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Biological Sciences with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,C

Overall: CCC We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers. Required subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics

Access to HE Diploma

D:21,M:3,P:21

Overall: QAA recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits overall including 21 at Distinction, 3 at Merit and and 21 at Pass Required subjects: Access content will be assessed by Faculty Must include 15 level 3 credits in Science. GCSE or Equivalent: Inclusion of GCSE English and Mathematics equivalent within Access programme

Extended Project

A

Applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) will receive our standard A level offer, plus an alternate offer of one A level grade lower, subject to achieving an A grade in the EPQ. The one grade reduction will not apply to any required subjects.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

English and Mathematics grade C (4) (or equivalents may be considered).

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

29

Overall: 29 Required subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics GCSE or Equivalent: English, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths Studies, SL4.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMM

Overall: MMM Required subjects: Please contact us to discuss suitability.

Scottish Advanced Higher

C,C,C

Overall: CCC Required subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics GCSE or Equivalent: Scottish National 5: English Language and Mathematics grade C

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,C,C

Overall: BBBCC Required subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics GCSE or Equivalent: Scottish National 5: English Language and Mathematics grade C

Overall: Pass overall with CCC from a combination of the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and two A levels. Applicants taking an A level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. Required subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics GCSE or Equivalent: Inclusion of GCSE English and Mathematics equivalent within the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.

UCAS Tariff

96-123

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

About this course


Course option

5years

Sandwich including foundation year | 2024

Subject

Biological sciences

**Foundation courses**
A foundation year can develop your skills and make it easier to get started at university. It is an extra year of study at the start of your course that leads in to a full degree programme. It’s a great option if:

You don’t have the grades for a full degree course
You have non-traditional qualifications or experience
You’re starting university after some time away from education
You’re looking for more support during the transition into university study.

**Life as a foundation year student**
During a foundation year you’ll learn about your chosen subject, develop your study skills and get used to university life. On successful completion of your foundation year, you’ll be ready to progress to the first year of your degree course.

As a foundation year student, you’ll be a full student of the University and part of our community. You’ll have access to all our campus facilities and support.

**Why choose this course**
-Select modules tailored to your interests, with the option to specialise in either animal biology and ecology, cellular and molecular sciences, or infection and immunity.

-Access our £12.5 million Innovation for Health Learning Laboratory to acquire practical experience that is essential for a research career and valued by a wide range of employers.

-Gain industry experience through our Professional Training placements, where you can work in one of our partner laboratories across the world.

-Conduct fieldwork both on campus and further afield, with the opportunity to practise your scientific skills in a non-controlled environment.

-Study among highly satisfied students, as we have an over 90% satisfaction score for biological sciences in the National Student Survey 2022.

-Join the 97% of our biosciences and medicine graduates who go on to employment or further study.*

*Graduate Outcomes survey 2022, HESA

**What you will study**
On this course, you’ll investigate biological structure and function at various levels, from molecules to cells, through to whole organisms, communities and ecosystems.

In your first year, you’ll study topics that are fundamental to biosciences, ensuring you have a solid foundation upon which to build the rest of your degree.

During your second year, you’ll have the option to specialise in either animal biology and ecology, cellular and molecular sciences, or infection and immunity.

Alternatively, you can choose from a variety of broader modules including analytical biochemistry, cellular microbiology and neuroscience.

In your third year, you’ll further your knowledge of your chosen specialism or broader study by exploring topics such as advanced pharmacology, genetics, and the impact of humans on the environment. You’ll also complete a research project, bringing together all the practical, analytical, and presentation skills you’ve developed.

Modules

To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website. The link is under course ‘contact details’. You will also find full details of the programme, including assessment methods, programme structure, contact hours and Graduate prospects.

Extra funding

The University of Surrey offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support our students, please visit https://www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-and-bursaries for more details.

The Uni


Course location:

Stag Hill

Department:

FHMS - School of Biosciences and Medicine

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%
Biological sciences

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.

Biosciences (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

88%
Staff make the subject interesting
94%
Staff are good at explaining things
94%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
77%
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

85%
Library resources
91%
IT resources
88%
Course specific equipment and facilities
91%
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?

82%
UK students
18%
International students
40%
Male students
60%
Female students
77%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

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.

Biosciences (non-specific)

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.

£21,500
high
Average annual salary
97%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Science, engineering and production technicians
12%
Natural and social science professionals
9%
Health associate professionals

These stats refer to the prospects of graduates from general courses in biosciences. About a quarter go into further study and for those who go into work, bioscience, teaching and finance jobs are the most common types of employment. But you can go into most careers with this kind of degree — the majority of jobs for graduates don’t ask for a particular degree subject - and you will acquire a wide range of skills valued by many employers. If you want to find out more specifically about the prospects for your chosen subject, 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.

What about your long term prospects?

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

Biosciences (non-specific)

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

£29k

£29k

£34k

£34k

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...

Lower entry requirements
Bristol, University of the West of England | Bristol
Biological Sciences (with Foundation Year)
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Sandwich including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 48
Nearby University
Brunel University London | Uxbridge
Life Sciences with Placement
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Sandwich including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 120-144
Higher entry requirements
University of Surrey | Guildford
Biological Sciences
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Sandwich including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 120-144
Same University
University of Surrey | Guildford
Biological Sciences
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Sandwich including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 120-144

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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.

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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

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