Applied Bioscience

Applied bioscience is the discipline that bridges fundamental biological knowledge and its practical application in healthcare, environmental science, agriculture, biotechnology and industry. It recognises that the biological sciences are at their most useful when their findings and methods are brought to bear on real problems: developing new diagnostics and therapies, understanding how ecosystems function and how they can be restored, improving the safety and sustainability of food production, and driving the biotechnological innovations that are reshaping medicine and industry. Studying applied bioscience means developing both the scientific foundations of biology and the practical skills to apply them.

At the University of the West of Scotland, this four-year full-time degree gives you a thorough grounding in cell biology, microbiology, biochemistry, genetics, physiology and the laboratory techniques that underpin modern biological science. You will develop the practical and analytical skills required in applied contexts, including experimental design, data analysis and scientific communication. The programme includes a sandwich year with work placement opportunities and a year abroad, giving you the chance to spend substantial time in a professional or international scientific environment.

This combination of practical placement experience and exposure to scientific education in another country considerably enhances your employability and professional development. Typical entry is around 136 UCAS tariff points.

Graduates from applied bioscience programmes go on to work in the NHS, clinical and medical laboratories, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, environmental consultancies, food science and food safety, regulatory agencies, public health organisations and research institutions. The applied orientation of the degree means graduates are well prepared for roles that require both scientific knowledge and the practical ability to use it in professional settings. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in specialist areas such as microbiology, molecular biology, clinical science, environmental biology or biomedical research.