Biological Sciences
UCAS Code: C112
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
BBB in three A level subjects including Biology. BBC in three A level subjects including Biology and B in either Core Maths or Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). BCC in three A level subjects including Biology for our contextual offer scheme (more details https: //www2aston.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/contextuaI¬offer). Excluded Subjects: We welcome the following subjects as an additional A level, but not as one of the core three A levels - General Studies, Critical Thinking, Citizenship Studies. We welcome applications from students who have tried to improve their examination grades by taking resits and only your latest grades will be accepted. We treat these applications in exactly the same way as other applications.
Access to HE Diploma
Subjects Accepted: Applied Science, Biology combined with Chemistry, Biomedical Science, Biosciences, Combined Sciences, Health Sciences, Health Sciences Professions, Life Sciences and Sciences.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
Five GCSEs which must include Mathematics and English all at grade C/4. Please note we do not accept Key skills or Functional skills in place of these.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
31 points overall and must include grades 5, 5, 5 in Higher Level subjects which must include Biology. You must also have Standard Level grade 5 in both Mathematics and English.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
With this BTEC you must also achieve grade B in A-Level Biology. Contextual offer students must also achieve grade C in A-Level Biology (more details https: //www2aston.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/contextuaIoffer).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
With this BTEC you must also achieve grades BB in two A levels of which one must be Biology. Contextual offer students must also achieve grade BC in two A levels of which one must be Biology (more details https: //www2aston.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/contextuaIoffer).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
With this BTEC you must also achieve grade B in A-Level Biology. Contextual offer students must also achieve grade C in A-Level Biology (more details https: //www2aston.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/contextuaIoffer).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
With this BTEC you must also achieve grades BB in two A levels of which one must be Biology. Contextual offer students must also achieve grade BC in two A levels of which one must be Biology (more details https: //www2aston.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/contextuaIoffer).
Scottish Higher
Must include Biology at higher level.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
Our BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences course focuses on the study of life, from the simplest organism to the complexity of the human species.
Throughout the course you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in an established, yet dynamic, area. You’ll gain a broad understanding and awareness in biological sciences during the first two years of the programme, before you choose to undertake our optional career boosting placement year, which can be completed in a wide variety of settings from research laboratories to pharmaceutical sales, or continue onto your final year. During the final year you will be able to select from a variety of specialist modules that meet your particular study and career interests.
Our graduates enter a wide range of professional careers, including research, health, welfare and the biological industries. In addition to scientific positions, some graduates enter general management and personnel work as well as product development and marketing while some continue with postgraduate study to masters and PhD levels. .
**Key course benefits:**
- Accredited by the Royal Society of Biology, certified as containing a solid academic foundation in biological knowledge and key skills, and prepare graduates to address the needs of employers.
- Our optional placement year (4 year sandwich course) offers you the opportunity to gain valuable experience and set your studies in the context of a working environment, designed to boost your future employment prospects.
- Top 10 in the UK for graduate prospects (Biological Sciences, Complete University Guide, 2020).
- 93.8% of Aston Biological Sciences students were happy with the teaching on their course (NSS, 2019).
- Top 10 in the UK for Research Quality (Biological Sciences,Complete University Guide, 2020).
Modules
Year 1*
Study key bioscience topics such as microbiology, biochemistry, physiology, inheritance and population, genetics, development and human anatomy, cell biology, molecular biology and immunology.
Year 2*
Build on your knowledge of microbiology and immunology, in addition to the introduction of new topics such as metabolism, molecular genetics, biotechnology, endocrinology and molecular pathology.
Placement year (optional)
Gain valuable career boosting experience by setting your studies in a real world context of a working environment alongside professionals. Undertake your placement in a wide variety of settings such as hospital, industrial or research laboratories or non-laboratory settings. Placements can be taken in the UK, EU or internationally.
Final year*
Select final year modules that fit your interests and future career goals from subjects such as human physiology, cell biology, medical biochemistry and stem cell biology in addition to completing a substantial supervised research project
For more information about what you will study, please visit our website.
*In order to offer you the best possible experience and keep your programmes up to date and relevant, the
University is going through a transition period at the date the content is set out (January 2019). The University is reconfiguring a number of its programmes so for the latest information please refer to our university website.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Aston University, Birmingham
School of Life and Health Sciences
Calculate your living costs
See how much you'll need to live on at your chosen university, with our student budget calculator.
See your living costs
Study in Birmingham
Explore the local area, what there is to do for fun, living costs and other university options here.
Explore BirminghamWhat 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.
Biosciences
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?
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.
Biosciences
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
What do graduate employment figures really tell you?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.
Explore these similar courses...
Same University
Nearby University
Lower entry requirements
Higher entry requirementsThis 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).
We calculate a mean rating of all responses to indicate whether this is high, medium or low compared to the same subject area at other universities.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
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
