Course summary

Our integrated Masters in Biology is a flexible and broad-based degree that covers biomedicine, biotechnology, genetics, ecology, and evolutionary biology. This course is ideal if you are interested in an interdisciplinary approach to biology, or wish to specialise at a later stage; you will have a wide range of options to tailor the course to your developing interests. The study of life ranges from the chemistry of single molecules to understanding how populations of different species respond to changes in the environment. Driven by cutting-edge technologies, we now live in an era where medicines can be tailored to individuals and the genomes of novel organisms can be sequenced in less than a day. An explosion of discoveries relating to how cancer develops, predicting the effects of climate change and harnessing the biotechnological potential of organisms to produce fuel, food and medicines makes the biosciences one of the most exciting and relevant subjects of the 21st century. The integrated Masters course introduces a four-year programme that specifically focuses on the skills needed for a career as a research scientist. During this time you work with researchers within one of the UK’s top bioscience departments to learn specialised techniques; you will gain experience in a research lab doing pioneering work at the forefront of their field. You also undertake specialist research training and take Masters-level modules. Adding a year in industry or a year abroad are both an option with this course too, so you can benefit from the advantages that a year away can bring. The Department of Biology will provide you with the opportunity to learn in new, spacious and modern teaching laboratories which provide excellent facilities for practicals and small group project work, alongside our state-of-the-art computing facilities.