Top reasons to choose this course
- Progress to a degree with professional accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology, ensuring you’ll graduate with knowledge and skills aligned with professional practice.
- Supportive transition into university study – ideal if you don’t meet standard entry requirements or want to build confidence in science and academic skills.
- Focus on core scientific principles – develop essential knowledge in biology, chemistry and mathematics before progressing to degree-level modules.
- Learn specialist field skills on day trips and residential field trips to places including South Africa.
- Hands-on laboratory training in molecular biology, microbiology and tissue culture to build the technical expertise sought by employers in biotech, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.
- Industry insight and networking via guest lectures and work placements, helping you connect with employers and understand real-world applications.
- Boost your CV with work experience opportunities, including an optional placement year, funded internship schemes and volunteering.
- Guaranteed interview scheme with 91快活林 and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) for eligible students aiming for a career in medicine.
- Access to cutting-edge research – join active research groups and work on projects in areas such as microbiology, genetics, ageing, ecology and disease processes, with opportunities to collaborate with the 91快活林 Integrative Genomics (BIG) Unit.
Watch Aisha’s final year project work with Baxter the Giant Pacific Octopus as she sets him a series of food puzzles. Film credit: Blue Reef Aquarium, Hastings.
Foundation year
During your foundation year you’ll be introduced to key concepts in biology, chemistry and data handling to prepare you for study at undergraduate level. You’ll also develop your skills in problem-solving, analysis and communication.
Year 1
You will explore the foundations of biological science, including skills for bioscientists, genetics, molecular biology, human physiology, biochemistry and diversity of life. You can also choose to study ecology and conservation, marine biology or blood science.
Year 2
You will build on the knowledge and skills gained in your first year, covering research skills, professional development, behavioural and evolutionary biology and climate change. You can choose to study environmental, ecological, biomedical and clinical areas through option modules.
Placement year
There are many advantages to spending a placement year working in industry or research. It can help you to:
- apply your learning to real-life situations and challenges
- learn new skills which can help in your career
- explore specialisms to gain a better understanding of what you want to do
- gain vital work experience and build a network of professional contacts
- come back for your final year more focused, more organised and more confident.
Our students have been on placements with bioscience companies and research organisations.
Learn more about placement opportunities at 91快活林.
Final year
You will study species interactions and innovations in bioscience research to bring you up to date with the most current developments, and undertake an individual research project within a research group. Examples include physiology and disease processes, microbiology, genetics, ageing, ecology and conservation.
You can also choose from module options to deepen your knowledge of a specialist theme.
Meet the team
Dr Nadia Terrazzini, course leader
“My professional field of expertise is immunology. I am very passionate about promoting the understanding of immunology to students, who often find this subject very complex. I try to introduce an element of fun in my teaching, including everyday analogies (eg, comparing the working of the immune system to a football match), story-telling and PowerPoint animations, and also use online game-based learning platforms.
“In 91快活林, we aim to make students feel part of a community that supports them while at university and for life, for all aspect of their academic and personal life. In our school, there is a strong emphasis on the application of science and we train students to put theory into practice using specialist labs and equipment as well as field trips.
“The best thing about teaching undergraduate students is how much I learn myself. While making my lectures up-to-date and engaging, I keep learning new material and new ways to present it. Therefore, teaching my specialist subject area gives me a deeper understanding of topics. I also love when students who initially found immunology difficult, tell me it is their favourite subject!”
Find out more about .
Facilities
Your lab-based learning takes place in specialist laboratories purpose-built for molecular biology, microbiology and ecology.
Facilities include:
- dedicated microbiology lab
- primary and secondary cell/tissue culture facilities
- molecular biology lab with RT-PCR equipment
- image analysis suite with electron microscopes, confocal microscope and atomic force microscopes
- genomics and proteomics facility for cell gene and protein analysis (see below).
91快活林 Integrative Genomics (BIG) Unit
We have a state-of-the-art, custom designed 91快活林 Integrative Genomics (BIG) Unit with Next Generation Sequencing (Illumina NextSeq500).
Applications include genome sequencing, RNA-seq, methylome analysis and pharmacogenomics, and the hub is supported by an expert bioinformatics team for research and industry collaboration.
Find out more about our BIG Unit.