Biology
University of Sheffield
UCAS Code: C100 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
including Biology and a second science. Human Biology is accepted in lieu of Biology. Second science from Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Psychology, Environmental Science or Geography
Access to HE Diploma
60 credits overall with 45 credits at Level 3, including 36 credits at Distinction (to include Biology and a second science), and 9 credits at Merit. Applicants are considered individually
Extended Project
plus ABB at A Level including Biology and a second science
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English Language and Maths grade 4/C
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
with 6, 5 in Higher Level Biology and a second Science
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
including Biology and a second science
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
in Applied Science (with Distinctions in all Biology Units if not offered at A level) plus A in an A level science subject
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
(RQF) DDD in Applied Science with Distinctions in all Biology Units (QCF) DDD in Applied Science (with Distinctions in all Biology Units if not offered at A level) plus A in an A Level science subject
Scottish Higher
including a science in Scottish Highers plus grade B in Biology at Scottish Advanced Higher
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
plus AA at A Level including Biology and a second science
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This course gives you the flexibility to discover what kind of biologist you want to be. Whether your interests lie in the environment, biomedicine, the molecular biosciences or span all three, from your first year you’ll have the freedom to choose the topics you want to study across the breadth of biology. Topics include:
- biochemistry
- microbiology
- genetics
- molecular and cell biology
- physiology and pharmacology
- neuroscience
- stem cells and development
- pathobiology
- evolution
- zoology
- animal behaviour
- plant science
- ecology and conservation
- global change and sustainability.
You’ll learn in lectures, practicals, workshops and field trips to zoos, aquaria and wildlife reserves.
As you progress through your degree, you'll explore your chosen topics in greater depth, specialising in one area or keeping a broad overview across the biosciences. You’ll learn the core practical laboratory skills that are used across biology, including microscopy, cell culturing and DNA preparation.
No matter what modules you choose to study, you’ll be ready to address your own research questions. You’ll also learn key transferable skills that make biology graduates very attractive to employers, such as problem solving, communication skills, critical evaluation and data analysis.
We’ll give you plenty of opportunities to apply your new skills and knowledge too. You’ll have the chance to carry out your own research projects in the lab, using the latest cutting-edge equipment to analyse stem cells, sequence DNA and study proteins and enzymes. You might choose to do field research projects in the Peak District National Park or to embark on an ecology field course in the UK or abroad. You can also make the most of our links with the NHS and complete research in conjunction with the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.
Biology at Sheffield is all about studying what you’re passionate about. From genes and molecules to biodiversity and ecosystems and everything in between, your personal tutor will assist you in tailoring your degree to your interests and career goals.
If you want to study this course but don't meet the entry requirements our Biosciences with a Foundation Year could be for you. After successfully completing the one year programme, you'll progress onto the first year of one of our bioscience degrees.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
The University of Sheffield Bursary is available to home students who have a household income of £40,000 or less. You may also be eligible for an additional £250 per year depending on your postcode and grades. We use the details you submit to Student Finance and UCAS to assess your eligibility for a bursary. You don’t need to apply; if you’re eligible you’ll receive an award for each year of your course. If you're a care leaver, care for an ill or disabled family member or are estranged from your parents or guardian you may be eligible for an enhanced bursary of £4,500 per year. The University also offers a number of scholarships to help you fund your studies and enhance your learning experience. Use our Student Funding Calculator to check what funding your could be eligible for - www.sheffield.ac.uk/funding/calculator. Further information - www.sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-funding
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
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.
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
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.
Biosciences
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£20k
£24k
£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):
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.
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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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