Our integrated Master’s in Biological Sciences with Professional Training Year is aimed at aspiring researchers and those seeking a career in science. This four-year undergraduate course enables you to explore the current frontiers of knowledge in your chosen field and provides training in advanced research techniques.

The Biological Sciences course provides the greatest possible choice and flexibility in the study of all aspects of biology, allowing you to choose modules across virtually the whole range of subjects on offer at the School.  You can tailor your degree to your own interests as they develop choosing to focus on a particular aspect of biology, such as organisms, ecology or the environment, or opting to study a wider range of topics.

Your third year is spent on a professional work placement related to your degree. Experience shows that this greatly enhances your subsequent employment prospects.

This course will enable you to increase your scientific understanding, as well as developing both your academic skills (critical appraisal, evaluation and analysis of data) and practical, presentation and written skills.  Ultimately, we aim to produce graduates who are employable, well-informed, versatile and enthusiastic ambassadors for science.

The knowledge and skills that you develop during the MBiol course will make you employable in a broad range of biological careers including research, healthcare, publishing and teaching.  The skills acquired on the course are also an excellent grounding for may other career paths outside of science.  Alternatively you may wish to further your studies by pursuing a higher degree.

Distinctive features

Our degrees are closely linked to the research interests of our staff, allowing you to experience the excitement of learning in an active research environment. We attract substantial external research funding and this will enable you to make use of the latest equipment, techniques and facilities in your project work. The School also maintains a permanently staffed Field Station in Borneo, as well as leading the University’s Sustainable Places and Water Research Institutes, offering access to a wide range of exciting training opportunities.

Our degree programmes offer a high degree of flexibility giving you the freedom to shape your academic experience. You can choose to specialise in a particular area or to maintain a wide breadth of learning and explore the interdisciplinary research that underpins much of the School’s success.

"I found my Professional Training Year at the Institute of Zoology to be incredibly valuable.  I was fortunate enough to be part of an active research project that placed me alongside world leading scientists.  I gained vital experience in a range of research methods  and in publishing peer-reviewed scientific articles, and it was a very rewarding experience to be able to apply what I had learnt throughout my degree and PTY to make a contribution to the scientific literature in a burgeoning field.  My PTY has greatly encouraged me to complete a PhD and pursue a career in science."  Owen Wright - Undergraduate student