Biology (with Foundation Year) BSc (Hons)

Big data – it’s a phrase that a lot of people would argue is overused, or at least not always used in the appropriate context. So, what is it really? How is it made and how do we make sense of it?

You learn how big data is not just abundant but a growing field in so many aspects of our society from policing and conservation to health and bioinformatics. You explore how groups and communities use and share big data to help keep themselves safe in disaster zones around the world. You begin to value the role data plays in helping to make sense of community relationships in society, from uncovering criminal networks, tracking disease outbreaks to developing a deeper understanding of our ecology.

Data might end up in a data-frame spreadsheet format but it doesn’t begin there. It is often created with people and animals engaging with each other and technology. You explore how search engines collate and store the data we need to help make predictions, enhance decision making, or simply to better understand society’s needs.

This is a 20-credit module.

This module provides an overview of fundamental concepts in chemistry and their application in the context of environmental and life sciences

Chemistry is the study of the structure, properties and reactivity of elements and compounds, and plays a key role in all physical, life and applied sciences. The topics covered include the structure of the atom, the periodic table, chemical bonding, chemical reactivity, environmental science, biogeochemistry, pollution, green chemistry and climate change.

This is a 20-credit module.

This module is based around a series of laboratory sessions. The first sessions emphasise important foundation skills, such as how to work safely in a practical environment and how to properly document practical work. These are followed by a series of sessions based on your wider academic interests including the basics of microscopy, handling microorganisms, safe handling food, using volumetric glassware and investigating acid base titrations.

This is a 20-credit module.

You focus on how science can help address some of the global grand challenges that face society. A group project enables you to develop innovative answers to some of the biggest issues of our time based on health and wellbeing, resilient and secure societies, digital and creative economy, sustainable environments and learning for the 21st century. The themes reflect the University’s focus on externally facing research that makes a real, practical difference to the lives of people and the success of businesses and economies.

You explore the diversity of life on earth and the concept of evolution. You consider Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection to demonstrate relationships between species, the principles of taxonomy and speciation, and how they relate to the evolutionary tree.

You are introduced to the physiological processes, cellular organisation, homeostasis, metabolism, growth, reproduction, response to stimuli and adaptation - all hallmarks of living organisms equipping diverse species to survive and thrive.

This is a 20-credit module.

You gain an appreciation of how knowledge of issues in health and disease relate to modern society. You focus on the life sciences from a human perspective, develop an understanding of human biology and explore the role of different but interconnected life science disciplines in modern life. While reviewing life science from an interdisciplinary context, you examine the major human body systems – cardiovascular, respiratory, excretory, endocrine, nervous, digestive, skeletal and reproductive.

This is a 20-credit module.

Gain basic knowledge of human anatomy and an understanding of the mechanisms associated with control and regulation of the physiological processes of the major organ system. Homeostasis is the key theme throughout the module, as you explore interrelationships between human functions and the organisational hierarchy to develop and increase your understanding of how the body functions. You also study the construction of biological profiles for human identification including sex, age at death, stature determination and biological affinity. This knowledge is used in the context of identification and recovery of human remains, the regulatory aspect of handing human remains and ethical issues related to human tissue research.

This is a 20-credit module.

You focus on multicellular organisms such as animals and plants to introduce physiology, population biology, ecology and the complexity of ecosystems. You develop these themes with discussion, problem solving and quantitative techniques. You think about the relevance of the biological processes introduced to our human societies. You take part in first-hand experience of animal and plant biological surveying in the natural environment.

This is a 20-credit module.

Study the key principles of biochemistry, including the structure of the atom, chemical bonding and the forces that operate between molecules, chemical reactions and biological pathways. Investigate the chemistry of carbon and why this element is capable of forming the complex three-dimensional molecules that make life possible. Crucial groups of biological molecules are studied in detail, including proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids.

This is a 20-credit module.

Examine the complex biodiversity and ecology of the microbial, plant and animal worlds and the importance of their conservation. Address the process of evolution and how it has led to the diversity of life and the world we now inhabit. Explore how evolution by natural selection has been studied and how the use of modern molecular techniques has enabled new discoveries, such as the domain of archaea. You are introduced to the techniques used to measure and monitor biodiversity.

This is a 20-credit module.

You increase your understanding of biological processes at the cellular level. You explore eukaryotic cell architecture and function with a molecular and mammalian focus. You learn about cell division, the cell cycle, genetic organisation of cells, DNA replication and gene expression.

This is a 20-credit module.

You are introduced to a range of microscopic organisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. You explore microbial cell structure and function, microbial growth, microbial diversity, and the importance of microbes in the environment, industry and human health.

You gain an introduction to ethical issues central to biosciences. You understand the use of animals to advance knowledge of physiological processes for animal and human health and disease, and the development of new therapies. The 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) are introduced as a framework for the ethical use of animals in research. You explore ethical issues of human participation in research, including the use of stem cell-based technologies. Good practice in experimental design, sampling, and statistical analysis are discussed to mitigate ethical issues. You discuss and debate ethical issues sensitively, supported by evidence.

This is a 20-credit module.

You develop a broad understanding of bioprocesses and selecting appropriate bioreactors for selective products. This includes bioreactions, principles of microbial fermentation with specific examples (medium constituents, choice of feedstock, media preparation), fermentation conditions (examples, types, mode of operation of fermenters) and design of bioreactors. You discuss fundamental products of fermentations and scaling up fermentation.

This is a 20-credit module.

Gain an understanding of the human metabolism, endocrinology and clinical biochemistry. Examine metabolism, the chemical processes that occurs in living organisms, in the context of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, cellular respiration and metabolism of drugs. Discuss endocrinology and review the mechanisms underpinning hormone action, the roles of second messengers and endocrine system disorders. Enzyme kinetics and enzyme regulation is a significant topic. Explore the methods used for collecting, measuring and analysing clinical samples in the biomedical lab. Learn the principles and applications of clinical biochemistry investigations used in screening, diagnosing, treating and monitoring disease.

This is a 20-credit module.

You gain a solid foundation of the immune system and its role in protection against microorganisms and maintaining human health. You learn about the functional organisation of the immune system, the immune cells and chemical mediators, antibodies, and cellular processes related to the innate and adaptive immune responses.

This is a 20-credit module.

You are introduced to a range of modern molecular biology concepts and techniques. You address general molecular biology, molecular biology of genetic diseases, and using molecular biology for applications such as the production of recombinant proteins, and biomedical science forensics. The new age of molecular biology is underpinned by gene/genome sequencing, sequence analysis and sequence manipulation. You explore the principles of sequence analysis and how these techniques have revolutionised molecular biology. Particular attention is on the technique of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). You learn the bioinformatics concepts around visualising and analysing DNA sequence data, and basic molecular data analysis. You gain insight into the theoretical aspects of molecular biology and bioinformatics, and learn the basic techniques of modern molecular biology such as DNA purification, PCR, restriction digestion, and nucleic acid analysis through agarose gels and sequencing.

This is a 20-credit module.

You are introduced to the study of animal behaviour and welfare. This encompasses evolutionary function, interactions of animals with their environment and each other, and a thorough understanding of how an environment can impact their wellbeing. You gain a comprehensive introduction to the scientific approach of studying, quantifying, and interpreting animal behaviour and welfare, including how human interaction can change behaviour and impact welfare. You focus on examples from literature, which illustrate important principles of animal behaviour, taking a mechanistic and a behavioural approach. You are encouraged to discuss the complex issues of animal welfare from a scientific, ethical, and practical perspective and become aware of the relationship between the animal and its environment. You design, conduct, analyse, and interpret animal behaviour and assess welfare. You select an animal species of your choice and discuss the influence of captivity on animal behaviour, including impacts to welfare.

This is a 20-credit module.

You explore the nature of drugs as chemicals, which interact with cellular mechanisms at the molecular, systemic and behavioural level. You focus on the treatment and prevention of disease and understand the nature of adverse effects of drugs and other chemicals within living systems.

This is a 20-credit module.

You explore how complex interactions shape the distribution and abundance patterns of species in the natural environment. You examine the ecology of populations and communities, and how the integration of powerful new molecular biology technologies can inform the study of ecology and ecological interactions. You explore the underlying theories used to explain the observed spatial and temporal patterns of diversity and the measurements to quantify it. These topics are aligned to current issues, enabling you to appreciate the environmental, ethical and socio-economic concerns raised by ecological studies. By sampling natural environments, you develop your ecological fieldwork, laboratory and data interpretation skills.

This is a 20-credit module.

The life-course model is one of the most important ideas in public health. There are many influences on health and wellbeing, including social, environmental, and economic factors. Some help promote health, such as a healthy diet, education and income. Others, like smoking, alcohol misuse and poor education, have the opposite effect. The life-course approach looks at the critical stages of life, and the different influences on health. An evidence-based approach helps you understand key issues, from preconception to early years, adolescence, working life, into older age.

This is a 20-credit module.

You develop the necessary entrepreneurship skills to understand the process of business start-up and introduce the necessary tools to manage nutrition, medical, biotech and the healthcare sector ventures. You gain awareness of the real-world challenges associated with the launch of a healthcare product from laboratory bench to the bedside. You learn to research the market for gaps, design a product to fill that unmet need and develop a business plan.

This is a 20-credit module.

You complete an in-depth, independent investigation into a specialist aspect of your field of study. You bring together a range of practical and academic skills developed in previous years of study.?This process acts as a capstone experience requiring analysis, evaluation of data and critical reflection on the potential risks, moral and ethical issues. This involves significant individual contribution. You are supported by an academic staff member as your research supervisor, who acts as a mentor and guides you through. You communicate your independent research by producing a research poster and journal article, helping you develop essential skills which mirrors professional practice, for example at scientific conferences and for publication.

This is a 40-credit module.

You explore key areas where biological-based technologies have the potential to offer more sustainable solutions to environmental problems. You consider the complementary and multi-disciplinary analytical techniques used to understand and ensure the sustainable management of different ecological systems.

This is a 20-credit module.

You explore the biogeographical distribution of species and how this can inform conservation practices. Focusing on the distribution of species at a range of scales, biogeography provides an important theoretical framework where ecosystem services, and the increasing impact of human activity on global biodiversity and ecosystem functions, can be evaluated. You explore the contribution of habitat destruction, fragmentation and invasive species to biodiversity losses. You examine underlying principles in biogeography, including the historical development of the discipline, and investigate how they can inform effective conservation practices targeted at preventing biodiversity losses. You explore how endangered species are characterised, the selection and design of conservation areas, and the legal and policy frameworks to support conservation efforts. You understand the concepts and quantitative aspects of biogeography and conservation, and experience it direct in the natural environment.

This is a 20-credit module.

Modern biology has become a data-driven science. The Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies started a new era in the study of genetics, revealing new insights into the pathophysiology that underpins living organism's behaviour. Massive data produced daily with low cost presents a significant challenge for data storage, analyses and management solutions. Bioinformatics is a relatively new field that aims to address these challenges by constructing novel software for the analysis, management and interpretation of the vast amounts of biological data. You cover the fundamental principles of genome analysis and bioinformatics. You learn how to access publicly available biological resources and how to retrieve information about genomic, proteomic and transcriptomic sequences. You use online and standalone tools to analyse big datasets and discover meaningful biological insights, learning how to display the results appropriately. You enhance your critical thinking by studying the literature and using scientific methodologies to interpret your findings. You complete practical exercises involving the analysis of predefined datasets.

This is a 20-credit module.

You further your understanding of the molecular, cellular, and whole organism ageing processes. You address how ageing occurs by the accumulation of damage to molecules, cells, and tissues, resulting in a loss of function and increased risk of death. Ageing is a major risk factor for many diseases, including dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. You address advances in intervention mechanisms, which have contributed to the reduction of disease risk and development in an ageing population.

This is a 20-credit module.

You explore how modern clinical microbiology can be used to detect, diagnose and control infectious diseases. You extend your understanding of the molecular basis of microbial pathogenesis, allowing you to explore how modern molecular biology techniques have been employed to define the nature of host-pathogen interactions.

This is a 20-credit module.

You are introduced to current trends associated with animal use in scientific research. Existing knowledge of the 3Rs and animal welfare is extended to further your understanding in the context of current areas of research and societal interest. You explore the legal requirements associated with research on living organisms, and appropriate housing and husbandry. Examples are drawn from a laboratory and farm environment, and beyond. Various career pathways linked to the use of animals in research are showcased.

This is a 20-credit module.