Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Microbiology (with integrated year in industry)

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-B,C,C

To include B in A-level Biology.

The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

28-30

To include 5 points in Biology at Higher Level.

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

DDD-DDM

In a specified subject.

UCAS Tariff

104-120

To include B in A-level Biology.

Aberystwyth University welcomes the Welsh Baccalaureate as a valuable qualification in its own right and considers completion of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate to be equivalent to an A level grade.

About this course


Course option

4years

Sandwich including industrial placement | 2024

Subject

Microbiology

Kick-start and enhance your career prospects with our four year Bachelor of Science honours degree in Microbiology with an integrated year in industry. This course is designed to give you the head start in an increasingly competitive job market, and upon successful completion of this degree, you will have developed the skills and awareness that employers are seeking. Microbiologists study bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and their role in infectious diseases in humans, other animals and plants. You will also learn how microorganisms contribute to environmental nutrient cycling, brewing, food, and biotechnology industries, whilst you develop the scientific and analytical skills demanded in a broad range of professions.

You will learn in an Institute which has won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. You discover an exceptional environment where you will be surrounded by a great diversity of beautiful environments, including marine, moorland, mountain, waterways, grassland and coast.

At Aberystwyth, we place great emphasis upon practical skills, so that our graduates become practitioners from the word go. You will have access to extensive research and teaching labs equipped with the latest equipment, including bioimaging facilities, high-throughput DNA sequencing, proteomics, metabolomics and spectroscopic platforms. You will be taught by research-active staff at the forefront of knowledge, and emerge from your course with the knowledge, competencies and skills to forge a career in this fascinating field of science.

The syllabus of this course with the integrated year in industry is identical to its sister course BSc Microbiology (C500). Your work experience must be relevant to this degree as it will be assessed and will count towards your degree grade. You will organise your work experience under the guidance of our Director for Employability. There is no guarantee that the work experience will be paid. If you cannot obtain a placement, you must transfer to the sister course BSc Microbiology (C500).

Make no mistake, you will develop confidence and gaining experience in the industry will stimulate your enthusiasm for the subject. Completing a year in industry will allow you to: Apply the learning from your course to the work environment; Make industry contacts; Develop practical skills related to your area of study; Apply your practical skills and technical knowledge after returning to study; Enhance your CV and better prepare yourself for a job after graduating.

**Our graduates are strong candidates for the following roles:**

- Research Scientist;

- Laboratory Manager;

- Sales and technical support;

- Education;

- Students who have completed this degree could also progress to further training in Medicine and Science journalism.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,000
per year
England
£9,000
per year
EU
£18,830
per year
International
£18,830
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,000
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,000
per year
Scotland
£9,000
per year
Wales
£9,000
per year

Extra funding

Aberystwyth University offers a valuable package of scholarships and bursaries to support students. Our long-established Entrance Examination competition means you could get up to £2,000 a year towards your living and study costs. You can combine that with any or all of our other awards, to make your financial package more valuable. Our awards include Sport and Music Scholarships, Bursaries for Care Leavers/Young Carers/Estranged Students and a range of department specific awards. Please visit our website for full details.

The Uni


Course location:

Main Site (Aberystwyth)

Department:

Department of Life Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


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.

Microbiology and cell science

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?

81%
UK students
19%
International students
65%
Male students
35%
Female students
76%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
D

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.

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.

£16,380
low
Average annual salary
98%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

23%
Natural and social science professionals
10%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
8%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

If you want a career in microbiology, then this is the degree to take. The recession hit the job market for microbiologists particularly badly, but things have improved very significantly since then, and microbiologists are now amongst the most employable biological sciences graduates. We don't produce many graduates in the subject every year and a lot take further qualifications on graduating. Microbiology graduates who want to leave the lab can find jobs in most industries - not just in health and hospitals, but in the food and drink, water and ecology sectors, too.

What about your long term prospects?

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

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.

£18k

£18k

£22k

£22k

£23k

£23k

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 Reading | Reading
Microbiology with Professional Experience
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Sandwich including industrial placement 2024
UCAS Points: 120-147
Lower entry requirements
University of Central Lancashire | Preston
Microbiology
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Sandwich including industrial placement 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120
Nearby University
Swansea University | Swansea
Nursing (Adult) - Carmarthen
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Sandwich including industrial placement 2024
UCAS Points: 120
Same University
Aberystwyth University | Aberystwyth
Microbiology
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Sandwich including industrial placement 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120

Share this page

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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