BSc (Hons) Biological Science
DURATION
3 up to 5 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
"Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, examinations may be replaced by an alternative form of assessment during the academic year 2021/2022. Please refer to the Programme Specification on these pages for further details."
Why choose this course?
Interested in the biological phenomena of life? Intrigued by the functions of microorganisms, plants, human beings, and other animals? If your answer is ‘yes’, then we need you in the world of Biological Science. Gain the technical, analytical, and practical skills for examining molecular and cellular processes present in all living organisms. You’ll learn biochemical, blood, and microbial analyses in our modern £30m science building. You’ll also have exclusive access to IT rooms for bioinformatics. You’ll even have the chance to experience our broad, flexible range of optional modules before committing to the Biological Science pathway.
You will explore many new areas in this degree. Rest assured, we are with you all the way. You will have the time of a personal tutor, who will support you in gaining subject-specific skills in scientific writing, data interpretation, and communication. Take advantage of peer support too in group workshops. Share your breakthroughs and discuss patient case studies. This programme is the stepping-stone into a wide range of scientific careers with plenty of transferable skills to enter broader fields like teaching or business.
What's the course about?
We are proud of our TEF Gold rating, which recognises our excellent teaching and support. You have 20 hours of contact time with lectures and workshops taking up about 6-10 hours per week.
In your first year, you will gain a solid foundation in topics areas such as physiology, biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology in lectures, seminars, and tutorials. You will use your theory to build on your practical skills in a well-equipped, modern laboratory.
In your second year, you will start to specialise. You will choose from a range of modules from across our Biosciences courses so you can shape your learning journey.
Work placement/study abroad option: Between your second and final year, you’ll have the option to study abroad or do a work placement for up to a year. Not only will this give you an amazing experience to talk about but will also give your CV a boost. If you’d rather go straight to your final year, that’s absolutely fine too.
In your final year, you will find that you have grown to love certain topics that you just need to delve deeper into. You can select from all modules, whether this is disease, blood, or medicine, and focus your major project or dissertation in this area.
Throughout your degree, you will be assessed in a variety of ways. This will include exams, literature reviews, portfolios, lab reports, practicals, and presentations. Coursework assessments are generally 50-100% per module. You will also take part in a 15 -credit work experience, complete with a final portfolio.
Your main campus is College Lane
This is where the creative arts, science, and health-related subjects are based. This means you’ll share the campus with future nurses, scientists, artists, and more. You can use the common rooms to relax with friends, work out in the 24-hour gym or have a drink in our on-campus pub or cafes. We also have restaurants for you to eat in or grab something on the go. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.
This course includes the options of:
- Work placement
- Study abroad
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
What will I study?
Degree programmes are structured into levels, 4, 5, and 6. These correspond to your first, second, and third/final year of study. Below you can see what modules you’ll be studying in each.
Part-time study
If you are studying part-time you will have up to 7 years to complete your course from registration. You will complete 60 credits per year and the modules you will study each year will depend on how they fit together on the timetable. For some modules, there are several sessions run for each workshop and practical. As a part-time student, you will be able to choose the slots that fit best when you are at the University for other teaching sessions.
Level 4
- Human Physiology with Pharmacology II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Practical and Transferable Skills II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Molecular Biology and Genetics II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Core Biochemistry II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Cell and Microbiology II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Chemistry for Biologists II 15 Credits II Optional
- Molecular Structure and Reactivity II 15 Credits II Optional
Level 5
- Bioscience Research Methods II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Principles of Immunology II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Genes and Genomes II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Cell and Molecular Biology II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Bioscience Work Experience II 15 Credits II Optional
- Microbiology of Disease II 15 Credits II Optional
- Cytology and Histopathology II 15 Credits II Optional
- Blood Sciences II 30 Credits II Optional
- Biology of Disease II 15 Credits II Optional
- Pharmacology II 30 Credits II Optional
- Biochemistry II 30 Credits II Optional
- Biochemistry for Pharmacology II 15 Credits II Optional
- Chemistry and Analytical Science II 30 Credits II Optional
Level 6
- Project II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Clinical Microbiology II 15 Credits II Optional
- Year Abroad: Bioscience II 0 Credits II Optional
- Sandwich Placement; Bioscience II 0 Credits II Optional
- Applied and Integrated Pharmacological Science II 15 Credits II Optional
- Neurobiology and Disease II 30 Credits II Optional
- Translation of Science into Medicine II 15 Credits II Optional
- Molecular Medicine II 15 Credits II Optional
- Cell Differentiation and Development II 30 Credits II Optional
- Applied and Integrated Molecular Science II 15 Credits II Optional
- Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology II 30 Credits II Optional
- Cellular and Molecular Pathology II 30 Credits II Optional
- Applied and Integrated Biomedical Science II 15 Credits II Optional
- Therapeutic Pharmacology II 30 Credits II Optional
- Advanced Biochemistry II 30 Credits II Optional
- Advanced Biochemistry II 30 Credits II Optional
Study abroad
An opportunity for an amazing experience, which will help make you stand out from the crowd. With more and more companies working internationally, the experience of living in another country can make a great impression on future employers.
This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a sandwich year abroad. The University has partnerships with over 150 universities around the world, including the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and closer to home in Europe.
If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee to the partner university and no tuition fee to us either. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.
Work placement
Graduate with invaluable work experience alongside your degree and stand out from the crowd.
This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a work placement sandwich year. It’s a chance to explore career possibilities, make valuable contacts and gain sought-after professional skills.
Our dedicated Careers and Employment team are here to help guide you through the process. Current employers and job titles are listed below:
- GlaxoSmithKline: Data Management - Uxbridge,
- Guy's Hospital: Drug Research Unit - London,
- Imperial College: Toxicology Unit, Faculty of Medicine - London,
- Medical Research Council - Mill Hill,
- Medifix Adhesive Products - Luton,
- Mount Vernon hospital: Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust Institute of Reconstructive, Plastic and Burns Surgery Research - Middlesex ,
- MRC: Human Genome Project - Hinxton,
- National Biological Standards Board - Potter's Bar,
- Roche UK - Welwyn Garden City,
- St. Bartholomew's & The Royal London: School of Medicine - London and St.George Medical School - London,
- St.George's Hospital: Analytical Unit - London,
- Syngenta Seeds - Cambridge,
- University of Hertfordshire: Biodeterioration Centre - Hatfield.
If you take up a work placement between your second and third year of study, at the University of Hertfordshire you’ll pay no tuition fee for this year. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.
What if I need support?
You’ll get a personal tutor to guide you through your course, all the way to graduation.
You might also want or need extra support during your time with us. Rest assured, no matter what you study, we’ve got you covered. For help with study skills, including referencing, essay writing, and presentations, you’ll have access to our academic support services. You can attend workshops, 1-to-1 sessions, and online tutorials. Both our Learning Resources Centres's run drop-in study skills sessions. And the best thing is, it’s all free.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
What's next for my career?
Our Biosciences graduates are highly sought after by employers in the industry due to the reputation of our teaching, the vocational element to our degrees and the fact that many of our students already have a year's work experience when they graduate which they gain in the sandwich year. Graduates can find employment in the pharmaceutical, food and drink, agrochemical, and biotechnology industries as well as in industrial, academic, and charity-funded research. Some graduates also go on to work in health care and environment agencies. First salaries range from £12,000 to £22,000 pa.
Typical job titles of recent graduates:
- Trainee Biomedical Scientist,
- Clinical Trials Associate,
- Drug Safety Coordinator,
- Medical Representative,
- Lab Scientist,
- Microbiologist,
- Research Assistant,
- Tissue Culture Technologist,
- Donor Transplant Assistant.
Typical employers of recent graduates:
- Pfizer,
- Denfleet Pharma Ltd,
- Health Protection Agency,
- GlaxoSmithKline,
- AstraZeneca,
- NHS Trusts
- Lark Technology.
Our graduates have highly sought after. They find employment in the pharmaceutical, food and drink, agrochemical, and biotechnology industries, as well as in industrial, academic, and charity-funded research. Jobs include drug safety coordinator, lab scientist, microbiologist, research assistant, and donor transplant assistant.