BSc Biology with a Modern Language

• Improve your employability by learning a language while you study biology, including a year-long research placement overseas.
• Choose from French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin for the language component of this course.
• Apply for membership of the Royal Society of Biology at Member (MRSB) level after just two years of practice instead of three thanks to our Advanced Accreditation status.

Our BSc Biology with a Modern Language course will enable you to develop your language skills while covering a diverse range of topics within the study of living organisms.

You will be able discover areas of interest early on in your degree and choose what you want to focus on. You can keep your options open and cover a wide variety of areas, or you can identify those that interest and hopefully excite you to focus on particular biological topics.

A highlight of the course is the opportunity to go on a field course in the UK and abroad, travelling to locations chosen for the richness of their flora and fauna.

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.

Our course has Advanced Accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology , which recognises academic excellence in the biosciences and highlights degrees that educate the research and development leaders and innovators of the future.

35-36 points overall with 6, 6, 5 to 6, 6, 6 at Higher Level 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.

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 or C;
• IELTS 6.5 (with no less than 6.5 in any component);
• an acceptable equivalent qualification.

Please note that if you hold English as a Second Language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to provide 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.

The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires that every student from outside the UK and the EU must show evidence of a minimum level of English Language in order to be granted a UK visa (Student Visa) to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level. This level is often referred to as the B2 level.

Additionally, our individual Schools may ask for specific English Language proficiency levels that are necessary for their academic programmes. In most cases these requirements are likely to be higher than 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.

Career opportunities

Accrediting organisations