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Biological Sciences (Genetics)

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,A-A,B,B

Required subjects: A Levels: Biology and Chemistry, both at B or above. You must have a grade A in one of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics. GCSEs: Mathematics or Physics at B or 6 and English at C or 4.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32-37

37 points with 666 at HL - 32 points with 555 at HL. Required subjects: HL: Biology and Chemistry at 5. SL: Mathematics: Analysis and approaches, Mathematics: Applications and interpretation, or Physics at 6 and English at 5.

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,B

AAAB (achievement by end of S5 preferred). BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S6. Required subjects: Highers: Biology and Chemistry, both at B or above. You must have a grade A in one of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Applications of Mathematics or Physics. Advanced Higher Biology and Chemistry are recommended. National 5s: English at C and Mathematics or Physics at B. We accept Higher Applications of Mathematics at C in place of National 5 Mathematics at B.

UCAS Tariff

126-144

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

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Genetics

Genetics is the study of biological variation and its inheritance, and hence of the fundamental control mechanisms of living systems.

Genetics impacts on almost every aspect of our lives - from human genetics and health, infectious disease, what we eat and drink, how we live - to how we think of ourselves. It is involved in controversial areas such as the use of genetically engineered crops and the biological and ethical issues around human therapeutic cloning. Genetics students, in addition to being informed about the basic science, are encouraged to consider how these issues impact on society.

**Areas of study**

On this programme you will explore biological areas such as:

* the molecular and cellular sides of genetics

* basic genetic analysis and chromosome theory

* issues of population and evolution

* disease development

**Flexibility**

Biological Sciences explores the study of living organisms, covering everything from the interactions of animals in their environment to how genes are expressed.

We offer 12 different biological sciences subject areas, including genetics. Regardless of your initial application choice, you will have the opportunity to explore aspects of each of our programmes in the early years and choose to specialise in whichever one interests you.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£34,800
per year
International
£34,800
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Central area campus

Department:

School of Biological Sciences

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.

82%
Genetics

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.

Genetics

Teaching and learning

88%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
76%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
76%
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

71%
Library resources
88%
IT resources
94%
Course specific equipment and facilities
71%
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?

47%
UK students
53%
International students
31%
Male students
69%
Female students
88%
2:1 or above
5%
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.

Genetics

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.

£18,500
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

17%
Natural and social science professionals
13%
Other elementary services occupations
9%
Business, research and administrative professionals

Only a few hundred people take genetics courses every year and graduates from these courses are amongst the most likely to go on to do a doctorate when they graduate, as that's the level of qualification you need to go into a career in research in this important and fast-moving field. Lab jobs were the most popular outcome for genetics graduates, but whilst other science and technical occupations were also common, you could also find genetics graduates in a range of other roles, particularly business and finance.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Genetics

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£22k

£22k

£26k

£26k

£33k

£33k

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 East Anglia UEA | Norwich
Molecular Biology and Genetics
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 128-153
Nearby University
University of Glasgow | Glasgow
Genetics
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: -

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here