Royal Holloway, University of London
UCAS Code: C400 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Where an applicant is taking the EPQ alongside A-levels, the EPQ will be taken into consideration and result in lower A-level grades being required. Socio-economics factors which may have impacted an applicant's education will be taken into consideration and alternative offers may be made to these applicants. Required subjects: Biology plus another science from either Chemistry, Maths or Physics. A Pass is required in the practical element of all Science A-levels taken.
Access to HE Diploma
Pass Access to Science HE Diploma with at least 24 level 3 credits at Distinction, including all Biology and Chemistry units at Distinction and the remaining level 3 credits at Merit. Please note that the Access to Higher Education Diploma will only be acceptable if the applicant has had a considerable break from education.
Applicants with the Cambridge Pre-U are strongly encouraged to apply to Royal Holloway. Offers will be made on the basis of equivalent A-Level grades as can be found on the Royal Holloway website.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
We require at least five GCSEs at grade A*-C or 9 - 4 including English and Mathematics.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
5,5,5 at Higher Level including Higher Level Biology and a Higher Level in either Chemistry, Maths or Physics, with a minimum of 32 points overall.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Subjects to include Biology plus another science from either Chemistry, Maths or Physics.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Distinction, Merit in Applied Science and grade B in A-level Chemistry or A-level Biology. A Pass is required in the practical element of all Science A-levels taken.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
Plus grades BB in A-level Biology plus another science from either Chemistry, Maths or Physics. A Pass is required in the practical element of all Science A-levels taken.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Subjects to include Biology plus another science from either Chemistry, Maths or Physics.
Scottish Higher
Subjects to include Biology plus another science from either Chemistry, Maths or Physics.
T Level
T-Level should be in a Science Pathway with Merit achieved overall, Merit in the occupation specialism and B in the Core Component.
Requirements are as for A-levels where one non-subject-specified A-level can be replaced by the same grade in the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
To gain a profound understanding of how living things function, grow and reproduce we must refine our focus to the molecular level. Studying Genetics at Royal Holloway, University of London will give you an insight into the molecular mechanisms that control all life processes on Earth.
Our flexible degree structure allows you to tailor your course to your own interests, even within the first year. In years 2 and 3 you can further specialise with a selection of optional modules including Evolution, Developmental Biology, Climate Change and Cell and Molecular Neuroscience.
You’ll study at our state-of-the-art Department of Biological Sciences, where a recent £16 million investment has helped to provide specialist equipment for mass spectrometry, bioinformatics and gene and protein sequencing. Gain laboratory experience across the three years, joining our renowned research culture in year three as you complete your individual research project alongside our expert academics. The Department of Biological Sciences was ranked 25th in the UK for influential research output by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014.
Develop your interest in Genetics and you’ll graduate with a range of transferrable skills that will make you an attractive prospect to employers in a variety of fields. Department of Biological Sciences graduates have gone on to find careers in fields including forensic medicine, medical research and pharmaceuticals, and BSc Genetics will give you a robust skillset to take into your chosen career.
Our flexible degree programmes enable you to apply to take a Placement Year, which can be spent studying abroad, working or carrying out voluntary work. You can even do all three if you want to (minimum of three months each)! To recognise the importance of this additional skills development and university experience, your Placement Year will be formally recognised on your degree certificate and will contribute to your overall result. Please note conditions may apply if your degree already includes an integrated year out, please contact the Careers & Employability Service for more information. Find out more
- Develop practical laboratory and data handling skills.
- Examine the life cycle of flowering plants, their evolution, developmental and functional biology.
- Learn how biological and ecological principles can help develop sustainable solutions to 21st-century problems.
- Join a close-knit and supportive learning community with a high staff-to-student ratio.
Modules
Please refer to our website for information:
https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/biological-sciences/genetics/
Assessment methods
Each year you will take modules worth a total of 120 credits, with most individual modules worth 15 credits. In your final year, your Individual Research Project is worth 30 credits.
The first year is formative, while outcomes of your second and third year contribute one third and two-thirds of your final degree classification respectively.
You will attend a mixture of lectures, seminars and small-group tutorials, with class sizes that range from 6 to 180 students. Practical classes are a major part of all first and second year modules, and include experiments that are integral to the subject, helping to familarise you with the material and augment your understanding of key topics. These are either laboratory-based or field-based with laboratory follow-up. In your third year, you will complete an individual research project supervised by one of our academics, and you may have the opportunity to contribute towards a published scientific paper. The individual research project is assessed on the basis of a written report, supervisor assessment, and an oral presentation.
During your first and second years, you will complete essays and reports, and sit written examinations. In your third year, assignments include a range of activities, such as preparation of posters, oral presentations, creation of leaflets and podcasts, coursework essays, mock research grant applications and scientific news-and-views articles, as well as analysis of data from online repositories in mini-research projects.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Royal Holloway, University of London
Biological Sciences
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.
Molecular biology, biophysics and biochemistry
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
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.
Molecular biology, biophysics and biochemistry
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
Around 2,500 graduates got degrees in this demanding but valuable subject last year. Graduates who want a career in research usually take postgraduate qualifications - over a third of graduates in the subject took this option - but those who want to start work when they graduate have a lot to choose from. Laboratory work and other jobs in the biosciences are popular, as well as in education, but many biochemistry graduates find their way into the finance industry and as a consequence, graduates from these disciplines are particularly likely to get jobs in London and the South East.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Molecular biology, biophysics and biochemistry
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£21k
£27k
£31k
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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Teaching Excellence Framework (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?
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