Are you interested in the evolution of animal behaviour, the genetic engineering of crops or the hidden worlds of molecular and cell biology? Are you curious about how plants and animals will respond to climate change?
Our course will teach you the full scope of life through multiple biological disciplines: from bacteria to blue whales, from enzymes to ecosystems. For the first two years you’ll develop an in-depth understanding of the general processes that govern life on Earth, before specialising according to your interests in the latter half of the degree programme. As you develop your practical skills you’ll become involved with research, giving you the opportunity to contribute to biological discoveries.
Laboratory technical skills and fieldwork will form an essential part of your training. You will learn key techniques and methods for the life sciences early in the degree and then have opportunity to apply them when identifying your own research questions of interest. You will also receive training in fieldwork techniques both at our stunning University of Stirling campus and during on-campus and residential field courses.
Our staff, active in international research, will ensure you have the skills and in-depth knowledge required for any of the diverse careers in biology. All research (100%) from Biological and Environmental Sciences was rated as having either outstanding or very considerable impact (REF 2021).
We’re also ranked top 5 in Scotland for Biology (The Guardian University Guide 2023).
Training is provided in laboratory and field skills across the entire scope of biology, from cell biology through physiology to ecology.
During Semesters 1-4 you’ll take core modules in Cell Biology, Physiology, Genetics and Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity. You’ll learn practical skills in Natural Sciences and Quantitative Techniques and do a field course for ecology and identification skills. Additionally, you can select from modules offered in Ecosystem, Environmental and Aquatic Sciences.
During Semesters 5 – 6 you’ll take a core module in Plant Ecology and Physiology and you’ll also take five modules from a range of options in animal and human biology.
In Semesters 7-8, our range of specialist half-modules allows you to specialise in an area of biology that particularly interests you. You’ll undertake an independent research project and study between four or six advanced modules from a range of options. Final-year projects are a challenging yet valuable part of our degrees. In recent years, students on the Biology course have completed projects within the broad disciplines of Animal Behaviour, Plant Physiology and Ecology, Animal Ecology, Molecular Cell Biology, Parasitology, Molecular and Population Genetics. Projects are supervised by our staff, but may also be carried out in conjunction with an external organisation
