BSc Plant Science with a Modern Language / Course details

Our BSc Plant Science with a Modern Language course will enable you to develop your language skills while learning about the growth, development and productivity of plants.

To understand and exploit these processes, you will learn how to apply concepts from a wide range of biological areas to plant science, including genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry and cell biology.

We offer a rich combination of seminars and interactive events, including  field studies .

These include the opportunity to go on a field course on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca in the Easter vacation of your first year, when the orchids are in bloom. 

A tropical or UK-based field course builds on this in your second year.

We offer French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin for the language component of the course, which includes a year abroad on a research placement.

Our course has Advanced Accreditation from the  Royal Society of Biology , which recognises academic excellence in the biosciences and highlights degrees that educate the research and development leaders and innovators of the future.

Study in the field

Travel to locations in the UK or countries such as Mallorca on a  field course .

Connect with other languages students

Learn alongside other students taking a variety of language degrees at the University, giving you the opportunity to practice your skills with your fellow students and make new friends.

Foundation year available

You can prepare for the full degree course if you do not have the appropriate qualifications for direct entry by undertaking our foundation course  first.

Flexibility to transfer between courses

You can transfer away from this course to most of our biological sciences degree courses at the end of your first year or, in some cases, later. You can only transfer onto it if you have completed the required language units in Year 1.

The course consists of two-thirds of biological sciences learning and one-third modern language learning. You will learn your modern language alongside other students taking a variety of language degrees at the University.

You will benefit from a wide range of teaching and learning methods that suit the content and aims of each course unit.

These range from lectures and tutorials to practicals and research projects, including the  final year project .

Find out more about how you will learn and see a typical Year 1 timetable on our  teaching and learning  page.

Assessment methods vary widely to suit the nature of the course unit and each level of study.

• Lecture units are usually assessed by written exam (multiple choice or essay-based), which are held at the end of an academic semester in either January or May/June.
• Field courses are usually assessed via oral and written presentations, group work and/or projects.
• Practical units are usually assessed by experimental report and/or short written assignment and/or written exam.
• The proportion of independent study assignments increases during each year of study.

Year 1

Lecture units are usually assessed by e-learning activities during the unit and multiple choice exams at the end of the semester. Year 1 contributes 10% to your overall degree mark.

Year 2

Lecture units are usually assessed by essay-based exam. Year 2 contributes 30% to your overall degree mark.

Placement year

You will complete a scientific report and undergo an oral examination on your research that contributes 10% to your overall degree mark.

You will be marked out of 110% for your whole degree.

Year 4

Lecture units are usually assessed by essay-based exam.

You will also take two honours papers and examinations comprising essays and data-handling problems.

A significant part of the year (accounting for one-quarter of the overall degree mark) is the project, which is assessed by literature review and a written report.

Year 4 contributes 60% to your overall degree mark.

Find out more about what it's like to study at Manchester on the  Biology, Medicine and Health Student Blog .

Learning facilities

Our modern teaching labs are equipped for a range of biological and biomedical techniques. The following are just a few of the techniques you could undertake during your degree:

• polymerase chain reaction (PCR);
• DNA sequencing;
• gel electrophoresis;
• spectrophotometry;
• dissection and histology;
• electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG);
• immunofluorescence microscopy.

Our computing facilities include access to over 200 PCs in dedicated clusters and e-learning tools including online lecture notes, discussion boards, lecture podcasts and quizzes.

You will also have access to the University's other facilities for undergraduate students .

Research facilities

As a final year student, you have the opportunity to undertake a project in the labs of our world-class bioscience researchers.To support our research, we have extensive research facilities equipped with high-quality technology.