University of Chester
UCAS Code: C160 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
The Department requires one of the following subjects as essential for entry: GCE A Level: Biology, Applied Science
Access to HE (Science) Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, 30 of which must be at Merit
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
including 5 in HL Biology
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
including H3 in Biology
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
BTEC Extended Diploma (Marine Biology, Applied Science or Animal Management): DMM
Scottish Higher
including Biology
T Level
T Level must be in Science
UCAS Tariff
About this course
Our Marine Biology BSc course offers a comprehensive study of marine ecosystems, exploring the diversity of life in the oceans and the complex interactions that sustain marine environments. Accredited by the Royal Society of Biology, our degree empowers you to develop crucial skills for addressing real-world challenges. Combine theoretical knowledge with practical fieldwork and laboratory research and gain a deep understanding of marine organisms, their behaviour, physiology, and ecological roles.
The University of Chester is located in close proximity to the Dee Estuary which comprises the marine areas of The Dee Estuary Special Protection Area (SPA) and Dee Estuary/Aber Dyfrdwy Special Area of Conservation (SAC) with internationally important wetland species.
Key topics include coastal ecology, oceanography, tropical marine ecology together with the impacts of climate change and human activity on marine ecosystems. The course also emphasises the importance of sustainable marine resource management, equipping students with the skills to play a key role in marine conservation.
You will gain valuable skills in modern research techniques, such as molecular biology, data analysis, and remote sensing, to effectively study marine life and monitor ocean health. Additionally, you will gain invaluable experience and insights through exciting work placements with our industry partners. On completion of the course, you will have practical expertise in marine biology, paving the way for diverse career opportunities and advanced postgraduate studies.
Modules
For the latest example of curriculum availability on this course please refer to the University of Chester's Website.
Assessment methods
There will be a broad range of assessment methods used throughout and across the different modules and Levels, so that students are exposed to the different types of tasks they might encounter in the workplace. These will include coursework in the form of field journals, case studies, written pieces (both long and short form; such as communication pieces, literature reviews, dissertations or laboratory reports), data analysis and presentations. In some cases, various types of assessment may be combined into a portfolio that the students develop throughout the year as they learn and progress through different tasks. In some modules, students may encounter more time-sensitive assessment tasks like oral practical assessments and end-of-module assessments or they will need to work as part of a group towards the completion of assessment tasks. Where possible, both formative and summative assessment will be used. All assessments are designed from a competency viewpoint, where the competencies that students need to develop by the end of the assessment task are the focus and we work backwards from these to design the tasks. We thus continuously review the assessment methods used to ensure that they adequately prepare students for graduate-level employment when they complete their degrees.
Tuition fees
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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.
Ecology and environmental biology
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.
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.
Ecology and environmental biology
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
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Ecology and environmental biology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£21k
£27k
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:
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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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