Secondary Science (Biology) with QTS
Birmingham City University
UCAS Code: X13A | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
A maximum of 3 subjects are considered including at least one Science/Health related subject Excluding General Studies
Pass with 60 credits including 45 at Level 3, of which 40 Level 3 credits are at merit / distinction Must be Science/Health related If applying with an Access course you only need GCSE mathematics, English Language or English Literature and science at grade C/4 or above. You are not required to hold five GCSEs in total.
Must be in a topic different to the combination of Level 3 awarded. Considered with A-level or equivalent level 3 qualification(s) to achieve a total of 112 UCAS tariff points
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English Language or English Literature, GCSE Maths and GCSE Science at grade C/4 or above. If you do not have these or are not undertaking them, we accept other Level 2 equivalents, or we may ask you to pass BCU's GCSE equivalency tests.
Pass with 120 credits at level 4 Must be in a Health/Science related pathway
HND (BTEC)
120 credits at level 4 and 120 credits at level 5 Must be in a Health/Science related pathway
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Obtain a minimum of 28 points overall For students who do not already hold a GCSE in Mathematics at Grade C/4 or above grade 5 in Maths (Standard Level) from the IB Diploma will be accepted For students who do not already hold a GCSE in English Language at Grade C/4 or above Standard Level English Language (not literature) English A - Grade 4 or above or English B - Grade 5 from the IB will be accepted.
Pass the Irish Leaving Certificate with a minimum of 112 tariff points, achieved in five Higher level subjects. This must include Maths, English Language and Science taken at either Ordinary level (minimum grade O1-O4 (or A-C/A1-C3)) or Higher level (minimum grade H1-H7 (or A-D/A1-D3 up to and including 2016)
See Irish Leaving Certificate under Level 3 entry
OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma
112 UCAS points Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
112 UCAS points Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification
112 UCAS points Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either this qualification or an accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be a Health or Science related subject
Pearson BTEC Diploma (QCF)
112 UCAS points Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either this qualification or an accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be a Health or Science related subject
Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)
Either this qualification or an accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be a Health or Science related subject
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either this qualification or an accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be a Health or Science related subject
112 UCAS points Considered with two A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either this qualification or an accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be a Health or Science related subject
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Either this qualification or an accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be a Health or Science related subject
112 UCAS points Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either this qualification or an accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be a Health or Science related subject
112 UCAS points Considered with two A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either this qualification or an accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be a Health or Science related subject
112 tariff points achieved in either three Advanced Highers or from a combination of two Advanced Highers plus two Highers. Where three Advanced Highers have been taken achieve a minimum of grades CCD. Where a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers have been taken you must achieve (grades of CD in two Advanced Highers plus grades of CC in two Highers).
112 tariff points achieved in either five Highers or from a combination of two Advanced Highers plus two Highers. Where only Highers have been taken a minimum of grades BBCCC is required. Where a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers have been taken you must achieve (grades of CD in two Advanced Highers plus grades of CC in two Highers).
UCAS Tariff
Please visit: http://www.bcu.ac.uk/student-info/offer-making-strategy for more information about contextual offers.
112 UCAS points Considered with two A-levels or equivalent level 3 qualification(s) and at least one must be Science/Health related.
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About this course
If you have a passion for Biological Sciences, inspiring and educating young learners, and want the best possible career opportunities after graduating, then this is the course for you.
The School of Education and Social Work has a strong partnership across a diverse range of secondary schools within the West Midlands. Located in the heart of the West Midlands, you will gain practical experience in a range of schools with a rich variety of cultural and linguistic influences, religious beliefs and social diversity. The Department of Life Sciences, part of the School of Health Sciences, is committed to delivering high-quality, research-informed teaching in a range of biology and life science fields alongside a developing Life Sciences research portfolio. Staff have expertise in a range of disciplines which will support your scientific development and prepare you for professional practice as a science educator.
The course offers you the chance to gain the professional qualification of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) as well as a degree, helping you walk into your dream job as a secondary school teacher immediately after graduating from university.
You will also benefit from the unique and strong partnership between biology educators and subject specialists who are at the forefront of practice in their fields.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
City South Campus, Edgbaston
School of Education and Social Work
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
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)
Teacher training
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Teacher training
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 stats above mainly cover teaching degrees for training and qualifying in primary school education. These tend to be three or four-year courses — check with course tutors about how long you will need to study to get your Qualified Teacher Status. Most graduates go into teaching roles — usually primary school teaching, so these courses have good employment rates and starting salaries. We have a shortage of teachers of all kinds, which is deepening, and whilst many of the most severe are at secondary level, the prospects for this degree are not likely to take a downturn any time soon.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
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This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Teacher training
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£24k
£26k
£30k
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 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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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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