Biology
Entry requirements
Including grade C in Biology if studying one other science subject (Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Psychology, Environment Science, Geography, Geology); OR grade B in Biology if not studying another science subject. General Studies and Key Skills not normally accepted.
Pass required in a science related programme
Points can include a relevant Extended Project (EPQ) but must include a minimum 2 full A-levels, or equivalent. Please contact us for more information.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
Grade C/4 in English, Maths and and Double Award Science (or equivalent), if not demonstrated by the Level 3 qualification/s.
Pass required including H6 in Biology.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
In Applied Science (other subject areas may be considered on a case-by-case basis).
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
To include a minimum of 4 merits in Biology modules. Modules accepted include: Animal Biology; Animal Anatomy and Physiology; Animal Behaviour and Communication; Animal Breeding and Genetics; Biochemistry and Biochemical Techniques; Biochemistry and Microbiology; Fundamentals of Science; Genetics and Genetic Engineering; Inheritance and Genetic Manipulation; Physiology of Human Body systems; Physiology of Human Regulation and Reproduction; Wildlife Populations, Ecology and Conservation. (Other Biology-related modules considered case-by-case.)
Minimum of 5 Scottish Highers - some subject specific grades/Advanced Highers may be required.
T Level qualifications are accepted on a case by case basis.
UCAS Tariff
We will accept this qualification in conjunction with other level 3 qualifications.
About this course
This Master in Biology is an extended undergraduate programme which allows students to graduate either with BSc (Hons) at the end of the third year or with a Masters degree at the end of the fourth year. If at the end of Year 2 a sufficient standard is achieved, then progression onto the Masters year will be permitted following completion of Year 3. The fourth year offers a unique opportunity to conduct an extended research project either in the laboratory or in the field, and to further develop or expand upon the skills and interests already developed.
Biology covers the entirety of life on earth, and considers the unity and diversity of organisms. In our biology degree, you will learn about microbes, plants and animals, and receive a thorough grounding in cell and molecular biology, ecology and evolution. You will also be able to take modules from across a wide range of disciplines and subject areas – the options range from marine ecology to medical genetics.
This degree strongly emphasises evolutionary, ecological and environmental aspects of the life sciences, and students can choose to focus more on fundamental biological processes and mechanisms, theoretical developments or applied biology. Alternatively, you can stay broad and pick modules to suit your own interests. Our degrees benefit from our exceptional local range of terrestrial and aquatic habitats, and we have our own botanical gardens and natural history museum to use in practical classes and field trips. We are also part of the Environment Centre Wales, which is a partnership venture between Bangor University and the Natural Environment Research Council’s Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH). This partnership and the wide and varied areas of expertise of our biology staff allow us to offer a diverse set of biological modules and projects to all our students.
This Biology degree provides an excellent foundation in plant and animal biology from the molecular level to the community and biosphere. We provide a diverse set of laboratory and field experiences, supporting the development of transferable skills in data analysis, writing and presentations, IT applications, group work and more. Once you reach years two and three, your optional modules come into their own and you can specialise in one or more of the many areas where Bangor academics do cutting-edge science – including aspects of stress biology, energetics, adaptation to change, population genetics, biogeography, molecular ecology, climate change and carbon stores, cell and genomic biology, environmental micro-biology, neurobiology and development. As a biology student can also choose optional modules from related subjects like forestry, conservation and the human sciences, and can tailor their degrees to deliver the combination of experiences, skills and knowledge they are most interested in developing.
‘Placement Year’ and 'International Experience Year’ options are available for this course. You will have the opportunity to fully consider these options when you have started your course at Bangor and can make an application for a transfer onto such a pathway at the appropriate time. You can find more information about these options on our website and if you have any questions, please get in touch.
If you don’t have the required qualifications for this degree-level course or are looking to re-enter education after time away from study, then a Foundation Year Programme might be the right choice for you. Please see Biology (with Foundation Year) C10F.
Modules
For details of the modular structure, please see the course description on Bangor University's website.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Bangor University
School of Natural Sciences
What 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.
Biology
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.
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.
£16k
£20k
£23k
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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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:
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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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