Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Biology

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,B

AAB in three A levels including A in Biology and a second science or mathematics subject. The second subject can be: Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Electronics, Environmental Science, Food Science or Food Technology, Geography, Geology, Mathematics or Further Mathematics, Physics, Psychology or Statistics Contextual Offer ABB in three A levels including A in Biology and B in a second science or mathematics subject Alternative offers with additional study ABB in three A levels including A in Biology and B in a second science or mathematics subject plus additional study - please see the course pages on our website.

Access to HE Diploma

D:33,M:6

33 credits at Distinction A pass in the Access to HE Diploma (in Science or Science and Engineering), with at least 33 credits achieved at Distinction and 6 credits achieved at Merit or above. This must include at least 30 credits achieved at Distinction from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) units, of which at least 12 credits must be from Biology units.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

36

36 points overall and 6, 6, 5 in three Higher Level subjects including 6 in HL Biology and a second HL science or mathematics subject. You must study Biology to be considered for this course. We may be able to consider for you for this course if you study either Biology or your second science or mathematics subject at Standard Level (but not both). In this case the typical offer is 36 points with 6, 5, 5 in three Higher Level subjects including 6 in Biology or a second science or mathematics subject plus 7 in the Standard Level subject. Contextual Offer 35 points overall and 6, 5, 5 in three Higher Level subjects including 6 in Biology and 5 in a second science or mathematics subject.

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

DDD

DDD in the BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF). We are able to consider the above qualifications in Applied Science. It is important that you are covering enough of our essential and preferred optional units to make sure that you have sufficient Biology and Chemistry/Mathematics preparation for our course. Please contact us to discuss the suitability of your optional units before making an application. You must also have achieved a grade B or 6 in GCSE Mathematics.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,B

AB in two Advanced Highers including A in Biology and B in a second science or mathematics subject. We make offers based on Advanced Highers. You will typically be expected to have completed five Scottish Highers and your grades in these will be considered as part of your application. We prefer applicants who have achieved at least AAAAB in their Highers.

UCAS Tariff

104-136

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Biology

Study life on all scales, from the molecular to the global ecosystem, but with a focus on evolution acting at the level of DNA.

Biology encompasses the study of life from molecules to ecosystems. It's an exciting area of study that has a significant impact on our daily lives and is vital to solving some of the world’s biggest challenges. You'll gain a broad foundation of skills across areas such as evolution, ecology, biodiversity, genetics, cell biology and microbiology, equipping you with the knowledge for a range of careers in the biosciences and beyond.

As the broadest of our biosciences courses, from year two you'll get to choose from a variety of units alongside the core units in evolution and genomics. You'll be able to choose the other areas that interest you. The options we offer are related to topics our staff are actively researching, such as developmental biology and food security. In your final year, you’ll carry out your own research project, giving you first-hand experience as a researcher and the opportunity to contribute to the leading research of our academics. We have world-leading research centres, covering areas including evolution and mathematical biology.

If you want a more in-depth study experience, you could consider applying for our MBiol (Hons) Biology course.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Bath

Department:

Biology and Biochemistry

Read full university profile

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.

92%
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

95%
Staff make the subject interesting
89%
Staff are good at explaining things
92%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
82%
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

82%
Library resources
92%
IT resources
87%
Course specific equipment and facilities
84%
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?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
30%
Male students
70%
Female students
100%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

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.

£25,000
high
Average annual salary
98%
high
Employed or in further education
78%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

19%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
15%
Business, research and administrative professionals
11%
Business, finance 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.

£25k

£25k

£31k

£31k

£35k

£35k

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.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of Nottingham | Nottingham
Biology
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112-147
Nearby University
Bath Spa University | Bath
Biology
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120
Same University
University of Bath | Bath
Biology with professional placement
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104-136

Share this page

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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