Biology with a Year in Professional Practice

Biology is the science of life in its extraordinary diversity and complexity. It examines how living organisms, from bacteria and viruses through plants, fungi, and animals to entire ecosystems, function, develop, evolve, and interact with each other and with their environments. At degree level, biology provides a grounding in the principles that connect all living systems, including genetics, evolution, cell biology, ecology, and physiology, alongside specialist knowledge of particular groups or processes.

It develops the practical and analytical skills needed to investigate the living world systematically and to communicate findings with rigour.

At Kent this four-year full-time programme includes a year in professional practice, giving you structured work experience in a biology-related setting during your studies. The programme is hands-on, research-informed, and globally focused, equipping you with the analytical, practical, and critical thinking skills needed to understand how living systems work and how they are affected by external forces including climate change, pollution, habitat loss, and disease. You will develop laboratory skills alongside field and computational methods, building the practical competence that biological research and applied roles require.

The year in professional practice is a valuable opportunity to test and develop your skills in a real professional environment, whether in industry, research, conservation, or public sector science.

Biology graduates find careers across a wide range of sectors. Biomedical research, pharmaceutical development, conservation and ecology, environmental management, food science, public health, science communication, education, and clinical laboratory work are among the most common destinations. The professional practice year provides an important competitive advantage in a field where practical experience alongside academic qualification is valued by employers.

Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in biology, ecology, biochemistry, conservation biology, or related fields, or proceed to professional training in areas such as medicine, dentistry, or veterinary science.