Biology (BSc)

Applicants come from a diverse range of backgrounds and we accept a broad range of qualifications. Special consideration will be given to mature applicants, and we are happy to consider applicants with other qualifications, including QAA-approved Access to HE courses.

Students from overseas should visit the International| pages for further information on the entry requirements from their country and English language requirements.  Royal Holloway International offers an International Foundation Programme and English language pre-sessional courses, allowing students the opportunity to develop their study skills and English language before starting their undergraduate degree.

We make decisions based on achieved or predicted grades, personal statements and references. More information on how your application will be assessed, and tips for your personal statement can be found on our Applying| pages.

If we are considering making you an offer, we will invite you for interview. We run an interactive day for candidates, designed to give you a real idea of what life is like here. We show you the campus and the School of Biological Sciences, give you a presentation about our teaching and research, and have you take part in a laboratory exercise. Finally, you will have an interview with a member of academic staff. 

After the interview, a decision will be made on your application, and any offer we make will be one which we think you can realistically achieve. We understand that some candidates, especially from overseas, may not be able to attend; if this is the case, our decision will be based on your UCAS application.

• Flexible degree structure; if you are undecided as to what degree you will finally take, our flexible course structure allows you to keep your options open. You can change your course within the organismal or molecular areas right up to the start of the second year, providing the degree you change to is not oversubscribed.
• Transferable skills; you learn a wide range of skills during the degree, which will serve you well whether you go into a career within or outside Biological Sciences.
• First-class facilities; we have state-of-the-art mass spectrometry, proteomics and metabolomics facilities, marine and freshwater aquaria, plant and animal cell culture, glasshouses, and an electrophysiology suite. We also have access to extensive areas of natural habitat for fieldwork and are close to sites of national scientific importance, such as Windsor Great Park, Box Hill and Chobham Common.
• Strong support network; an exceptionally friendly and welcoming environment. Because of our high staff-student ratio, we can offer teaching in small groups, even one-to-one when the need arises.
• Financial help; we offer Bioscience Entrance Scholarships for students of outstanding ability. These are worth up to £1,000 along with a guaranteed place in a hall of residence for all three years of your degree.

Practical classes are a major part of all first and almost all second year course units. In each class you undertake well defined experiments that are integral to the course units. The practical classes are either laboratory-based or, in some organismal biology course units, consist of fieldwork with laboratory follow-up. In the third year, lecture course units are highly specialised and students complete an individual research project.

In addition to the formal teaching, there is also a system of small-group tuition throughout the three years.

Highly transferable skills are built into all of the Department's degree courses, so that you learn a wide range of competencies that you can use in further research, industry or business.

Throughout the course, you will:

• gain skills in scientific and academic writing
• learn how to make professional presentations
• engage in logical thinking and debate.

All undergraduate degree courses at Royal Holloway are based on the course unit system. This system provides an effective and flexible approach to study, while ensuring that our degrees have a coherent and developmental structure.

See the School of Biological Sciences' website| for further information.

 

View the full course specification for Biology (BSc) in the Programme Specification Repository|.

Each year you take courses worth a total of four units. Each course is worth either one unit or half a unit.

Practical classes are a major part of all first and almost all second year course units and include experiments that are integral to the course units. Practical classes are either laboratory-based or field-based with laboratory follow-up. In addition to formal teaching, small-group tuition takes place throughout the three years. 

All students are assigned a personal tutor as a point of contact through the three years of the course. Support is also provided to students via the comprehensive e-learning facility ‘Moodle’ which features lecture handouts and other supporting materials including lecture slides, self-test quizzes, relevant video clips and scientific papers..

During the first and second year continuous assessment (based on essays and reports you write during the course unit) makes up 25% of your course mark; the remaining 75% is based on written examinations taken during the summer term. In the second year exams count for one third of your final degree mark.

In the third year, you will complete an individual research project in the labs of our academics. In previous years several of our students have contributed to published scientific papers. The individual research project is assessed on the basis of a written report and an oral presentation. Marks from most third year lecture course units are 20% by continuous assessment and 80% by final examination. Third year assignments include preparation of presentations, posters, mock research grant applications and scientific news-and-views articles as well as analysis of data from online repositories.  

Studying biological sciences at Royal Holloway will provide you with a wide variety of skills highly valued by employers. You will develop your ability to research and present your findings, analyse and critically assess data, work as an individual and as part of a team and manage your time effectively.

Some courses offer a study abroad option, as an additional year via our international exchange partner institutions. The School also has strong links with Operation Wallacea| allowing students to carry out conservation projects throughout the world.

The School has links with a large number of local industries which provide internships and research project placements. Our annual careers event offers you the chance to network with external speakers and previous graduates.

Our graduates are highly employable and, in recent years, have entered many different biology-related roles in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, food, brewing, agriculture and associated biotechnology industries, as well as launching careers in medicine (both in research institutes and hospitals), forensic science and microbiology. Other graduates have gone into careers in environmental consultancy, research (in universities and research institutes), veterinary medicine, agriculture, conservation, nature reserve management and forestry. Profiles of Biological Sciences graduates are online|.

Additionally, the School provides plenty of opportunities to develop your communication skills through outreach work. We host an annual Rare Disease Day| event for schools, involving speakers and researchers from around the UK. Our undergraduates are involved in event organisation and putting on activities. Our undergraduates also contribute to the annual Royal Holloway Science Festival| directing activities such as making liquid nitrogen ice-cream and extracting DNA.