Entry requirementsOur programmes will suit you if you have a genuine interest in the subject of life, an enquiring mind and want to take your talent for this subject as far as possible.

Entry to Biological Sciences programmes at Edinburgh is very competitive, but we consider all applications received by the relevant UCAS deadlines.

Full details of entry requirements for each programme can be found on the University website: www.ed.ac.uk/ug/63

Why choose us?The University of Edinburgh is consistently ranked one of the top 50 universities in the world.*

As an undergraduate in the School of Biological Sciences, you will study with and learn from academics who are leading in their research field.

Within our School, you will be part of a welcoming and vibrant community. We offer state-of-the-art teaching and leisure facilities and this combined with a strong emphasis in interdisciplinary research makes our School an attractive location for undergraduate students from across the globe.

The city of Edinburgh itself is a world heritage site, built on the remnants of an extinct volcano which dominates the skyline. It is a vibrant city with thriving student activities and ready access to the coast, the Scottish Highlands and major cities across the United Kingdom.

The city is a year-long cultural feast and is also home to the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh International Science Festival, the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh International Film Festival and much, much more in terms of museums, galleries and events.

Contact usIf you would like further information about studying Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, contact our Undergraduate Recruitment Officer through the email address below.

www.ed.ac.uk/biologybto.recruitment@ed.ac.uk

Tel +44 (0)131 650 5528

@SBSatEd

BiologicalSciencesEdinburgh

Biological Sciences www.ed.ac.uk/biology

Undergraduate Opportunities

*QS World University Rankings

This publication is available in alternative formats on request. Please contact communications.office@ed.ac.uk

© The University of Edinburgh. All information correct at time of going to print (May 2019). The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

Main image: ©iStock.com/saemilee

Biological Sciences_4pp_A4.indd 1-2 21/05/2019 14:32

Degrees offeredWe offer two degree pathways which lead to either a BSc Honours in Biological Sciences or Biological Sciences with Managment, specialising within one of our Honours programme disciplines.

Honours programmesWe have 12 Honours programmes which span the breadth of the biological sciences and every Honours programme is available to you when you enter.

The Honours programmes we offer are: Biochemistry; Biotechnology; Cell Biology; Development, Regeneration and Stem Cells; Ecology; Evolutionary Biology; Genetics; Immunology; Molecular Biology; Molecular Genetics; Plant Science; and Zoology.

Aspects of our Honours programmes will be explored in the early years with specialisation in later years depending on your interests. This means that we do not hold you to your initial application choice. The course choices you make as you proceed through your studies will guide your path and a provisional choice of Honours programme is made at the end of Year 2.

Accelerated programmesIt is possible to go directly into second year of the Biological Sciences degree pathway if you achieve the grades published online. This would mean that the BSc Honours degree would take three years instead of the normal four years.

On the accelerated programme, you would be required to make more specific course choices immediately, hence reducing flexibility in course choices and this may affect which Honours programmes you can pursue.

TeachingTeaching in most courses is normally through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practicals or workshops. In the first three years, students will typically have about nine hours of lectures, eight hours of practicals and one to two hours of tutorial work per week. In the final year about half of your time will be devoted to the research project.

TutorialsTutorials are normally around 15 to 20 students in size in the early years but are smaller in later years. They are normally one hour long. Teaching in tutorials will develop your analytical and critical thinking skills.

LecturesLectures can be interactive and we utilise a variety of platforms for delivery of lectures. Some lectures are recorded to enhance the student experience.

PracticalsOur practicals teach you the skills necessary to conduct biological research independently.

WorkshopsActivities are conducted in state-of-the-art teaching studios. These rooms are specially designed to facilitate cooperative group work.

Field work and field coursesThere are opportunities for doing field projects through our early year courses. Field courses* are also available in later years. Field courses are a requirement for Honours in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Plant Science and Zoology, although students enrolled on other programmes may opt to choose these courses.

*Costs are incurred for field courses.

AssessmentYou will be assessed through in course assessment and examination. Typically, up to 50 per cent of the assessment of courses is by continuous assessment such as essay writing, multiple choice question tests, practical reports and tutorial presentations.

OpportunitiesSome students have the opportunity to spend a year abroad in overseas universities in place of one of their years at Edinburgh (normally the third year). Student Exchanges are managed by Edinburgh Global and you can find out more about exchange programmes and the list of our partner universities at www.ed.ac.uk/global/exchanges

There are also a wide range of sports clubs (www.ed.ac.uk/sport) and societies (www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies) available for you to join.

Our University’s biology societies are: the Astrobiology Society, the Biology Society (BioSoc), the Biochemistry Society, the Society of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, the Synthetic Biology Society (SynBio) and the Zoological Society. You can join them once you are a student at the University.

CommunityWe encourage you to join a club or society that interests you because in addition to the social benefits, involvement in any club or society will provide you with the opportunity to boost your personal skills and give you something to put on your CV to demonstrate other skills you have developed whilst studying.

You may wish to join one of the societies related to your degree programme and this will be a great opportunity to become part of a community of biology students and hear what it is like to pursue a BSc Honours degree.

The BioPALS (peer-assisted learning scheme) are a group of Year 2 to Year 4 biology students who run sessions throughout the academic year which are aimed at helping you adapt to university life and study.

SupportUniversity life can bring personal and academic challenges throughout your degree. We intend to make sure that you are fully supported throughout your degree.

You will meet your Personal Tutor regularly throughout your time with us. He or she will help you choose your courses and discuss your progress with you, providing advice on how to make the most of your time at university.

Our Student Support Team are another source of help and advice. You can arrange 1:1 appointments with a member of the team or you can come along to one of their weekly drop-in support sessions.

Information on the full range of facilities and support available to undergraduates at the University can be found at www.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/facilities

Career prospectsOur graduates have excellent prospects and go on to a wide variety of careers.

The skill sets gained through science and engineering degrees, including organisation and time-planning, investigational and analytical skills, group working and problem-solving are highly valued across many career pathways.

Biological Sciences graduates secure roles in both research and industry and have been employed by organisations such as the Scottish Government, NHS, World Health Organisation, Roslin Institute and Charles River. Many Biological Sciences graduates also pursue further study and secure places on a range of Masters and PhD programmes.

You can apply for Year 2 entry and you may be made an offer for Year 2 entry. If, however, you have an offer for Year 1 entry, have firmly accepted this offer and meet the qualification requirements for entry to Year 2, we will contact you prior to the beginning of your studies to discuss the option of entering Year 2 directly. In this case, you don’t have to make decisions on this offer until after you have arrived at the University.

What will I study?Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh is broader and deeper than what you will have previously studied within this subject at college or school.

You will explore the breadth of the biological sciences with increasing specialisation in a subject area of interest, and you will learn key practical laboratory and other valuable skills throughout your studies which are highly valued by employers.

Degree stuctureYou will work towards your degree by taking 120 credits each year. In the first three years, this is normally six courses per year each worth 20 credits, three courses in each of the two semesters. In the final (Senior Honours) year, the 120 credits is subdivided into courses and about half of your time will be spent doing a research project, which is written up and submitted for assessment.

In the early years of the degree, you can choose to take courses from other areas of the University as elective courses. In each year of your studies, there will be compulsory courses that will be associated with your degree pathway of choice, but you will also be able to make elective course choices.

UCAS application choicesBiological Sciences C100

Biological Sciences with Management* C1N1

Biological Sciences (Biochemistry) C700

Biological Sciences (Biotechnology) J700

Biological Sciences (Cell Biology) C130

Biological Sciences (Development, Regeneration and Stem Cells) C140

Biological Sciences (Ecology) C180

Biological Sciences (Evolutionary Biology) C182

Biological Sciences (Genetics) C400

Biological Sciences (Immunology) C550

Biological Sciences (Molecular Biology) C720

Biological Sciences (Molecular Genetics) C440

Biological Sciences (Plant Science) C200

Biological Sciences (Zoology) C300

* Year 2 entry is not available for the Biological Sciences with Management degree.

Year 1 Our compulsory courses will equip you with key practical skills and introductory knowledge. We also recommend that our biological sciences students take some advised courses.

Some scope for outside courses.

Year 2 The course choices you make will provide increasing specialisation. You will make your preferred choice of Honours programme at the end of Year 2.

Outside courses.

Year 3 You will take highly specialised courses and you will be enrolled on an Honours programme.

Year 4 This year, known as the Senior Honours year, in particular, places the student at the frontiers of modern biological research. While the structure of the year may vary somewhat from one programme to another, the objective is to encourage students to make a critical assessment of current develpments. Students will be trained in modern laboratory or field techniques through designing and carrying out their own experimental studies. Library work on research papers and individual and small-group tutorial discussions are important components of this year.

Biological Sciences_4pp_A4.indd 3-4 21/05/2019 14:33

Degrees offeredWe offer two degree pathways which lead to either a BSc Honours in Biological Sciences or Biological Sciences with Managment, specialising within one of our Honours programme disciplines.

Honours programmesWe have 12 Honours programmes which span the breadth of the biological sciences and every Honours programme is available to you when you enter.

The Honours programmes we offer are: Biochemistry; Biotechnology; Cell Biology; Development, Regeneration and Stem Cells; Ecology; Evolutionary Biology; Genetics; Immunology; Molecular Biology; Molecular Genetics; Plant Science; and Zoology.

Aspects of our Honours programmes will be explored in the early years with specialisation in later years depending on your interests. This means that we do not hold you to your initial application choice. The course choices you make as you proceed through your studies will guide your path and a provisional choice of Honours programme is made at the end of Year 2.

Accelerated programmesIt is possible to go directly into second year of the Biological Sciences degree pathway if you achieve the grades published online. This would mean that the BSc Honours degree would take three years instead of the normal four years.

On the accelerated programme, you would be required to make more specific course choices immediately, hence reducing flexibility in course choices and this may affect which Honours programmes you can pursue.

TeachingTeaching in most courses is normally through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practicals or workshops. In the first three years, students will typically have about nine hours of lectures, eight hours of practicals and one to two hours of tutorial work per week. In the final year about half of your time will be devoted to the research project.

TutorialsTutorials are normally around 15 to 20 students in size in the early years but are smaller in later years. They are normally one hour long. Teaching in tutorials will develop your analytical and critical thinking skills.

LecturesLectures can be interactive and we utilise a variety of platforms for delivery of lectures. Some lectures are recorded to enhance the student experience.

PracticalsOur practicals teach you the skills necessary to conduct biological research independently.

WorkshopsActivities are conducted in state-of-the-art teaching studios. These rooms are specially designed to facilitate cooperative group work.

Field work and field coursesThere are opportunities for doing field projects through our early year courses. Field courses* are also available in later years. Field courses are a requirement for Honours in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Plant Science and Zoology, although students enrolled on other programmes may opt to choose these courses.

*Costs are incurred for field courses.

AssessmentYou will be assessed through in course assessment and examination. Typically, up to 50 per cent of the assessment of courses is by continuous assessment such as essay writing, multiple choice question tests, practical reports and tutorial presentations.

OpportunitiesSome students have the opportunity to spend a year abroad in overseas universities in place of one of their years at Edinburgh (normally the third year). Student Exchanges are managed by Edinburgh Global and you can find out more about exchange programmes and the list of our partner universities at www.ed.ac.uk/global/exchanges

There are also a wide range of sports clubs (www.ed.ac.uk/sport) and societies (www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies) available for you to join.

Our University’s biology societies are: the Astrobiology Society, the Biology Society (BioSoc), the Biochemistry Society, the Society of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, the Synthetic Biology Society (SynBio) and the Zoological Society. You can join them once you are a student at the University.

CommunityWe encourage you to join a club or society that interests you because in addition to the social benefits, involvement in any club or society will provide you with the opportunity to boost your personal skills and give you something to put on your CV to demonstrate other skills you have developed whilst studying.

You may wish to join one of the societies related to your degree programme and this will be a great opportunity to become part of a community of biology students and hear what it is like to pursue a BSc Honours degree.

The BioPALS (peer-assisted learning scheme) are a group of Year 2 to Year 4 biology students who run sessions throughout the academic year which are aimed at helping you adapt to university life and study.

SupportUniversity life can bring personal and academic challenges throughout your degree. We intend to make sure that you are fully supported throughout your degree.

You will meet your Personal Tutor regularly throughout your time with us. He or she will help you choose your courses and discuss your progress with you, providing advice on how to make the most of your time at university.

Our Student Support Team are another source of help and advice. You can arrange 1:1 appointments with a member of the team or you can come along to one of their weekly drop-in support sessions.

Information on the full range of facilities and support available to undergraduates at the University can be found at www.ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/facilities

Career prospectsOur graduates have excellent prospects and go on to a wide variety of careers.

The skill sets gained through science and engineering degrees, including organisation and time-planning, investigational and analytical skills, group working and problem-solving are highly valued across many career pathways.

Biological Sciences graduates secure roles in both research and industry and have been employed by organisations such as the Scottish Government, NHS, World Health Organisation, Roslin Institute and Charles River. Many Biological Sciences graduates also pursue further study and secure places on a range of Masters and PhD programmes.

You can apply for Year 2 entry and you may be made an offer for Year 2 entry. If, however, you have an offer for Year 1 entry, have firmly accepted this offer and meet the qualification requirements for entry to Year 2, we will contact you prior to the beginning of your studies to discuss the option of entering Year 2 directly. In this case, you don’t have to make decisions on this offer until after you have arrived at the University.

What will I study?Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh is broader and deeper than what you will have previously studied within this subject at college or school.

You will explore the breadth of the biological sciences with increasing specialisation in a subject area of interest, and you will learn key practical laboratory and other valuable skills throughout your studies which are highly valued by employers.

Degree stuctureYou will work towards your degree by taking 120 credits each year. In the first three years, this is normally six courses per year each worth 20 credits, three courses in each of the two semesters. In the final (Senior Honours) year, the 120 credits is subdivided into courses and about half of your time will be spent doing a research project, which is written up and submitted for assessment.

In the early years of the degree, you can choose to take courses from other areas of the University as elective courses. In each year of your studies, there will be compulsory courses that will be associated with your degree pathway of choice, but you will also be able to make elective course choices.

UCAS application choicesBiological Sciences C100

Biological Sciences with Management* C1N1

Biological Sciences (Biochemistry) C700

Biological Sciences (Biotechnology) J700

Biological Sciences (Cell Biology) C130

Biological Sciences (Development, Regeneration and Stem Cells) C140

Biological Sciences (Ecology) C180

Biological Sciences (Evolutionary Biology) C182

Biological Sciences (Genetics) C400

Biological Sciences (Immunology) C550

Biological Sciences (Molecular Biology) C720

Biological Sciences (Molecular Genetics) C440

Biological Sciences (Plant Science) C200

Biological Sciences (Zoology) C300

* Year 2 entry is not available for the Biological Sciences with Management degree.

Year 1 Our compulsory courses will equip you with key practical skills and introductory knowledge. We also recommend that our biological sciences students take some advised courses.

Some scope for outside courses.

Year 2 The course choices you make will provide increasing specialisation. You will make your preferred choice of Honours programme at the end of Year 2.

Outside courses.

Year 3 You will take highly specialised courses and you will be enrolled on an Honours programme.

Year 4 This year, known as the Senior Honours year, in particular, places the student at the frontiers of modern biological research. While the structure of the year may vary somewhat from one programme to another, the objective is to encourage students to make a critical assessment of current develpments. Students will be trained in modern laboratory or field techniques through designing and carrying out their own experimental studies. Library work on research papers and individual and small-group tutorial discussions are important components of this year.

Biological Sciences_4pp_A4.indd 3-4 21/05/2019 14:33

Entry requirementsOur programmes will suit you if you have a genuine interest in the subject of life, an enquiring mind and want to take your talent for this subject as far as possible.

Entry to Biological Sciences programmes at Edinburgh is very competitive, but we consider all applications received by the relevant UCAS deadlines.

Full details of entry requirements for each programme can be found on the University website: www.ed.ac.uk/ug/63

Why choose us?The University of Edinburgh is consistently ranked one of the top 50 universities in the world.*

As an undergraduate in the School of Biological Sciences, you will study with and learn from academics who are leading in their research field.

Within our School, you will be part of a welcoming and vibrant community. We offer state-of-the-art teaching and leisure facilities and this combined with a strong emphasis in interdisciplinary research makes our School an attractive location for undergraduate students from across the globe.

The city of Edinburgh itself is a world heritage site, built on the remnants of an extinct volcano which dominates the skyline. It is a vibrant city with thriving student activities and ready access to the coast, the Scottish Highlands and major cities across the United Kingdom.

The city is a year-long cultural feast and is also home to the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh International Science Festival, the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh International Film Festival and much, much more in terms of museums, galleries and events.

Contact usIf you would like further information about studying Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, contact our Undergraduate Recruitment Officer through the email address below.

www.ed.ac.uk/biologybto.recruitment@ed.ac.uk

Tel +44 (0)131 650 5528

@SBSatEd

BiologicalSciencesEdinburgh

Biological Sciences www.ed.ac.uk/biology

Undergraduate Opportunities

*QS World University Rankings

This publication is available in alternative formats on request. Please contact communications.office@ed.ac.uk

© The University of Edinburgh. All information correct at time of going to print (May 2019). The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

Main image: ©iStock.com/saemilee

Biological Sciences_4pp_A4.indd 1-2 21/05/2019 14:32