Biology

Biology at Oxford is among the most rigorous and comprehensive approaches to the subject available anywhere in the world. It encompasses the full scope of life, from the molecular mechanisms that govern gene expression and cell signalling to the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape populations, communities and ecosystems. The discipline sits at the boundary of chemistry, physics and medicine, and it addresses some of the most fundamental and consequential questions in science: how life works, how it evolved, how it maintains itself in health, and how it responds to environmental change.

At the University of Oxford you will follow a four-year programme taught within one of the world's leading research universities, where the boundaries between teaching and research are deliberately blurred. The tutorial system means you receive close, regular academic challenge from expert tutors who are themselves active scientists. You will study cell and molecular biology, genetics, ecology, evolutionary biology, physiology, and the quantitative and experimental methods that underpin modern biological research.

The four-year structure allows for significant depth of study and leads to a Masters-level qualification that is recognised worldwide.

Oxford biology graduates enter an exceptionally wide range of careers. Academic and industrial research in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and environmental science are the most direct applications, with many graduates going on to doctoral research. Medicine and veterinary medicine attract biology graduates who wish to apply their scientific understanding in clinical settings, often via graduate-entry routes.

Policy, conservation biology, scientific publishing, science communication, law and management consultancy are other destinations that value the analytical rigour and intellectual discipline an Oxford science degree develops. The quantitative and experimental skills the programme cultivates are assets in any field that depends on evidence and systematic reasoning.