- UCAS course code
- C500
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Science (BSc)
BSc Microbiology
Study the biology of bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi, with a focus on those that cause disease in humans.
- Typical A-level offer: AAA-AAB including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: AAB-ABC including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: ABB-ABC including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36-35 points overall with 6, 6, 6 to 6, 6, 5 at HL, including specific requirements
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £34,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Additional expenses
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Course unit details:
Current Topics in Microbiology
Unit code | BIOL31351 |
---|---|
Credit rating | 10 |
Unit level | Level 3 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
You will study some of the most recent advances in Microbiology including in the areas of evolutionary microbiology, antimicrobial resistance, microbial pathogenesis, synthetic/systems biology, microbiomes, CRISPR-Cas, and microbial genomics.
Pre/co-requisites
Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Fundamentals of Bacteriology | BIOL21181 | Pre-Requisite | Recommended |
Aims
To provide students with an insight into some of the most recent advances in Microbiology.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course students will have an appreciation of;
- Evolutionary microbiology
- Antimicrobial resistance
- Mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis
- Genetic engineering of microbes for synthetic/systems biology applications
- Microbiome ecology and its effects on health and disease
- Horizontal gene transfer and genome evolution
Syllabus
The syllabus will be based around 5 main themes; evolutionary microbiology, antimicrobial resistance, microbial pathogenesis, genetic engineering for synthetic/systems biology applications, microbiomes, and microbial genomics.
Employability skills
- Innovation/creativity
- Opportunity to deliver talks with a creative use of visual aids and verbal communication.
- Oral communication
- Students will record a 5 minute video on a suggested topic related to the course.
- Research
- Students will be taught from recent research articles and reviews and will have to research the topic and extract the most pertinent details for their 5 minute talk and for the written assessment.
Assessment methods
Method | Weight |
---|---|
Written assignment (inc essay) | 70% |
Oral assessment/presentation | 30% |
Written assignments (70%):
To complete one ‘News & Views’ style written assignment (open book) on subjects covered in the lectures
Oral assessment/video presentation (30%):
Record a 5 minute video on a Current Microbiology topic
Feedback methods
Individual feedback will be given on the 5 min recoded talk.
Written individual feedback will be provided for the two ‘News & Views’ style assignments.
Recommended reading
Primary papers and review articles selected by lecturers teaching on the unit.
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
---|---|
Lectures | 18 |
Independent study hours | |
---|---|
Independent study | 82 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
---|---|
Rok Krasovec | Unit coordinator |