Anglia Ruskin University
UCAS Code: C102 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
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About this course
Biology, the science of life, is a varied and exciting discipline from the molecular to whole organisms and entire ecosystems.
**Why study Biology at ARU?**
- Cover all life on earth, from microorganisms to plants, animals and humans, and from genes to whole ecosystems.
- Bring the world of work to life through Live Briefs; designed and developed with regional employers to give you exposure to ‘real world’ problem-solving.
- Build a strong foundation in laboratory, data science, bioinformatic, and field skills.
- Tailor your course to your interests and choose from a wide range of specialisms, all underpinned by sustainability.
- Study in Cambridge, the centre of new and emerging technologies in the life sciences and take advantage of a wealth of local opportunities in biological data science, bioinformatics and more.
- Gain experience on internships with our research-active staff and apply for placements with a range of employers.
Whether your interests lie in cell, molecular and laboratory biology; genetics, evolution and bioinformatics; plants, microbes and biotechnology; or whole organisms, environments, and field skills, on this course you’ll learn to evaluate aspects of all life on earth, including the ways it is under threat. You’ll discover how a wide variety of living organisms evolve, their physiology, how they function within their environments – and how these environments can be sustained.
You’ll start the course by getting to grips with the fundamentals of cells, molecules, and organisms; genetics and evolution; ecology and sustainability; and mathematics and statistics for scientists.
In Year 2, you’ll focus on the topics and skills you’d like to specialise in with our range of optional modules, while continuing to refine your broader knowledge and skills. In your final year, you’ll examine your chosen areas through the lens of sustainability, and complete a major independent research project to pull together everything you’ve learned.
Alongside a comprehensive knowledge of life on earth, on this course you’ll gain practical laboratory, data science, bioinformatic and field skills, which will equip you to work in the broad field of science. You’ll also develop crucial skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving.
Modules
Year 1:
Interactive Learning Skills and Communication
Information and Communication Technology
Maths for Scientists
Cellular Biology
Critical Thinking
Biology: Physiology
Chemistry
Physics for Life Sciences
Year 2:
Principles of Biology (30 credits)
Quantitative Techniques and Tools for Biologists (30 credits)
Introduction to Genetics and Genomics (15 credits)
Physiology of Organisms (30 credits)
Ecology and Sustainability (15 credits)
Continuing Professional Development - Level 4
Year 3 Core Modules:
Principles of Genetics (15 credits)
Ruskin Module (15 credits)
Preparation for Research (15 credits)
Continuing Professional Development
Year 3 Optional Modules:
Vertebrate Biology (15 credits)
Invertebrate Biology (15 credits)
Plants and Microbial Sciences (15 credits)
Laboratory Techniques in DNA Manipulation (15 credits)
Laboratory Techniques for Bioinformatics (15 credits)
Field Skills in Biology (15 credits)
Animal Health and Disease (15 credits)
GIS and Spatial Ecology (15 credits)
Proteomics and Molecular Structures (15 credits)
Year 4 Core Modules:
Undergraduate Project (30 credits)
Developmental Biology and Genetics (15 credits)
Policy, Globalisation, and Economics of Sustainability (15 credits)
Year 4 Optional Modules:
Biogeography (15 credits)
Comparative Ecophysiology (15 credits)
Human-Animal Interactions (15 credits)
Microbial Pathogenicity (15 credits)
Molecular Cell Biology (15 credits)
Current Advances in Bioinformatics (15 credits)
Current Advances in Plant and Microbial Sciences (15 credits)
Current Advances in Evolution and Biodiversity (15 credits)
Systems Biology (15 credits)
Assessment methods
Throughout the course, we’ll use a range of assessment methods to measure your progress. Besides exams, these include essays, practical reports, computer-based assessments, presentations, debates, classroom- or laboratory-based tests, and reviews of scientific papers.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Cambridge Campus
School of Life Sciences
What students say
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Biology (non-specific)
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Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Biology (non-specific)
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
The recession was tough on biology graduates, and although the jobs market has improved for them - a lot - it's still not back to where it was a few years ago. If you want a career in biology research — and a lot of biology students do - you'll need to take a doctorate, so give some thought as to where you might do it and how you might fund it (the government still funds doctorates for good students). A lot of graduates also take 1 year Masters courses to specialise in this wide and deep subject - most students take a standard biology course for their first degree and then specialise in subjects like ecology, conservation or marine biology later. Hospitals, universities, biotech firms, zoos and nature reserves and clinical and scientific testing are common industries of employment for biology graduates.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Biology (non-specific)
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£18k
£21k
£25k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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