This is a four-year integrated masters programme aimed at developing enhanced research skills for students seeking a high-level career in research (eg studying for a PhD or working in industry). For the first three years of study, students will select one of the available pathways (Anatomy and Human Biology, Biochemistry, Bioveterinary Science, Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Pharmacology, Human Physiology, Tropical Disease Biology, Zoology, Biological and Medical Sciences or Biological Sciences) and will study a mix of theory and practical modules appropriate to the BSc Honours programmes for these areas. During the 4th (masters) year, students will take advanced modules to enhance further their research skills, will join a research team to undertake a significant research project. Students will also have the opportunity for a research internship in the UK or overseas, or to spend time working in industry in this final year. The Biochemistry pathway on this course is accredited by the Royal Society of Biology. The MBiolSci programme consists of four years of study. For the first three years, students will follow a pathway that constitutes one of our current three-year BSc Honours degree programmes.

As a graduate from this University in one of the life sciences, you will have a good set of career options ahead of you. This includes all of those opportunities for graduates in general, such as management, accountancy and human resources, where the skills you have obtained in our degree programmes will be of considerable benefit. Our degree programme is also a popular route to post-graduate medicine, dentistry or veterinary science. For those committed to a career as a research scientist, further study for a higher degree (MSc, MRes, MPhil or PhD) in our own Graduate School or elsewhere is the normal route. A postgraduate qualification (PGCE) for entry into the teaching profession is also an option, with significant financial inducements provided to meet the current demand for science teachers. Commercial sectors that actively recruit graduates from the biological sciences include the pharmaceutical, food, biotechnology, water and agriculture industries. In the public sector, biology graduates are in demand in research institutes, government departments, the Health Service, Forensic Science and the Environment Agency. There is an increasing demand for biological scientists to contribute to the public understanding of science as journalists and information/liaison officers, in view of the ethical and environmental issues raised by the development of molecular biology and biotechnology in particular.