Biology, BSc (Hons)

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Course Overview

A deep academic understanding of life on Earth is now more important than ever. Studying living organisms in all their amazing variety is fascinating and helps us to identify critical threats and major opportunities, from the smallest scale to the largest. This three-year biology degree gives you the flexibility to explore natural life wherever your interests lie.

Local, residential, and international field courses allow you to work in varied habitats. You can explore the spectacular marine coastal ecosystems, freshwater environments, and terrestrial habitats of the Gower Peninsula on our doorstep.

You will benefit from excellent teaching facilities for ecological, physiological, and molecular studies, including new laboratory facilities, the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research, a zoology museum, a custom-designed 18-metre research vessel, and a unique visualisation suite to explore in unrivalled detail complex animal movement and behaviour data. In your final year, you will complete a research project which may be field-based, laboratory-based or purely analytical.

Why Biology at Swansea?

  • 11th in the UK for Research Quality (Complete University Guide 2025)

Biology at Swansea University has a strong reputation and draws students from across the world and is based on our stunning Singleton Park campus overlooking Swansea Bay.

Your learning will be shaped by inspirational and internationally-renowned academics including Professor Rory Wilson – Chief Scientific Consultant behind National Geographic’s Great Migrations, and Dr Richard Unsworth – advisor on the globally acclaimed BBC series Blue Planet II.

Your Biology Experience

  • A flexibly structured degree path means you have the opportunity to study abroad, work in industry or undertake research for a year, either locally, nationally or overseas.
  • Field courses available near and far allow you to work varied habitats, exploring the amazing natural areas on our doorstep, and natural life in distant lands such as India, Borneo, and the Red Sea.

Biology Employment Opportunities

Our graduate have become Ecologists, Project Officers, Hydrometry and Telemetry Officers, Benthic Taxonomists, Wildlife and Education Officers, Animal Keepers and Crop Technicians.

Our department has strong connections with international and national organisations such as Natural Resources Wales, The British Mammal Society and The National Wetlands Centre Wales which will add value to your studies.

Find out why our students love studying Bioscience at Swansea.

Watch the sea trials of our new catamaran-class survey vessel, the R.V. Mary Anning

Find out about how we are helping to restore seagrass habitats

Modules

You will study the following set compulsory modules and select from a choice of optional modules over the course of your degree. In your final year you will take a ten-week 30-credit biosciences research project module which can be field-based in the UK or overseas, laboratory-based or purely analytical.

Biology, BSc (Hons)

Biology with a Year Abroad, BSc (Hons)

Biology with a Year in Applied Research, BSc (Hons)

Biology with a Year in Industry, BSc (Hons)