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Need advice and help with biology Highers

Can someone please tell me what options do I have if I have a biology degree.
Although my dream is to be a surgeon and I understand I do need a medicine degree. If I do advanced highers in maths and biology would any uni accept me for medicine? I am not keen on chemistry and don’t want to take it for my highers.
Interested in Scottish Uni’s.
Thanks
Original post by Ally15
Can someone please tell me what options do I have if I have a biology degree.
Although my dream is to be a surgeon and I understand I do need a medicine degree. If I do advanced highers in maths and biology would any uni accept me for medicine? I am not keen on chemistry and don’t want to take it for my highers.
Interested in Scottish Uni’s.
Thanks

If I do advanced highers in maths and biology would any uni accept me for medicine?
I can't confirm which medical school will accept you (nobody can), but the following tool will help you cut down your research: https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/comparisontool/

The known unis that offer medicine in Scotland are: Aberdeen, Glasgow, St Andews, Edinburgh, and Dundee, all requiring Chemistry. Secondary subjects are in Biology, Maths, or Physics.
See the following:
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/medicine/scotland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Medical_schools_in_Scotland
https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/how-to-apply-to-medical-school-in-the-uk/medical-schools

The universities that accept Biology + a second science (where chemistry is not essential) are (if you accept required A Level subjects as substitutes for what subjects they require for Highers):
Buckingham
Leeds they advise that if you don’t do A-Level Chemistry, you should at least have Physics or Maths instead
Kent Medway they state that if you don’t take both Chemistry and Biology for A-Level, you’re advised to have Physics, Maths, Psychology or Computer Science
Newcastle their website doesn’t mention specific subject requirements, it just specifies they don’t consider General Studies, Use of Mathematics, World Development, Communication and Culture or Critical Thinking
Lancaster they say you can apply with any two of Chemistry, Biology or Psychology
Norwich (UEA)
Anglia Ruskin
Leicester
Barts
Manchester
Brunel
Sheffield
Keele
Sunderland
Plymouth they want Biology, plus another subject that’s Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology
Southampton they ask for Biology, plus another science which they say can include Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, Environmental Studies or Geography
See: https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/what-a-levels-do-you-need-to-be-a-doctor/

In other words, if you don't pick chemistry, you're out of luck for Scottish universities. Should you still want to study medicine, you would need to study at an English uni (or one outside of the UK).

Can someone please tell me what options do I have if I have a biology degree.
You typically need postgrad in order to get anywhere much with a biology related discipline, since most of them would lead into research. If you want to pivot into healthcare, you can often do so with a master's in the healthcare degree (accredited for the specific role e.g. MNC for midwifery and nursing, AfN for nutrition, HCPC, etc.).

Should you somehow wish that you did a degree in medicine, you can possibly go through the graduate entry, but it's a lot more competitive than going through the undergrad entry since there are significantly fewer places (55-70 for Scottish universities): https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/graduate-entry-medicine/
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/entry-requirements/academic-requirements/
Even then, they expect you to do Chemistry at Highers/A Level.

Alternatively, you can apply for work that either asks for degrees in any subject, or no degree at all. This can include:
Administration
Government services
Social work
Some areas of healthcare
Most areas of business (HR, marketing, accounting, sales)
IT roles
Some areas of construction
Most areas of property
Most areas of beauty and wellbeing
Creative/design and media (if you're good)
Theatre and film (if you're good)
Music (if you're good)
Anything related to writing (if you're good)
Storage
Logisitics
Armed forces and police force (if you pass certain tests, have a clean record, and are of a certain age range)
Some environmental services
Hospitality
Manufacturing
Management (if you have the relevant experience)
Retail
Care work
Travel and tourism
Charity
Entertainment (if you're good)
Translation (if you are fluent in more than one language)

If you decide to go back to college (adult college), then you can do courses that are relevant to the following:
Animal care (other than vet)
Some areas of construction and certain trades
Some areas of beauty and wellbeing
Some areas of engineering

You can go into the following areas with specific professional qualifications (irrespective of what previous qualifications you have):
Accounting
Actuary (if you have a math background e.g. A Level Maths)
Law (CILEx)
Most areas of finance
Delivery and transport (licences)
Sports coaching

Should you wish to look into doing a postgrad in an area other than biology, there are some master's degrees that accept any undergrad subjects:
Computer science (some degrees)
Anything in business (except for finance) e.g. marketing, accounting. You cannot do some business management degrees if you have done it at undergrad
Anthropology
Nursing
Some criminology degrees
Nonquantiative economics degrees
Some film degrees
Hospitality
Some media degrees
Some journalism degrees
Education
Linguistics
Social work
Some politics degrees
Some agriculture degrees
Some fine art degrees

If you want to go into specific areas of research not listed above, you would need to look into doing a conversion course prior to enrolling into the respective master's degree. These subjects include:
Economics (for quantitative degrees)
Law
Psychology
Computer science (if you want to look into advanced computer science)
There are other conversion courses for other subjects, but they are often for subjects within a similar discipline. For example, conversion courses within life sciences are suitable if you have an undergrad in a life science subject; conversion courses in physics and engineering are suitable if you have an undergrad in physics or engineering

In particular, you can sometimes get into postgrad degrees for biomed, biological sciences, etc., or anything that doesn't require a lot of chemistry.

In short, you are going to have a significantly easier time if you did Chemistry at Highers along with Biology than if you didn't.
(edited 2 months ago)
Reply 2
Original post by MindMax2000
I can't confirm which medical school will accept you (nobody can), but the following tool will help you cut down your research: https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/comparisontool/
The known unis that offer medicine in Scotland are: Aberdeen, Glasgow, St Andews, Edinburgh, and Dundee, all requiring Chemistry. Secondary subjects are in Biology, Maths, or Physics.
See the following:
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/medicine/scotland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Medical_schools_in_Scotland
https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/how-to-apply-to-medical-school-in-the-uk/medical-schools
The universities that accept Biology + a second science (where chemistry is not essential) are (if you accept required A Level subjects as substitutes for what subjects they require for Highers):
Buckingham
Leeds they advise that if you don’t do A-Level Chemistry, you should at least have Physics or Maths instead
Kent Medway they state that if you don’t take both Chemistry and Biology for A-Level, you’re advised to have Physics, Maths, Psychology or Computer Science
Newcastle their website doesn’t mention specific subject requirements, it just specifies they don’t consider General Studies, Use of Mathematics, World Development, Communication and Culture or Critical Thinking
Lancaster they say you can apply with any two of Chemistry, Biology or Psychology
Norwich (UEA)
Anglia Ruskin
Leicester
Barts
Manchester
Brunel
Sheffield
Keele
Sunderland
Plymouth they want Biology, plus another subject that’s Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology
Southampton they ask for Biology, plus another science which they say can include Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, Environmental Studies or Geography
See: https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/what-a-levels-do-you-need-to-be-a-doctor/
In other words, if you don't pick chemistry, you're out of luck for Scottish universities. Should you still want to study medicine, you would need to study at an English uni (or one abroad).


Thank you for your reply. This is really helpful.
Can I please check if you can tell me what options I could have with biology degree as in career options.
Original post by Ally15
Thank you for your reply. This is really helpful.
Can I please check if you can tell me what options I could have with biology degree as in career options.

Can I please check if you can tell me what options I could have with biology degree as in career options.
Sorry if it wasn't very clear, but your career options were mentioned above:

You typically need postgrad in order to get anywhere much with a biology related discipline, since most of them would lead into research. If you want to pivot into healthcare, you can often do so with a master's in the healthcare degree (accredited for the specific role e.g. MNC for midwifery and nursing, AfN for nutrition, HCPC, etc.).

Should you somehow wish that you did a degree in medicine, you can possibly go through the graduate entry, but it's a lot more competitive than going through the undergrad entry since there are significantly fewer places (55-70 for Scottish universities): https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/graduate-entry-medicine/
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/entry-requirements/academic-requirements/
Even then, they expect you to do Chemistry at Highers/A Level.

Alternatively, you can apply for work that either asks for degrees in any subject, or no degree at all. This can include:
Administration
Government services
Social work
Some areas of healthcare
Most areas of business (HR, marketing, accounting, sales)
IT roles
Some areas of construction
Most areas of property
Most areas of beauty and wellbeing
Creative/design and media (if you're good)
Theatre and film (if you're good)
Music (if you're good)
Anything related to writing (if you're good)
Storage
Logisitics
Armed forces and police force (if you pass certain tests, have a clean record, and are of a certain age range)
Some environmental services
Hospitality
Manufacturing
Management (if you have the relevant experience)
Retail
Care work
Travel and tourism
Charity
Entertainment (if you're good)
Translation (if you are fluent in more than one language)

If you decide to go back to college (adult college), then you can do courses that are relevant to the following:
Animal care (other than vet)
Some areas of construction and certain trades
Some areas of beauty and wellbeing
Some areas of engineering

You can go into the following areas with specific professional qualifications (irrespective of what previous qualifications you have):
Accounting
Actuary (if you have a math background, which you have)
Law (CILEx)
Most areas of finance
Delivery and transport (licences)
Sports coaching

If you want the brochure like generic information on what you can do with a biology degree, see:
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/biology
https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/careers/graduate-jobs/what-to-do-with-your-degree/what-to-do-with-a-biology-degree
https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/careers-advice/what-can-you-do-biology-degree
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/careers/careers-with-a-biology-degree
https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/careers-and-employment/biology
https://www.newscientist.com/nsj/article/what-jobs-can-you-get-with-a-biology-degree-a-new-scientist-careers-guide
https://www.milkround.com/advice/what-jobs-can-you-get-with-a-biology-degree-in-the-uk
https://environmentjob.co.uk/blog/what-can-i-do-with-a-degree-in-biology/

I personally find the list of the brochure like information for biology degrees above inaccurate because they all point to biology related careers. However, you are never limited to just doing that as I have previously mentioned. There are roughly 600+ careers with just Highers (I am not going through all of them).

If you want to look through the job profiles yourself, I recommend checking the following websites:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/sectors
https://life-pilot.co.uk/job-sectors/sectors
https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/industries/ (if for any reason you are biased against the official job profiles for the UK/England i.e. National Career Service - why? - then this is the Scottish equivalent - don't know why they insist on making this separate - which will more or less say the same thing, at least in my book).
(edited 2 months ago)
Reply 4
Original post by MindMax2000
If I do advanced highers in maths and biology would any uni accept me for medicine?
I can't confirm which medical school will accept you (nobody can), but the following tool will help you cut down your research: https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/comparisontool/
The known unis that offer medicine in Scotland are: Aberdeen, Glasgow, St Andews, Edinburgh, and Dundee, all requiring Chemistry. Secondary subjects are in Biology, Maths, or Physics.
See the following:
https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/medicine/scotland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Medical_schools_in_Scotland
https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/how-to-apply-to-medical-school-in-the-uk/medical-schools
The universities that accept Biology + a second science (where chemistry is not essential) are (if you accept required A Level subjects as substitutes for what subjects they require for Highers):
Buckingham
Leeds they advise that if you don’t do A-Level Chemistry, you should at least have Physics or Maths instead
Kent Medway they state that if you don’t take both Chemistry and Biology for A-Level, you’re advised to have Physics, Maths, Psychology or Computer Science
Newcastle their website doesn’t mention specific subject requirements, it just specifies they don’t consider General Studies, Use of Mathematics, World Development, Communication and Culture or Critical Thinking
Lancaster they say you can apply with any two of Chemistry, Biology or Psychology
Norwich (UEA)
Anglia Ruskin
Leicester
Barts
Manchester
Brunel
Sheffield
Keele
Sunderland
Plymouth they want Biology, plus another subject that’s Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology
Southampton they ask for Biology, plus another science which they say can include Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, Environmental Studies or Geography
See: https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/what-a-levels-do-you-need-to-be-a-doctor/
In other words, if you don't pick chemistry, you're out of luck for Scottish universities. Should you still want to study medicine, you would need to study at an English uni (or one outside of the UK).
Can someone please tell me what options do I have if I have a biology degree.
You typically need postgrad in order to get anywhere much with a biology related discipline, since most of them would lead into research. If you want to pivot into healthcare, you can often do so with a master's in the healthcare degree (accredited for the specific role e.g. MNC for midwifery and nursing, AfN for nutrition, HCPC, etc.).
Should you somehow wish that you did a degree in medicine, you can possibly go through the graduate entry, but it's a lot more competitive than going through the undergrad entry since there are significantly fewer places (55-70 for Scottish universities): https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/graduate-entry-medicine/
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/entry-requirements/academic-requirements/
Even then, they expect you to do Chemistry at Highers/A Level.
Alternatively, you can apply for work that either asks for degrees in any subject, or no degree at all. This can include:
Administration
Government services
Social work
Some areas of healthcare
Most areas of business (HR, marketing, accounting, sales)
IT roles
Some areas of construction
Most areas of property
Most areas of beauty and wellbeing
Creative/design and media (if you're good)
Theatre and film (if you're good)
Music (if you're good)
Anything related to writing (if you're good)
Storage
Logisitics
Armed forces and police force (if you pass certain tests, have a clean record, and are of a certain age range)
Some environmental services
Hospitality
Manufacturing
Management (if you have the relevant experience)
Retail
Care work
Travel and tourism
Charity
Entertainment (if you're good)
Translation (if you are fluent in more than one language)
If you decide to go back to college (adult college), then you can do courses that are relevant to the following:
Animal care (other than vet)
Some areas of construction and certain trades
Some areas of beauty and wellbeing
Some areas of engineering
You can go into the following areas with specific professional qualifications (irrespective of what previous qualifications you have):
Accounting
Actuary (if you have a math background e.g. A Level Maths)
Law (CILEx)
Most areas of finance
Delivery and transport (licences)
Sports coaching
Should you wish to look into doing a postgrad in an area other than biology, there are some master's degrees that accept any undergrad subjects:
Computer science (some degrees)
Anything in business (except for finance) e.g. marketing, accounting. You cannot do some business management degrees if you have done it at undergrad
Anthropology
Nursing
Some criminology degrees
Nonquantiative economics degrees
Some film degrees
Hospitality
Some media degrees
Some journalism degrees
Education
Linguistics
Social work
Some politics degrees
Some agriculture degrees
Some fine art degrees
If you want to go into specific areas of research not listed above, you would need to look into doing a conversion course prior to enrolling into the respective master's degree. These subjects include:
Economics (for quantitative degrees)
Law
Psychology
Computer science (if you want to look into advanced computer science)
There are other conversion courses for other subjects, but they are often for subjects within a similar discipline. For example, conversion courses within life sciences are suitable if you have an undergrad in a life science subject; conversion courses in physics and engineering are suitable if you have an undergrad in physics or engineering
In particular, you can sometimes get into postgrad degrees for biomed, biological sciences, etc., or anything that doesn't require a lot of chemistry.
In short, you are going to have a significantly easier time if you did Chemistry at Highers along with Biology than if you didn't.


Thanks once again. This is what I am avoiding I.e. to have bio, chemistry and maths all three together in Highers as I feel I won’t be able to get AAA in all three instead wants to focus on my grades.
So, was thinking if I could do something with Bio, Maths and English like forensic scientist degree or something. And if I don’t gets A’s in Bio then I know I will still crack English, Maths and RMPS with A’s so I can get into law. Unfortunately, Criminology where my 2nd interest is doesn’t pay well.
Original post by Ally15
Thanks once again. This is what I am avoiding I.e. to have bio, chemistry and maths all three together in Highers as I feel I won’t be able to get AAA in all three instead wants to focus on my grades.
So, was thinking if I could do something with Bio, Maths and English like forensic scientist degree or something. And if I don’t gets A’s in Bio then I know I will still crack English, Maths and RMPS with A’s so I can get into law. Unfortunately, Criminology where my 2nd interest is doesn’t pay well.

This is confusing. I thought you were set on being a doctor. If you're not and it was just an option for you, then it's not something you should really apply for. Being a doctor takes a lot of commitment, a lot of work, a lot of stress, and a long time to qualify (one year longer in Scotland). If it's not something you absolutely want to do, then I don't recommend it. A lot of people are competing for places because they really want to go into the role and it's the only thing that they ever wanted to do. The country is also short on doctors, so if you're not going to go the full distance, it's going to a waste of time and money (for everyone).

if I could do something with Bio, Maths and English like forensic scientist degree
The basis of forensic science is still more chemistry than biology. You should be fine with forensic biology degrees, but then again it's not as widely accepted for roles in forensic science, which mostly look to chemistry graduates or graduates with accredited forensic science degrees. It's highly competitive area to get into - not sure why people are so obsessed with CSI.
Having said that, you can still go into a wide variety of sectors as mentioned above - roles that require a degree in any subject or no degree at all.

so I can get into law
Like the other roles you have mentioned, it's competitive to get into law. Whilst getting onto a law degree (ideally LLBs) is not particularly difficult. Securing a training contract so you can do something more than paralegal work is difficult due to the level of competition.
Again, you can go into any work that requires a degree in any subject or doesn't require a degree at all.

Criminology where my 2nd interest is doesn’t pay well.
Criminology degrees generally don't help much unless you want to go into academia. If you want to become a forensic scientist, then do chemistry or accredited forensic science degrees (see above). If you want to become a forensic psychologist, then you should do a BPS accredited psychology degree, then later specialise in forensic psychology at postgrad. Again, these are very competitive areas to get into due to the number of applicants.
Again, with any of the degrees mentioned, you can go into roles that ask for degrees in any subject or no degrees at all.

Do note, there is the social research programme set out by the UK government (nothing from the Scottish government as far as I see): https://www.faststream.gov.uk/government-social-research-service/index.html
It's recommended that the degree you pick should contain at least 1/3 research methods and a lot of quantitative content. Degrees in criminology might qualify here, but I might go for something more research based to be sure if you are interested. If you want to be sure of what degrees they accept, you will likely need to contact them yourself:
https://www.faststream.gov.uk/contact-us/index.html
You can see the other civil service streams here: https://www.faststream.gov.uk/all-schemes/index.html
Reply 6
I know it’s confusing and I am sorry for that. I am confused myself.
So, yes my first choice and dream is to be a surgeon. However, my NAT5 scores aren’t good enough. B in Chem, B in Maths and B in biology which has really not what I thought. At this point I have to think of a plan B too.
I need AAA in all three subjects in Highers to be accepted in any Scottish uni which I am bit unsure of at this point. As after S5 there is no way going back so I am thinking of keep Biology/Chemistry and Maths. One science and Maths and give my 100% if I get an A in Highers I can do another science in Advanced Highers as a crash.
If this happens definitely medicine is my choice.

*Plan B*as I am good in English, RMPS and scored higher A’s in NAT5. If plan A fails and I score B’s in Bio and Maths I will still have my strong subjects with A’s and look into Law degree.
Reply 7
Original post by williamwalkerrr
Hey Ally15, good luck with your Highers! A biology degree is a great foundation for medicine, but you'll definitely need chemistry for most med schools (Scottish or otherwise). Maybe consider taking National 5 Chemistry this year to see how you feel? It could be less intense than a Higher.


Thanks for your reply. I have taken Chemistry, Biology, RMPS, English and Modern Studies. Dropped Maths as it’s not mandatory for anatomy.

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