BSc Genetics with a Modern Language

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

• Biosciences
• Chinese Studies
• East Asian Studies
• French Studies
• German Studies
• Italian Studies
• Japanese Studies
• Modern Languages and Cultures
• Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies

AAA - AAB, including two of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics (the Core Sciences). You must have a minimum of grades AB in at least two Core Sciences. Applicants predicted/who have achieved AAB in their A levels will receive an offer of AAB. Those predicted/who have achieved AAA or higher will be eligible for an offer of AAA.

If you are taking only one of the above Core Science subjects, we can consider you for an AAA offer if you are also sitting an A-level in at least one of Geography, Psychology, Environmental Studies or Physical Education in place of the second Core Science. If your predicted grades are one grade below our minimum entry requirements we may still make you an aspirational offer if you meet our contextual criteria .

Subjects with overlapping content are not normally considered as separate A-levels. For example, Further Mathematics is not considered alongside Mathematics and Human Biology is not considered alongside Biology. If you are concerned there is too much overlap in your A level subjects, please contact us for advice before applying.

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken. Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.

Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

Language entry requirements

In addition to the above, each language has specific entry requirements.

• French: an A-level in French (minimum grade B if taking two Core Sciences, or A if taking one and a soft science) or equivalent is required.
• German: an A-level in German (minimum grade B if taking two Core Sciences, or A if taking one and a soft science) or equivalent is required.
• Spanish: an A-level in Spanish (minimum grade B if taking two Core Sciences, or A if taking one and a soft science) or equivalent is required.
• Italian: an A-level in Italian (minimum grade B if taking two Core Sciences, or A if taking one and a soft science) or equivalent is required.
• Japanese: no prior knowledge of Japanese is assumed, but evidence of linguistic proficiency is required, eg GCSE grade 7 or A in a foreign language. Chemistry AS-level (minimum grade B) is essential. If you do not have AS-level Chemistry, we would require a full A-level in Chemistry (minimum grade B).
• Mandarin: no prior knowledge of Mandarin is assumed, but evidence of linguistic proficiency is required, eg GCSE grade 7 or A in a foreign language. Chemistry AS-level (grade B) is essential. If you do not have AS-level Chemistry, we would require a full A-level in Chemistry (minimum grade B).

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

AAB - ABB including specific subjects.

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken. Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.

Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

Contextual offers are available for applicants who:

• live in the UK and will be under the age of 21 on 1 September of the year they will start their course; and
• live in an area of disadvantage or with low progression into higher education; and
• have attended a UK school or college for their GCSEs or A-levels (or equivalent qualifications) that has performed below the national average over multiple years.

See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.

ABB including specific subjects.

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken. Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.

Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

UK refugee/care-experienced offers are available for applicants who:

• have been looked after in care for more than three months; or
• have been granted refugee status by the UK government or have been issued a UK visa under one of the Ukrainian schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Family Scheme or Ukraine Extension Scheme).

See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.

35 - 36 points overall. 6,6,5 to 6,6,6 in Higher Level subjects including two sciences, normally Biology and Chemistry.

For degrees with French, German, Spanish or Italian, 5 or 6 points in the language must be achieved at Higher Level.

For degrees with Mandarin or Japanese, 5 points is required in a foreign language at Standard Level. A minimum of 5 points in Chemistry at Standard Level (or Higher Level) is essential.

Applicants studying the International Baccalaureate Career Related Programme (IBCP) should contact the admissions team prior to applying so that their academic profile can be considered.

Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade 4 or C in GCSE/IGCSE English Language and Mathematics. GCSE/IGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/IGCSE English Language.

Please note that if you hold English as a second language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of  our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications  or achieve a higher grade in your IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact the admissions team in your academic School/Department for clarification.

All applicants to the University (from the UK and Overseas) are required to show evidence of English Language proficiency. The minimum English Language requirement for this course is either:

GCSE/IGCSE English Language grade 4/C, or;

IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.5 in any component, or;

An acceptable equivalent qualification.

Please note that if you hold English as a second language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of  our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications  or achieve a higher grade in your IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact the academic School for clarification.

If you need to improve your English language skills to meet the entry requirements for your academic course, the University Centre for Academic English (UCAE) summer pre-sessional courses can help. Check if your academic course offers the option of taking a pre-sessional course on the UCAE page .

The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires that every student requiring a visa to study in the UK must show evidence of a minimum level of English Language (common European Framework (CEFR B2 level) to be granted a Student Route visa (previously known as a Tier 4 visa) to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

In addition, our academic Schools/Departments may require applicants to demonstrate English proficiency above the B2 level. Further information about our English Language policy, including a list of some of the English Language qualifications we accept, can be found  here .

Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For entry in 2025 the tuition fees were £9,535 per annum for home students, and are expected to increase slightly for 2026 entry.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Mature students are some of our most well-equipped learners, bringing skills and attributes gained from work, family and other life experiences.  Students come from a whole array of backgrounds, study every kind of course, undertake full-time and part-time learning and are motivated by career intentions as well as personal interest.  There is no such thing as a typical mature student at Manchester.

The application process is the same as for other prospective undergraduates.  If you require further clarification about the acceptability of the qualifications you hold please contact the academic School(s) you plan to apply to.  Further information for mature students can be found here ( http://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/mature-students/ )

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. 

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

• biochemistry
• genetics
• biodiversity
• 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.

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

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.

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

Subject to satisfactory academic performance and placement availability, you will spend this year overseas on your modern language placement.

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.

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

This course has  Advanced Accreditation  from the Royal Society of Biology.

Advanced Accreditation recognises academic excellence in the biosciences, highlighting degrees that contain a significant research element and educate the future leaders of research and development.

The criteria require evidence that graduates meet defined sets of learning outcomes, including gaining substantial research experience.

In recognition of this, a graduate of an advanced accredited course can apply for membership of the Royal Society of Biology at  Member (MRSB)  level after just two years of practice, rather than the usual three.

These graduates can attain the qualifications of Chartered Biologist or Chartered Scientist one year sooner than graduates from other courses.