Bioscience with Management

The Covid-19 global pandemic has highlighted the central role that biosciences play in understanding new diseases and their impact on human health. It has also highlighted the important role that biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have in developing, manufacturing and distributing such therapies, illustrating the synergy between basic bioscience and the industrial sector for improving human health.

Our BSc Bioscience with Management will provide you with the fundamental knowledge and applications of modern bioscience at the same time as equipping you with essential management skills. This combination offers you the opportunity to operate at the interface of many scientific and business careers. Learning with internationally recognised researchers, study on this bioscience with management degree will provide you with an academic grounding in the science that underpins modern bioscience.

You will develop a sound knowledge of scientific principles across a range of disciplines, including biochemistry, cell biology, chemistry, drugs and drug discovery, genetics, immunology, microbiology, and physiology. You will understand their applications, the opportunities for commercial exploitation and how these can be effectively managed.

Practical laboratory experience will be an important element of your degree. In tandem with your scientific understanding, you will develop practical and data analysis skills that will support an evidence-based, critical approach to scientific discovery and business applications. You will also practise creativity and team-building that drive scientific and business innovation. You will develop the technical, intellectual and social skills needed for careers in research, medicine, teaching, and the wider application of scientific knowledge in the modern workplace.

• Birkbeck's Department of Biological Sciences provides state-of-the-art, specialist laboratories and facilities at the heart of academic London.
• In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), in a joint submission with UCL, Biological Sciences at Birkbeck were ranked 11th in the UK.
• You will be taught by internationally distinguished experts who work with governments and institutions around the globe to extend the boundaries of knowledge.
• Working in close collaboration with the Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, a joint institute between Birkbeck and UCL, our department is recognised for the excellence and international impact of its research.

Applicants from Jordan who have taken the Tawjihi (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) will normally require a Foundation course for entry onto undergraduate programmes at Birkbeck. These offer the opportunity for guaranteed progression onto Birkbeck’s Bachelor programmes.

Applicants with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or A-levels will be considered for direct admission to our undergraduate degree programmes. IB requirements range from 28 to 30, depending on the course.

Students who have studied for one or two years at a recognised higher education institution in Iraq may be considered for Year 1 entry.

Careers and employability

• You will be asked to provide your personal details, home address and to confirm your residency status. As part of confirming your identity, you must provide an accepted form of photographic identification - usually a valid passport. If you are not a UK, EU/EEA national you must also provide visa documentation to confirm you have valid leave to remain in the UK.
• We ask you to upload a scan of your photographic identification. If you would prefer, you can instead bring hard copies to the Student Advice Centre. 
• Please note: Section 14 of the Terms and Conditions of Study at Birkbeck, University of London requires your registered name(s) (as listed on your identity documentation), to be used on your student record. This includes middle names, and will be the name that appears on your final award certificate. If your name has changed since you were awarded previous qualifications needed for entry, you will be asked to provide evidence of their name change. e.g. a marriage certificate, deed poll documentation or statutory declaration.

• You will be asked about your current studies, if any, and your previous qualifications. You will also be asked to upload certificates or transcripts of your previous qualifications, where relevant.
• If English is not your first language, you will be asked to provide evidence of your English proficiency. If you have not yet taken an English test, please continue with your application and you will be asked to upload the English test results prior to being invited to enrol.

• Please have your employment history to hand, with a brief overview of your responsibilities in each job or role. You may take these from your CV. Birkbeck values all your skills and experiences, not only your academic qualifications, so this information is important for your application. We also ask you to list relevant professional qualifications or training courses.

• You will be asked to write a personal statement that describes your academic abilities and your commitment to succeeding on the course you are applying for. You should aim to write an engaging, concise and well-structured statement:
  • The purpose of the personal statement is to demonstrate that you have the intellectual ability and the commitment to be a successful student on the course that you're applying for. You should give examples of where you can demonstrate success, whether that's academic or in the workplace. Keep the examples factual, and try to relate them to the course and the skills required to be a successful student.
  • Some students are afraid of coming across as boasting when they talk about their achievements. Others have concerns that their achievements are not impressive enough. Don’t let either worry to put you off applying. Show your achievements in the best possible light. We want to see your potential in your application, we don’t expect you to be a complete student at this stage. 
  • If you have an active interest in the subject you are applying for then mention them here. For example, perhaps you have attended free lectures and events; you regularly make visits to places or read certain publications. Maybe you have had a long-standing interest in the subject and you want to take it to the next level. This is your opportunity to show how you have been engaging in the subject you wish to study. 
  • If you are applying for a 4-year part-time undergraduate degree, your application will be direct to Birkbeck. As our classes take place in the evening, Birkbeck is different to other universities. Our Admission Tutors will be looking for indications that you have considered how you will be able to study successfully. You could, therefore, state why you are choosing to study in the evening. For example, you may be working or have other commitments during the day and the evening model allows you to continue with your work. 
  • If you wish to study a postgraduate course in a different subject area to that you studied as an undergraduate, first look at the entry requirements for the course that you're interested in, as some courses have more specific requirements than others. Our admission tutors will be looking at your whole application, and your professional experience will be considered alongside your previous studies. Use your personal statement to highlight how your professional experience or your personal interests may relate to the new subject area that you wish to study.