- UCAS course code
- C1V3
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course description
Our BSc Biology with Science and Society course will give you the opportunity to study both the biological sciences and their contemporary social context, combining science, the humanities and social sciences in a single course.
You will explore the changing social, ethical and political dimension of the biological sciences while also developing research, writing and communication skills.
You will learn from staff at our world-renowned Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine , whose specialisms range from the critical history and social implications of genetics to evolutionary theory, biomedical sciences and modern medical practice.
The course features science media projects where you produce a portfolio of communication materials that could include a scientific article or a podcast. There are also science communication placements through our industrial/professional experience option , where you could spend a year working in an organisation that communicates science, such as a medical writing company or a museum.
These and other elements of our course will help you to graduate with the skills and knowledge you need for non-laboratory-based science careers such as management, museum work, science communication or science policy work.
Special features
A range of study options
You can extend your degree by a year to gain industrial/professional experience .
It may also be 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
The study of science and society is taught by specialist staff from the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM).
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.
Final year
Lecture units are usually assessed by essay-based exam. Students also take two honours papers: degree programme-specific 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 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 genetics, biodiversity and microbiology.
You will also explore the relationship between science and society through study of the technologies of everyday life, the history of medicine, and the portrayal of science in resources such as literature and film.
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.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Academic Tutorials Year 1 | BIOL10000 | 10 | Mandatory |
History of Biology | BIOL10381 | 10 | Mandatory |
Introduction to Laboratory Science | BIOL10401 | 10 | Mandatory |
Genes, Evolution and Development | BIOL10521 | 10 | Mandatory |
Microbes, Humankind and the Environment | BIOL10532 | 10 | Mandatory |
Health & Safety online course | BIOL12000 | 0 | Mandatory |
Science & the Modern World | HSTM10221 | 10 | Mandatory |
Biochemistry | BIOL10212 | 10 | Optional |
Molecular Biology | BIOL10221 | 10 | Optional |
From Molecules to Cells | BIOL10232 | 10 | Optional |
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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.
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.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Academic Tutorials Year 2 | BIOL20000 | 10 | Mandatory |
Science & Society RSM | BIOL20302 | 10 | Mandatory |
Science Communication | BIOL21392 | 10 | Mandatory |
From Cholera to COVID-19: A Global History of Epidemics | HSTM20031 | 10 | Mandatory |
The Crisis of Nature: Issues in Environmental History | HSTM20092 | 10 | Mandatory |
Island Biodiversity RSM Field Course | BIOL20182 | 10 | Optional |
Tropical Ecology & Conservation (RSM Field Course) | BIOL20552 | 10 | Optional |
Urban Biodiversity & Conservation RSM | BIOL20872 | 10 | Optional |
Genome Maintenance & Regulation | BIOL21101 | 10 | Optional |
Proteins | BIOL21111 | 10 | Optional |
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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.
Please note the course units listed below are just a small selection and do not represent the number and breadth of course units available on this course.
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.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Academic Tutorials Year 3 | BIOL30000 | 0 | Mandatory |
Projects | BIOL30030 | 40 | Optional |
Life Sciences Enterprise Project | BIOL31080 | 40 | Optional |
Science Communication Project | BIOL31220 | 40 | Optional |
HSTM Project | BIOL31250 | 40 | Optional |
Madness and Society | HSTM30832 | 10 | Optional |
The Nuclear Age: Global Nuclear Threats from Hiroshima to Today | HSTM31212 | 10 | Optional |
From Sherlock Holmes to CSI: a history of forensic medicine | HSTM32011 | 10 | Optional |
Climate Change & Society | HSTM33201 | 10 | Optional |
Climate Change and Society | UCIL33201 | 10 | Optional |
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What our students say
I've really enjoyed the variety on my course and being able to shape my degree so it's best for me. I like the ability to choose subjects outside the box to give you a variety of skills. After I graduate I plan to work in science journalism and hopefully one day become a teacher.
Sandy Jackson
The staff in the (History of Science, Technology and Medicine) Centre are so approachable. If you are having trouble with an essay, or don't understand a lecture, you can pretty much ask anyone and they are eager to help you.
Gemma Reed
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 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.