- UCAS course code
- C103
- UCAS institution code
- M20
BSc Life Sciences with a Modern Language / Course details
Year of entry: 2024
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Course description
Our BSc Life Sciences with a Modern Language course will enable you to develop your language skills while covering a diverse range of topics within the biological sciences.
This course is ideal if you are committed to studying the life sciences, but have not yet decided on the area in which you want to specialise. You can then make that decision from a position of greater knowledge at the end of the first year.
The combination of units taken in the first year will enable you to transfer to most of our biological and biomedical sciences courses.
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.
Special features
Connect with other languages students
Learn alongside other students taking a variety of language degrees at the University, giving you the opportunity to practise your skills with your fellow students and make new friends.
Study abroad
Placements are available at 20 universities throughout Europe and in China and Japan.
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 sciences 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 language units in Year 1.
Teaching and learning
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.
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.
- 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, and some units also include a coursework element. 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 through a presentation and a written report.
Year 4 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.
For most languages, you will need to acquire 20 credits per year, but this can be higher for certain other languages, such as Japanese and Mandarin, which require 40 credits per year.
Course content for year 1
You will gain a broad introduction to biological sciences, covering key concepts such as:
- biochemistry
- genetics
- molecular biology
Year 1 also provides an introduction to the essential data handling and laboratory skills required for all biological scientists.
You will spend approximately one-third of your time studying course units related to your chosen language.
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 |
| Biochemistry | BIOL10212 | 10 | Mandatory |
| Molecular Biology | BIOL10221 | 10 | Mandatory |
| From Molecules to Cells | BIOL10232 | 10 | Mandatory |
| Introduction to Laboratory Science | BIOL10401 | 10 | Mandatory |
| Biodiversity | BIOL10511 | 10 | Mandatory |
| Health & Safety online course | BIOL12000 | 0 | Mandatory |
| History of Biology | BIOL10381 | 10 | Optional |
| Introduction to Experimental Biology - Molecular & Cellular Biology | BIOL10412 | 10 | Optional |
| Introduction to Experimental Biology - Human Biology | BIOL10422 | 10 | Optional |
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Course content for year 2
You will transfer onto another of our biological or biomedical sciences courses, chosen with the guidance of academic staff. You will also undertake a Science Communication unit.
Course content for year 3
Subject to satisfactory academic performance and placement availability, you will spend this year overseas on your modern language placement.
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.
What our students say
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.