Biology
Biology is the science of life in all its forms, asking how living organisms are built, how they function, how they evolved and how they interact with each other and their environments. It is one of the most diverse of the sciences, spanning the molecular precision of cell biology and genetics through the ecological complexity of entire ecosystems, and encompassing the study of microbes, plants, animals and everything in between. Whether your interests tend towards cell and molecular biology, genetics and evolution, biotechnology, plant and microbial systems, whole organisms, or field ecology and conservation, a biology degree gives you the conceptual and practical foundations to engage seriously with all of these areas.
Anglia Ruskin University's three-year full-time programme covers this breadth of biological science, developing your ability to evaluate aspects of life at all scales, including the ways in which life is under threat from habitat loss, climate change and human activity. The programme develops strong laboratory and field skills alongside the theoretical understanding that contextualises them. The typical entry tariff for this programme is around 88 UCAS points, reflecting ARU's commitment to widening access to biological science education.
You will study core areas of biology from the molecular to the ecological, developing practical competence in laboratory techniques including microscopy, cell culture, PCR and genetic analysis alongside field biology skills relevant to ecology and natural history. The programme encourages an integrated understanding of biology, making connections between molecular mechanisms and their ecological consequences and between evolutionary processes and the patterns of diversity we observe in the natural world.
Graduates of biology programmes work in research laboratories, environmental consultancies, conservation organisations, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, public health, science communication, environmental monitoring, teaching and a wide range of other roles where biological literacy is relevant. The diversity of the discipline means that career paths are genuinely wide, and many graduates find that their biology training opens doors in areas they did not initially anticipate. Postgraduate study in specialist areas including ecology, genetics, molecular biology, conservation biology or biomedical science is a well-established route for those who wish to develop deeper expertise.