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University of Glasgow

UCAS Code: C200 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

Entry requirements

Sorry, no information to show

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2025

Subjects

Molecular biology

Cell biology

Plant sciences

**Molecular and Cellular Biology (with Plant Science)**: Plant science combines a broad range of approaches to understand and manipulate how plants function in the natural world. 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 agriculture, biotechnology and industry – for example, understanding the molecular basis of plant growth and disease to plant biotechnology, food security and the use of genetic engineering for vaccine development. Molecular biology is central to all biological processes and now is an exciting time to be a plant scientist.

At the University of Glasgow there is a strong focus on Research lead 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 Geographical and Earth 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.

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.

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

Plant sciences

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?

79%
UK students
21%
International students
32%
Male students
68%
Female students
82%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

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.

£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

Plant sciences

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
96%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

17%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
12%
Natural and social science professionals
11%
Other elementary services occupations

Only a handful of students take botany for a first degree - the subject is mostly studied at Masters or by doctorate-level graduates, usually after a biology degree. Last year's botany graduates were most likely to be working six month after graduation, but it might be a good idea to go on open days and talk to tutors about what previous graduates from your chosen subject went on to do, or to have a look on their website.

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.

£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.

Plant sciences

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.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
place
University of Nottingham | Nottingham
Plant Biology
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2025
UCAS Points: 104-141
Lower entry requirements
place
University of York | York
Molecular Cell Biology
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2025
UCAS Points: 136

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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