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Molecular and Cellular Biology (with Biotechnology)

Entry requirements


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About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Biotechnology

Molecular biology

Cell biology

**Molecular and Cellular Biology** is a fundamental discipline that underpins the study of all living organisms. This is a rapidly evolving and exciting field which combines biochemistry, genetics and cell biology to provide insights to, and explain how, molecular function produces the hierarchy of living cells, tissues and ultimately whole organisms. Advances in molecular biology have been instrumental to the completion of many genome projects which in turn have led, and continue to lead, to exciting developments in medical science, agriculture, biotechnology and industry – for example, understanding the molecular basis of illness and disease to biotechnology for the development of new drugs, bio-control agents and the use of genetic engineering for vaccine development. Molecular biology is central to all biological processes and biotechnology applies the understanding of these processes to finding innovative solutions to today’s biological challenges.

At the University of Glasgow there is a strong focus on Research led teaching and as such the course content is continually updated to reflect scientific advancements and breakthroughs. You will be taught by leading experts in their field from across our Research Institutes. Equally important to the theoretical background is the development of practical, problem solving, communication and critical thinking skills. All of these are built into the course from year 1 getting more extensive and detailed as you progress. Practical classes allow you to experience firsthand modern molecular biology techniques and experimental strategies. These are closely aligned to lecture content and therefore give a further opportunity to consolidate your learning and understanding of core topics.

We strongly encourage applications for summer internships and help students to try to secure these either at the University of Glasgow or further afield.

The Uni


Course location:

Gilmorehill (Main) Campus

Department:

School of Life 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.

100%
Biotechnology
91%
Molecular biology
93%
Cell 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.

Biotechnology

Teaching and learning

100%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
92%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
92%
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

75%
Library resources
100%
IT resources
92%
Course specific equipment and facilities
73%
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?

72%
UK students
28%
International students
75%
Male students
25%
Female students
78%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

Molecular biology, biophysics and biochemistry

Teaching and learning

89%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
90%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
85%
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

83%
Library resources
91%
IT resources
93%
Course specific equipment and facilities
77%
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?

60%
UK students
40%
International students
32%
Male students
68%
Female students
87%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
A

Microbiology and cell science

Teaching and learning

97%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
92%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
70%
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

77%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
75%
Course specific equipment and facilities
79%
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?

61%
UK students
39%
International students
31%
Male students
69%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
2%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
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.

Biotechnology

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.

£26,000
med
Average annual salary
92%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

65%
Engineering professionals
9%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
5%
Business, research and administrative professionals

This is a new and emerging field of technology and not many people completed degrees in biotechnology last year — it’s more common as a Masters degree. Further study is common for graduates as research jobs usually require a postgraduate qualification. Those who do go straight into work typically go into a range of biology and lab jobs in several different industries, but a good grade can be particularly important for this qualification, so bear that in mind.

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.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
46%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

27%
Natural and social science professionals
12%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
8%
Teaching and educational professionals

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.

Microbiology and cell science

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
59%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

31%
Natural and social science professionals
16%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
9%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

What about your long term prospects?

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

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.

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.

£19k

£19k

£25k

£25k

£26k

£26k

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.

Microbiology and cell science

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

£19k

£25k

£25k

£26k

£26k

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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