Biological Sciences with Foundation Year
University of Roehampton
UCAS Code: C100 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
About this course
**Biological Sciences is a gateway into all Life and Health Sciences career paths. Study what you’re passionate about in this rapidly developing scientific discipline.**
On this fascinating BSc, you will delve into the very essence of life and living organisms and will develop your skills and understanding right across the biological disciplines, from core aspects of animal and plant biology via the diversity and evolution of life, right to cutting edge developments within the fields of biotechnology, climate change, antimicrobial resistance and molecular ecology.
This option include a foundation year, which will provide you with a sound introduction to key elements needed for studying Biological Sciences at degree level. The Foundation year is carefully designed to build your confidence in your abilities, develop essential academic and study skills, and provide you with subject specific knowledge as a basis for success in your following three years.
This degree provides opportunities to work in our state-of-the-art laboratories, participate in field trips in the UK and abroad, and conduct your own research project. We offer exciting modules such as Chemistry of Life, where you will work in the lab to study the structure, evolution and biochemistry of the cell; Comparative Zoology, where you will learn about vertebrate anatomy, physiology and development; and The Brain in Health and Disease, where you will gain valuable insight into neurobiology and the very latest developments in brain research.
Taught on our south-west London campus, on this degree you will have access to many opportunities for work experience through our Careers Team, and access to face-to-face and 24/7 online careers support, whether you choose to live on campus or commute to us.
**This course offers all students the option of a one-year paid work placement, to boost your employability even further. If you choose this route, you will take the placement following year two of your main degree, and then return to complete your degree. A placement year is the perfect opportunity to gain valuable work experience, to build on the career skills we will teach you on this degree. The connections you make on the placement will improve your career prospects further, and equip you with the skills you need to secure graduate-level employment.**
Modules
During the foundation year, you will complete core modules in English and Mathematics, as well as an extended project which will develop your skills in carrying out research, using scholarly sources, drawing comparisons between your own research and that of others and documenting your findings. You will study two modules in Life Sciences which will give you the opportunity to explore methods of scientific thinking and reasoning in an enquiry-based way. You will also be introduced to key concepts in human physiology that are common cornerstones of the different degree programmes. In your first year, you are introduced to the key areas of Biology including molecular biology, physiology, ecology, evolution and the diversity and details of the major animal and plant groups, while also gaining knowledge in basic biochemistry, and biometrics and data handling. Focus on the key areas that interest you, from a broad range of modules, in your second year. Recent modules have covered topics including organisms and ecology; evolutionary biology and behaviour; and molecular biology, physiology and biomedicine. The Research Methods module includes the development of a research proposal on a zoological topic of your choice. A residential field course in rural south Wales provides a week-long immersion into field and lab data collection. In your final year, you may select advanced modules from any area of biology, and you will have the opportunity to specialise further. An independent research project will account for one third of the final-year assessment and allows you the opportunity to collect seminal data on a topic of your choice, advancing current knowledge in that area. You will also get the opportunity to attend a field trip based in South Africa.
Tuition fees
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What students say
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How do students rate their degree experience?
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Top job areas of graduates
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.
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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.
£16k
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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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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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