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Biological Sciences

Entry requirements


Grade C or above in a Science subject. Points from A-Level General Studies and AS-Level subjects (not taken onto full A-Level) can be included towards overall tariff. You must have a minimum of two A-Levels.

15 Level 3 credits at Merit in a Science subject.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Grade C/4 or above in English, Mathematics and Double Science, or equivalent.

Grade 5 in a Higher Level Science subject.

H2 in a Science subject.

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

DMM

Five units in a Science subject. You may be asked to do more based on the size of your units. Please list the units you are studying in your application. For further advice on acceptable units, please email us.

Science or Healthcare Science. If you partially achieve your T Level, you can meet our subject requirements if you have at least a D in your Core Section. For further advice on acceptable subjects please email us.

UCAS Tariff

112

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

4 years | Sandwich | 2024

Subject

Biological sciences

BSc(Hons) Biological Sciences is about the application of biological science to the real world.

With a hands-on, practical approach to learning, you’ll have lots of opportunities to build your skills in real-world situations.

Study in our microbiology or genetics labs. Go on an expedition to Madagascar or a Cuban island. Learn about primate ecology at Bristol Zoo. Learn the methods and technology at the cutting edge of the field, and explore life from the molecular level to the scale of ecosystems.

With many opportunities to build essential practical experience, the course offers the chance to undertake placements, internships, fieldwork and residential trips in the UK and abroad.

If you choose the sandwich course option, you can spend your third year on placement with a major employer in the pharmaceutical, healthcare or research sector in this country, Europe or further afield.

You’ll apply your academic knowledge to contemporary issues, delve into the areas that most interest you, and expand your career horizons.

Once qualified, you’ll be in a strong position to work in graduate-level jobs in biological sciences. You could work in research and development for companies in the pharmaceutical, healthcare or agrochemical sectors. You could also go into sales, marketing or education, or study for a postgraduate qualification.

The Uni


Course location:

Frenchay Campus

Department:

School of Applied 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.

86%
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

83%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
77%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
74%
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

86%
Library resources
86%
IT resources
82%
Course specific equipment and facilities
83%
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?

89%
UK students
11%
International students
45%
Male students
55%
Female students
72%
2:1 or above
16%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
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.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
98%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

11%
Science, engineering and production technicians
11%
Other elementary services occupations
7%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

£18k

£18k

£21k

£21k

£30k

£30k

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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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:

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here