Biology
Entry requirements
A level
Biology including a pass in the practical element (Applied Science may be considered)
Pass Access to HE Diploma overall with a minimum of 118 UCAS tariff points including 18 credits in Biology at Merit
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Including grade 5 in Higher Level Biology
BTEC in Applied Science/Animal Management
Only acceptable if studied in addition to A level Biology at grade B
UCAS Tariff
Points can be from any qualification on the UCAS tariff, but must include at least 80 points from A levels BTEC Subsidiary Diploma, Diploma or Extended Diploma OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma, Diploma or Extended Diploma CACHE Diploma or Extended Diploma Irish Leaving Certificate Scottish Highers Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma or a combination of appropriate Level 3 qualifications
About this course
**Biology at Hull is all about ‘hands-on’ learning, with options including genetics, cell biology, physiology, evolution, conservation and environmental change.**
You can also take modules from other subject areas, including human biology, biochemistry, geography and environmental science – allowing you to build a course to suit your interests and ambitions. We offer a practical Biology with Education module to final-year students, many of whom go on to postgraduate teacher training. Our research informs our teaching. This course could also see you investigating topics such as the evolution of sex, the genomics of crop pests, or genetic adaptation to environmental stress.
We pride ourselves on our unique blend of laboratory and field-based practical teaching, as we recognise the need to work across disciplinary boundaries to solve global issues. Guided by our award-winning experts, you’ll gain industry-standard lab skills in cutting-edge techniques like genetic analysis, microscopy, DNA sequencing and DNA programming. The field, analytic and lab skills you’ll learn here are much in demand, and you’ll get the chance to engage with employers in a range of local organisations and businesses.
This flexible programme gives you the opportunity to follow your interests into specialist areas or, if you prefer, you can keep our options open and develop a broad knowledge of the science of living things.
**Official Team GB partners**
Did you know that the University of Hull is the official University Partner of Team GB? Our united belief is that anyone, with the right opportunities ahead and a dedicated team behind, can achieve extraordinary things. This is what our partnership with Team GB is built on. Extraordinary is in you – and we’ll help you find it.
What does this mean for you? It means that whether you’re studying sports science, or marketing, or logistics, or healthcare, or engineering, you’ll be able to gain invaluable experience through this unique partnership.
We are working with Team GB to create opportunities for volunteering and work experience, to get involved with meet-and-greet sessions with Olympians, host on-campus talks from guest speakers and so much more. Some of our students recently helped Team GB athletes get their kit ready to compete in preparation for the Minsk 2019 European Games. It’s an extraordinary partnership, and you won’t find it anywhere else.
Find out more at hull.ac.uk/teamgb
Modules
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Chemistry of Life
Cells and Organelles
Principles of Genetics
Diversity of Life
Evolution
Optional modules
Ecology (With optional Dive Training)
Human Physiology
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Genetic Analysis
Professional and Research Skills for Biologists
Optional modules
Evolutionary Biology
Molecular Cell Biology
Conservation Biology
Animal Form and Function
Green Planet
Behavioural Ecology
Fish Ecology
Year 3
Choose one of the following
Independent Research Project
Structured Research Project
Biology in Education
Optional modules
Human Evolution and Genomics
Field Studies (Biology)
Sex and Social Behaviour
Molecular and Medical Parasitology
Insect Biology
Extinction
Ecotoxicology
Wildlife Ecology and Management
Practical Conservation
Cancer Biology
All modules are subject to availability and this list may change at any time.
Assessment methods
You'll be assessed through a combination of written, practical and coursework assessments throughout your degree.
Written assessment typically includes exams and multiple choice tests.
Practical is an assessment of your skills and competencies. This could include presentations, school experience, work experience or laboratory work.
Coursework typically includes essays, written assignments, dissertations, research projects or producing a portfolio of your work.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
The University of Hull
Faculty of Science and Engineering
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.
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.
Biology (non-specific)
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
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.
Biology (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.
Top job areas of graduates
The recession was tough on biology graduates, and although the jobs market has improved for them - a lot - it's still not back to where it was a few years ago. If you want a career in biology research — and a lot of biology students do - you'll need to take a doctorate, so give some thought as to where you might do it and how you might fund it (the government still funds doctorates for good students). A lot of graduates also take 1 year Masters courses to specialise in this wide and deep subject - most students take a standard biology course for their first degree and then specialise in subjects like ecology, conservation or marine biology later. Hospitals, universities, biotech firms, zoos and nature reserves and clinical and scientific testing are common industries of employment for biology graduates.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Biology (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.
£19k
£22k
£26k
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 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?
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