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Biology

Entry requirements


To include grade C in one of the following subjects: Biology (with Pass in Practical Assessment), Human Biology or Applied Science.

Pass Access to HE Diploma in Science with a minimum score of 106 UCAS Tariff points.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

26

- to include HL 5 in Biology and HL 4 or SL 5 in English and Mathematics.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (1080) in Applied Science Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF) in Applied Science.

UCAS Tariff

104-112

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Biology

Our BSc (Hons) Biology degree offers the chance to gain a solid grounding in the biological sciences – with the flexibility to develop your own interests and learn about the areas and aspects of biological sciences that match your career ambitions.

Study biology at Manchester Met and you’ll begin by learning the fundamentals of the subject, before exploring the areas that interest you most. Along the way, you’ll explore the issues that shape our world and touch our lives – from molecular biology, microbiology and genetics, to ecology, animal behaviour, biodiversity and conservation.

The programme also allows you to develop your own interests in areas such as comparative anatomy and physiology, plant science, brain and behaviour, population biology, biotechnology, biochemistry and the conservation of biodiversity, to tailor your learning to your career aspirations.

In our laboratories, you’ll get to grips with the latest equipment, as we help you develop a range of practical skills that you can take into your career. And, by getting out in the field, you can learn about biology out in the real world – whether in the UK or overseas.

Our biology degree also provides the option of spending an extra year expanding your horizons, either studying with one of our partner universities overseas, or working on a placement with a business or non-governmental organisation.

**FEATURES AND BENEFITS**
- Explore the topics and issues that shape the world around us, and choose from a range of exciting and rewarding specialisms within biology.

- Develop practical skills in the laboratory and in the field – that could include fieldwork in the UK, across Europe or in Africa.

- You can take the four-year route, spending a year studying overseas in Europe, North America or Australia, or boosting your career prospects with a 9-12 month placement.

- With our strong industry links, you will have the opportunity to engage in projects with our partners, from the NHS to the RSPB.

- We are investing £115m to transform the way we teach and you learn in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Open from Autumn 2023, our new Dalton building will enhance collaboration between students, staff and industry and provide new and improved teaching spaces, including a 200-student capacity Superlab.

- Learn in high-specification laboratories, which include specialist microbiology and molecular biology equipment, industry-standard microscopes and specialist facilities for studying animal behaviour and physiology, as well as controlled environment plant growth chambers and glasshouses, a well-equipped store for fieldtrips, and specialist computing facilities for GIS, behavioural tracking and more.

- We have embedded career preparation activities into each year of your course to help build your confidence to apply for your future graduate career.

- Manchester is on the doorstep of the Peak District National Park and within two hours’ drive of three other National Parks, making it an ideal location to study biology.

The Uni


Course location:

Manchester Metropolitan University

Department:

Department of Natural Sciences

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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.

80%
Biology

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)

Teaching and learning

84%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
87%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
81%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

92%
Library resources
81%
IT resources
94%
Course specific equipment and facilities
76%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
37%
Male students
63%
Female students
70%
2:1 or above
16%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

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.

£16,500
low
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
49%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

18%
Caring personal services
12%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
10%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

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

£18k

£23k

£23k

£25k

£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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UCAS Points: 104-112

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here