathematics
• Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology
• Principles of Chemistry
• Foundations in Geoscience

Careers

We’re proud of the achievements of our Biology graduates. Many have gone on to work as research scientists, laboratory and pharmacy technicians, healthcare assistants, medical laboratory assistants, wildlife conservation officers, and scientific sales professionals. They regularly return to the University to deliver masterclasses and give inspiring talks to current students about life after graduation.

Entry Requirements

• UCAS points: 72
• A Level: DDD
• T Level: Pass
• BTEC: MMP
• GCSE: GCSE Maths and English are preferred, however, if you don't have these qualifications you will be able to undertake Maths and English at Level 2 as part of your course of study
• Access to HE: Pass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits: 45 at Level 3 with a minimum of Distinction: 0, Merit: 30, Pass: 15
• English language requirements: IELTS: 6.0 (with at least 5.5 in each skills area)

Fees and Funding

• UK: £9,535 per year (2025/26)
• International: £16,900 per year (2025/26)

Additional Costs and Optional Extras

• Included in your fees:
  • All equipment and consumables needed for your experimental/fieldwork are provided by the University.
  • Consumables for the Independent Study, subject to costing approval by your programme leader
  • Free membership of the Royal Society of Biology for a year after graduation
  • Mandatory fieldtrips in optional modules: Previous destinations have included Kew Gardens, Sea Life Centre, and the Peak District
• Mandatory costs not included in your fees:
  • If not already owned, appropriate footwear for fieldwork such as Wellington/Walking boots - approximate cost is between £10-£100
  • If not already owned, appropriate outdoor clothing such as a waterproof jacket and trousers - approximate cost is between £50-£100
• Optional costs not included in your fees:
  • Recommended textbooks - approximate cost is £60
  • Additional international fieldtrip costs for optional modules as follows: Field Biology L5 - approximate cost is £600, Tropical Marine Biology L6 (Maldives) - approximate cost is £3000
  • Travel to work experience/placements - cost is dependent on your placement venue of choice

How to Apply

• UK students: Apply through UCAS or directly to the University.
• International students: Apply through our online application portal or through one of our trusted local representatives.