BSc Microbiology with Entrepreneurship / Course details

Year of entry: 2023

Course description

Our BSc Microbiology with Entrepreneurship course will enable you to combine science with business skills - a key driver of employability.

This course involves the study of microorganisms with particular emphasis on the biology of bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoan parasites.

Microbiologists are needed to do the research required to battle against infectious diseases worldwide, understanding the environmental importance of microbes and to exploit them for food production, biotechnological and industrial applications.

The main focus of our course is the pathogenic potential of the organisms that cause disease in man. You will also cover aspects of the biochemistry, physiology and genetics of microorganisms.

You will spend your first year learning fundamental concepts before specialising in microbiology topics in your later years.

The entrepreneurship units will be offered via the Masood (Manchester) Enterprise Centre (MEC) of the Alliance Manchester Business School at the University, exposing you to key learning in business innovation. The course also includes a year in industry on a research or business placement.

Special features

Learn alongside other entrepreneurship students

Connect with other science students with an interest in business innovation.

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

Study abroad

Industry placements are available at home and abroad where you can use your entrepreneurship and/or subject skills in a range of ways including innovation work, biotech and marketing.

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  degree courses at the end of your first year or, in some cases, later. You can only transfer onto this course if you have completed the required entrepreneurship units in Year 1.

Teaching and learning

The course consists of two-thirds of biological sciences learning and one-third entrepreneurship learning. You will learn your entrepreneurship alongside other students taking a variety of 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 .

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 essay-based exam, and some units also include a coursework element. Year 2 contributes 30% to your overall degree mark.

Placement year

You will write a scientific placement report, which is submitted and assessed when you return to University in your final year. The mark for the report, and the associated viva voce oral examination, contribute approximately 10% towards your overall degree mark.

Final year

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

You will need to acquire 20 entrepreneurship credits per year, and there is some choice in which units you choose after Year 1.

Course content for year 1

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

  • microbiology
  • biochemistry
  • genetics
  • biodiversity
  • molecular biology

In addition, you will study fundamental concepts of entrepreneurial skills and business management. The Alliance Manchester Business School will deliver core knowledge of enterprise, markets and finance, and you will build entrepreneurial skills by writing your first business proposal.

Year 1 also provides an introduction to the 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
From Molecules to Cells BIOL10232 10 Mandatory
Biodiversity BIOL10511 10 Mandatory
Genes, Evolution and Development BIOL10521 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
Exploring Enterprise MCEL10001 10 Mandatory
Entrepreneurial Skills MCEL10002 10 Mandatory
Body Systems BIOL10811 10 Optional
Introduction to Ecology EART10602 10 Optional
Displaying 10 of 13 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 unit, you have the opportunity to carry out techniques that are widely used in current biological science research.

You will gain more choice in entrepreneurship units, for example, Enterprise Strategy and Marketing or Interdisciplinary Sustainable Development.

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
Microbiology RSM BIOL20342 10 Mandatory
Organismal Biology EDM BIOL21051 10 Mandatory
Science Communication BIOL21392 10 Mandatory
Plants for the Future BIOL21202 10 Optional
Tools and Techniques for Enterprise MCEL30001 10 Optional
Tools & Techniques for Enterprise MCEL30002 10 Optional
Interdisciplinary Sustainable Development MCEL30022 10 Optional
Enterprise Strategy and Marketing MCEL30051 10 Optional
Entrepreneur: Innovator and Risk-Taker UCIL24002 10 Optional

Course content for year 3

Subject to satisfactory academic performance and placement availability, you will spend this year on your entrepreneurship placement. This may be in the UK or abroad.

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
Current Topics in Microbiology (E) BIOL31351 10 Mandatory
Advanced Technology Enterprise MCEL30011 10 Mandatory
Advanced Technology Enterprise MCEL30012 10 Mandatory
Enterprise Strategy and Marketing MCEL30051 10 Mandatory
Enterprise Feasibility MCEL30052 10 Mandatory
Enterprise in Healthcare MCEL30082 20 Mandatory
Advanced Immunology (E) BIOL31371 10 Optional
Geomicrobiology EART30831 10 Optional

Course content for year 4

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.

You will continue your entrepreneurial training and can specialise in healthcare or more broadly in feasibility and strategy.

What our students say

Find out what it's like to study at Manchester, read student stories on our blog .

Facilities

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.

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