BSc Immunology / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

Immunology is a highly dynamic field that impacts topical and emerging issues within both the biomedical and biological science disciplines.

Our BSc Immunology course will see you learn about the components, principles and mechanisms of a healthy immune system, and how they co-ordinate to mount safe and appropriate protection against infection. During your studies you will establish how the immune system can distinguish between healthy and damaged self and identify dangerous non-self, how it can tune responses to protect against different types of infectious agents and how responses vary when these agents are encountered in different anatomical sites, such as in the skin, gut and lung.

In addition to establishing the workings of a healthy immune system, the course will also address what underlies situations of inappropriate or insufficient immunity, such as allergy, autoimmunity and immune deficiency. Other topics include the current and emerging use of immune molecules in diagnostic and clinical intervention strategies, including therapeutic manipulation of the immune system for cancer treatment, vaccine development and transplant tolerance.

The flexible, modular nature of our course means you can follow special interests within the broader topic at the same time as you build your core subject-specific knowledge. As a core centre for Immunology research in the UK, a range of world-leading lab options are available for you to explore for your final year project work. 

Visit The Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation to find out more about immunology research at The University of Manchester.

Special features

A range of study options

You can extend your degree by a year to undertake an integrated master's, gain industrial/professional experience, study with entrepreneurship or learn a modern language.

It is possible to broaden your degree by taking units from the University College, Business and Management for all Programmes or the University Centre for Academic English in exchange for a few units from your degree.

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 between most of our bioscience courses at the end of your first year or, in some cases, later.

Teaching and learning

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.

Coursework and assessment

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.
  • 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 a combination of coursework during the unit and essay-based exam at the end of the semester.

Year 2 contributes 30% to your overall degree mark.

Final year

Lecture units are usually assessed by coursework and an essay-based exam. Students also take two course specific honours papers: synoptic essay paper and a critical analysis problem paper.

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

The final year contributes 60% to your overall degree mark.

Course unit details

This course is modular. You will study compulsory course units and choose some optional units.

Most units are assigned 10 credits and you will take 120 credits each year.

Course content for year 1

You will gain a broad introduction to biological sciences, covering key concepts such as:

  • biochemistry
  • microbiology
  • molecular biology

Year 1 also provides an introduction to essential data handling and laboratory skills required for all biological scientists.

Course units for year 1

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Academic Tutorials Year 1 BIOL10000 10 Mandatory
Biochemistry BIOL10212 10 Mandatory
Molecular Biology BIOL10221 10 Mandatory
Introduction to Laboratory Science BIOL10401 10 Mandatory
Introduction to Experimental Biology - Molecular & Cellular Biology BIOL10412 10 Mandatory
Microbes, Humankind and the Environment BIOL10532 10 Mandatory
Writing and Referencing Skills (online unit) BIOL10741 0 Mandatory
Health & Safety online course BIOL12000 0 Mandatory
From Molecules to Cells BIOL10232 10 Optional
Genes, Evolution and Development BIOL10521 10 Optional
Body Systems BIOL10811 10 Optional
Drugs: From Molecules to Man BIOL10822 10 Optional
Excitable Cells: the Foundations of Neuroscience BIOL10832 10 Optional
Chemistry for Bioscientists 1 CHEM10021 10 Optional
Chemistry for Bioscientists 2 CHEM10022 10 Optional
Fundamentals of Chemistry CHEM10111 10 Optional
Science & the Modern World HSTM10221 10 Optional
Entrepreneurial Skills MCEL10002 10 Optional
Displaying 10 of 18 course units for year 1

Course content for year 2

You will continue your studies in greater depth and begin to specialise. You will also undertake a Science Communication unit.

In the Research Skills practical unit, you will have the opportunity to use techniques that are widely used in current immunology research.

Course units for year 2

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Academic Tutorials Year 2 BIOL20000 10 Mandatory
Immunology RSM BIOL20952 10 Mandatory
Human Sciences EDM BIOL21061 10 Mandatory
Principles of Infectious Disease BIOL21192 10 Mandatory
Immunology BIOL21242 10 Mandatory
Molecules and Cells in Human Disease BIOL21351 10 Mandatory
Introduction to Virology BIOL21381 10 Mandatory
Science Communication BIOL21392 10 Mandatory
Genome Maintenance & Regulation BIOL21101 10 Optional
Proteins BIOL21111 10 Optional
The Dynamic Cell BIOL21121 10 Optional
Cell Metabolism & Metabolic Control BIOL21132 10 Optional
Cell Membrane Structure & Function BIOL21141 10 Optional
`Omic Technologies & Resources BIOL21152 10 Optional
Parasitology BIOL21252 10 Optional
Clinical Drug Development BIOL21302 10 Optional
Haematology BIOL21361 10 Optional
Organismal Genetics BIOL21371 10 Optional
Introduction to Cancer BIOL21742 10 Optional
From Cholera to COVID-19: A Global History of Epidemics HSTM20031 10 Optional
Displaying 10 of 20 course units for year 2

Course content for year 3

Final year topics reflect the current hotspots of bioscience endeavour and the research interests of our staff, and are constantly being updated.

You will undertake an independent in-depth research project that may involve supervised practical work in a laboratory, or you may choose to work on e-learning, educational, data analysis, bioinformatics or enterprise topics. 

Course units for year 3

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Academic Tutorials Year 3 BIOL30000 0 Mandatory
Advanced Immunology (E) BIOL31371 10 Mandatory
Immune Response & Disease (E) BIOL31802 10 Mandatory
Projects BIOL30030 40 Optional
Life Sciences Enterprise Project BIOL31080 40 Optional
Science Communication Project BIOL31220 40 Optional
HSTM Project BIOL31250 40 Optional
Post-Genome Biology (L) BIOL31301 10 Optional
Glycobiology: Glycan Function in Health & Disease (E) BIOL31321 10 Optional
Biochemical Basis of Disease (E) BIOL31332 10 Optional
Macromolecular Recognition in Biological Systems (L) BIOL31341 10 Optional
Current Topics in Microbiology (E) BIOL31351 10 Optional
Gene Regulation & Disease (E) BIOL31381 10 Optional
Protein Sorting (L) BIOL31411 10 Optional
Cell Signalling (E) BIOL31441 10 Optional
Neuroinflammation in Health & Disease (E) BIOL31612 10 Optional
Advanced Parasitology (E) BIOL31792 10 Optional
Tools and Techniques for Enterprise MCEL30001 10 Optional
Displaying 10 of 18 course units for year 3

What our students say

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

Facilities

Learning facilities

Our modern teaching labs are equipped for a range of biological, biomedical and immunological 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;
  • enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA);
  • histology;
  • immunofluorescence microscopy;
  • fluorescence activated cell separation (FACS).

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 immunology researchers. To support our research, we have extensive research facilities equipped with high-quality technology.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk