Program Overview

Program Details

Overview

The BSc Biology with Science and Society with Industrial/Professional Experience course is a four-year program that allows students to gain valuable work experience in the UK or overseas. The course combines the study of biological sciences with their contemporary social context, covering key concepts such as genetics, biodiversity, and microbiology.

Entry Requirements

• A-level: AAA-AAB, including two of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics (the Core Sciences). Applicants must have a minimum of grades AB in at least two Core Sciences.
• International Baccalaureate: 35-36 points overall, with 6, 6, 5 to 6, 6, 6 at Higher Level, including two science subjects, normally Biology and Chemistry.
• GCSE/IGCSE: Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education, including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade 4 or C in GCSE/IGCSE English Language and Mathematics.

Fees and Funding

• Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For entry in 2025, the tuition fees were £9,535 per annum for home students.
• Tuition fees are considerably lower for the placement year.
• Students participating in placements outside the UK may be able to apply for funding from the UK's Turing scheme, depending on eligibility.

Application and Selection

• Apply through UCAS.
• Advice to applicants: We would normally only consider applicants who obtained the relevant qualification within the three years prior to entry.
• Home-schooled applicants: If you are a student who has followed a non-standard educational route, e.g., you have been educated at home, your application will be considered against the standard entry criteria of the course for which you are applying.

Course Details

• The course features science media projects where you produce a portfolio of communication materials that could include a scientific article or a podcast.
• There are also science communication placements where you could spend a year working in an organisation that communicates science, such as a medical writing company or a museum.
• The course has Advanced Accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology, which recognises academic excellence in the biosciences and highlights degrees that educate the research and development leaders and innovators of the future.

Teaching and Learning

• The study of science and society is taught by specialist staff from the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM).
• You will benefit from a wide range of teaching and learning methods that suit the content and aims of each course unit.
• These range from lectures and tutorials to practicals and research projects, including the final year project.

Coursework and Assessment

• Assessment methods vary widely to suit the nature of the course unit and each level of study.
• Lecture units are usually assessed by written exam (multiple choice or essay-based), which are held at the end of an academic semester in either January or May/June.
• Practical units are usually assessed by experimental report and/or short written assignment and/or written exam.

Facilities

• Our modern teaching labs are equipped for a range of biological and biomedical techniques.
• Our computing facilities include access to over 200 PCs in dedicated clusters and e-learning tools, including online lecture notes, discussion boards, lecture podcasts, and quizzes.

Careers

• The significant and relevant work experience gained during the year of industrial/professional experience makes graduates of this course especially attractive to employers.
• Our graduates go into a range of careers after gaining transferable skills in reading, research, writing, analysis, and presentations.
• Our course prepares graduates particularly well for non-laboratory-based science careers such as management, administration, media, publishing, museum work, science communication, or science policy work.