Bachelor of Science (BSc)

BSc Biology with Science & Society

Consider the social, ethical and political dimension of the biosciences through our course.
  • Duration: 3 years
  • Year of entry: 2025
  • UCAS course code: C1V3 / Institution code: M20
  • Key features:
  • Study abroad
  • Field trips

Full entry requirementsHow to apply

Course description

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Biology with Science and Society

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 dimensions 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.

You will be able to explore some of the defining issues of today’s discourse, including climate change, pandemic, and artificial intelligence. You will gain the interdisciplinary skills to engage with these emerging areas that take form at the interface between science and society. .

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

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Biology with Science and Society with Georgia

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.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/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
Introduction to Experimental Biology - Molecular & Cellular Biology BIOL10412 10 Optional
Biodiversity BIOL10511 10 Optional
Field Course in Marine Biology I BIOL10602 10 Optional
Field Course in Mediterranean Biodiversity and Conservation BIOL10622 10 Optional
Field Course in Animal Behaviour and Diversity BIOL10642 10 Optional
Non-Residential Field Course in Ecology & Behaviour BIOL10662 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
Displaying 10 of 22 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.

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
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
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
Principles of Developmental Biology BIOL21172 10 Optional
Fundamentals of Bacteriology BIOL21181 10 Optional
Principles of Infectious Disease BIOL21192 10 Optional
Plants for the Future BIOL21202 10 Optional
Animal Diversity BIOL21221 10 Optional
Fundamentals of Evolutionary Biology BIOL21232 10 Optional
Immunology BIOL21242 10 Optional
Parasitology BIOL21252 10 Optional
Endocrinology BIOL21261 10 Optional
Body Systems 2 BIOL21272 10 Optional
Animal Physiology BIOL21281 10 Optional
Human Anatomy & Histology BIOL21291 10 Optional
Clinical Drug Development BIOL21302 10 Optional
Membrane Excitability: Ion Channels & Transporters in Action BIOL21321 10 Optional
Motor Systems BIOL21332 10 Optional
Sensory Systems BIOL21341 10 Optional
Molecules and Cells in Human Disease BIOL21351 10 Optional
Haematology BIOL21361 10 Optional
Organismal Genetics BIOL21371 10 Optional
Introduction to Virology BIOL21381 10 Optional
Animal Behaviour BIOL21432 10 Optional
Chemistry of Biomolecules CHEM21162 10 Optional
Ecology and Conservation EART25001 10 Optional
Crisis of Nature: Issues in Environmental History UCIL20092 10 Optional
Crisis of Nature: Issues in Environmental History UCIL20592 20 Optional
Displaying 10 of 39 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 history of science, science communication, 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.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/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
Climate Change and Society UCIL33501 20 Optional
Displaying 10 of 11 course units for year 3

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 .

Take a look at student Thomas' film where he discusses his time on the BSc Biology with Science and Society.

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