Biological sciences choosing universities

Hello! I am applying for biology/biological sciences. I have chosen three out of the five: University of Edinburgh, Cardiff university and university of Sussex but I'm struggling to choose the last two, between university of Lancaster, university of Sheffield, university of Keele (for Biology and Chemistry degree) and university of Liverpool. Specifically, I want the course to be general; containing all aspects and topics of biology (animal behaviour and welfare, ecology, disease, microbiology, conservation, environment etc) and some topics that fall under the subject of chemistry like pharmacology, drug design, organic chemistry and chemical analysis. Also need help regarding uni life, accomodation, area for these unis. Thank you in advance have a lovely day!

Hi there,

I'm a current University of Sheffield student studying Biology and I would really recommend applying here. I absolutely love my course because it gives you the chance to cover everything from microbiology to global ecosystems. The degree has lots of field courses including trips to aquariums, zoos, the Peak District and Borneo! A degree at Sheffield also means that you can select optional modules from the other Biosciences departments - Biomedical Science (for your drug design and pharmacology interests) and Molecular and Biotechnology (for biochemistry studies etc.).

Have you got any other questions?

Daniel
Third Year
MBiolSci Biology with a Year Abroad

Depends if you want in terms of a uni. If you want a collegiate system uni like Oxbridge or Durham and aren't that bothered by nightlife then perhaps consider Lancaster. Lancaster also has an amazing reputation and is seriously underrated! If you want a campus uni then possibly consider Keele but there isn't really much to do there if I'm honest (hence why it was my insurance and I didn't firm even though I loved the course so much). University of Sheffield is a city uni so decent nightlife but the accommodation is about a half an hour walk to campus on a hill (I went to the open day). Liverpool has amazing nightlife and things to do there. I would defo look at the modules of the courses and see what interests you the most. I know that some unis let you specialise and have lots of flexibility e.g at Exeter you can have a title such as Biological sciences (ecology) when you graduate so it's defo worth looking into what you want from the course and you can easily narrow down those four universities by city, campus or colligate

Hello! I am applying for biology/biological sciences. I have chosen three out of the five: University of Edinburgh, Cardiff university and university of Sussex but I'm struggling to choose the last two, between university of Lancaster, university of Sheffield, university of Keele (for Biology and Chemistry degree) and university of Liverpool. Specifically, I want the course to be general; containing all aspects and topics of biology (animal behaviour and welfare, ecology, disease, microbiology, conservation, environment etc) and some topics that fall under the subject of chemistry like pharmacology, drug design, organic chemistry and chemical analysis. Also need help regarding uni life, accomodation, area for these unis. Thank you in advance have a lovely day!

hey! i'm a first year student at lancaster rn doing biochemistry so same department. if you want, you could give me a list of questions and i'd be more than happy to answer i was in your exact position a year ago

how do I apply if I am an international student.

Wow this is great! Yes I have some questions, what do you mean by selecting modules from different biosciences department; I can select modules that interest me from biomedical sciences course like "biomedical techniques and drug development" and if I can how many can I choose each year? Secondly, I didn't see a module on disease, infections, viruses and immunity are they found in another module? Lastly, zoology/animal welfare (including marine biology/coral reef), and environmental biology/ecology- how deeply are these topics covered?

Hello,

Please note that the unrestricted modules are subject to change but I am drawing from the ones currently availabel at each levle of study. Currently, 1st year students can take 20 credits (out of 120) from the following biomedical science (BMS) modules: Pathobiology (10 credits), Physiology with Pharmacology (20 credits), Research topics in Bio-medicine (10), and Neuroscience (20).
2nd year students are allowed to take 20 credits from BMS, MBB (the molecular and biotechnology department), or any other university department as long as they have completed the required prerequisites. Most modules are worth 10 credits so this would likely allow you to do two modules.

For your second point, those sorts of topics are mostly covered in BMS modules as they are more directly related to medicine. The Animal and Plant Sciences (APS/ the biology department) focuses moreso on non-human biology whilst MBB focuses on things below the level of the cell. Disease, infection, and viruses are usually covered in APS in modules related to genetics. This means that heritable diseases are covered mostly.

There are a number of courses focusing on different aspects of zoology and environmental/ ecosystem biology. Take a look at the following pages to have a look at some of the contents of these modules:

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/aps/currentug/level1
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/aps/currentug/level2/modules
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/aps/currentug/level3/modules

Have you got any more questions?

Daniel
Third Year
MBiolSci Biology with a Year Abroad

hey! i'm a first year student at lancaster rn doing biochemistry so same department. if you want, you could give me a list of questions and i'd be more than happy to answer i was in your exact position a year ago