Biology with Foundation Year

Biology is the science of life in all its extraordinary complexity, from the molecular machinery inside individual cells to the interactions that sustain entire ecosystems. It encompasses genetics, evolution, ecology, physiology, microbiology and the study of behaviour, and it sits at the heart of some of the most pressing questions in science and society today, from the mechanisms of disease and the development of new treatments to the conservation of biodiversity and our response to environmental change.

At the University of Keele the programme includes a foundation year, which gives you the scientific and mathematical grounding you need before the main degree begins. Across the full four-year programme, full time, you will move from the broad foundations of the discipline toward increasing specialisation in areas that reflect your own interests, which might span animal behaviour, human genetics, ecology or any of the many other threads that make biology such a rich field. You will have access to a diverse 600-acre campus that serves as a living laboratory for ecological and environmental study, alongside modern laboratory facilities.

The degree integrates practical and professional skills development throughout, so that you graduate with both the academic knowledge and the applied capability that employers value.

Biology graduates enter a wide range of careers. Healthcare and the life sciences industry employ many, in roles from clinical laboratory scientist and biomedical researcher to pharmaceutical sales and regulatory affairs. Ecology, conservation and environmental consultancy draw on the outdoor and field skills the degree develops.

Teaching, science communication, food science and biotechnology are further areas where biology graduates find rewarding work. Postgraduate study in any of the biological sciences, medicine, veterinary science, public health or environmental management is a natural next step for those who wish to specialise or pursue research.