BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences with Placement Year Bachelor's degree at the University of Warwick
BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences with Placement Year at University of Warwick. Over the course of your studies you'll examine life at every level, from the molecular machinery inside a cell through to whole organisms and the populations they form.
About this course
Broad, flexible RSB‑accredited Biological Sciences degree exploring molecules, cells, organisms and populations across the full spectrum of biology. From the provider’s course page.
BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences with Placement Year is a Bachelor's degree (BSc (Hons)) at the University of Warwick. It runs 4 years, studied full-time.
For Biology (non-specific) graduates from this provider, 92% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 63% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £29,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Biological Sciences, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Moderate evidence Published sample: 40; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 92% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2021-23. Continuation 95% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 9 modules
- Cellular and Molecular BiologyCore30 credits
- Plant Science and ZoologyCore15 credits
- Practical skills for biologists 1Core30 credits
- Chemistry for Biological SciencesCore
- Environmental BiologyOptional15 credits
- Infection Biology and MicrobiologyOptional15 credits
- Physiology, Neurobiology, and Cell SignallingOptional15 credits
- Computational BiologyOptional15 credits
- Anatomy and HistologyOptional15 credits
Year 2 18 modules
- Genetics and GenomicsCore15 credits
- EvolutionCore15 credits
- Practical Skills for Biologists 2Core30 credits
- Ecological Principles and ProcessesCore15 credits
- Biological OceanographyOptional15 credits
- Ecology and its ApplicationsOptional15 credits
- ImmunologyOptional15 credits
- Microbial PathogensOptional15 credits
- Molecular Cell BiologyOptional15 credits
- NeurobiologyOptional15 credits
- NeuropharmacologyOptional15 credits
- Physics of LifeOptional15 credits
- Plant Molecular DevelopmentOptional15 credits
- Protein Structure and FunctionOptional15 credits
- Science and Public EngagementOptional15 credits
- Plants, People, PlanetOptional15 credits
- VirologyOptional15 credits
- Cellular Decision MakingOptional15 credits
Year 4 9 modules
- Laboratories and Assessments for Biological SciencesCore15 credits
- Research ProjectCore30 credits
- Extreme Environmental BiologyOptional15 credits
- Virology and ImmunologyOptional15 credits
- OncologyOptional15 credits
- Biological ClocksOptional15 credits
- Integrative NeuroscienceOptional15 credits
- One World Health and Neglected Tropical DiseasesOptional15 credits
- Introduction to Secondary Biology TeachingOptional15 credits
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
The course is organised so that you build outward from foundational science towards more independent, self-directed work. Early on, you'll cover core theory across the main branches of biology, alongside training in research & methods that underpins how biological knowledge is actually generated and tested. As you progress, applied practice puts that theory to work in practical and laboratory contexts, while specialist options let you follow your own interests, such as areas within molecular biology, ecology, physiology or genetics, depending on what draws you in as you go. A central part of the degree is the independent project, where you take ownership of a piece of research from start to finish, and professional skills training runs alongside this to make sure you leave equipped for work beyond the lecture theatre. The placement year sits within this structure as an extended, applied component, giving you time to test out what you've learned in a real working environment before returning to finish the degree.
Who it's for
This course suits someone who's genuinely curious about how living systems work at every scale, from the molecule to the ecosystem, and who doesn't want to narrow that curiosity down too early. If you like the idea of moving between lab-based practical work, fieldwork, and more theoretical study, the breadth here will feel like an advantage rather than a distraction. It's also a good fit for someone who wants to test biology out in practice before committing to a particular direction, the placement year appeals to students who learn well through doing, who want to see what a working scientific or research environment actually feels like, and who are willing to be patient about extending their degree by a year in exchange for that experience. You should be comfortable with independent study, since a good portion of the degree builds towards a project you largely direct yourself, and you should have the discipline to manage your own time both during term and while on placement. Most entrants arrive with A-levels or equivalent, typically within the 144–159 UCAS tariff range, though this reflects what past students held rather than a fixed requirement. If you're someone who enjoys asking why organisms behave the way they do, and who wants a degree that keeps multiple career paths open while giving you real workplace exposure along the way, this course is designed with you in mind.
Careers & job market
Across Biological Sciences courses nationally, Graduate Outcomes data shows that 85% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after finishing their degree, with 60% of those in employment in highly skilled roles or continuing into further study. Nationally, starting salaries at the 15-month mark sit in the range of £23,000 to £29,000, though this varies by role, sector and individual circumstances rather than being guaranteed by the degree itself. Looking further ahead, national figures show earnings of £20,400 to £28,800 after three years and £25,075 to £35,400 after five years, again reflecting the national picture for Biological Sciences graduates rather than outcomes specific to this university. Retention data nationally shows that 90% of students continue past their first year, either still enrolled or having completed, which gives some sense of how manageable students generally find the transition into this kind of degree. The placement year built into this course adds a further, practical dimension to your CV by the time you graduate, alongside the RSB accreditation, which is worth checking against the requirements of any professional body relevant to your intended career path.
University & format
The University of Warwick is a public, Russell Group university founded in 1965, with a student body of 25,615 across all its courses. It holds a Gold award in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 for teaching quality and is. This course runs full-time over four years, with the additional year accounted for by the placement, and is taught and assessed in English.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
With placement. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 75% |
| a Baccalaureate | 25% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at University of Warwick →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Biological Sciences graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £29,000 | £25,000 – £32,000 | 40 |
| 3 years after | £29,500 | £25,000 – £37,000 | 80 |
| 5 years after | £39,000 | £31,000 – £49,000 | 90 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 40; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in biological sciences · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Biological Sciences nationally
National figures for Biological Sciences graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 40; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Biological Sciences courses at the same study level.
Compared with 771 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
- Natural and social science professionalsSOC 2020 211 · 13% of published destinations · ASHE median £44,243
- Administrative occupationsSOC 2020 41 · 11% of published destinations · ASHE median £27,006
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 170; response rate: 62%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Biological Sciences graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Biological Sciences graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- NHS & hospital labs
- Pharma & biotech
- Universities & institutes
- Public-health bodies
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Biological Sciences graduates.
Head of School, Biological Sciences - Strategic Leadership & GrowthUNIVERSITY OF READINGEducation-Focused Assistant Professor, Biological SciencesUniversity of BirminghamBiological Structures Data Engineer I/IIIambicBiological Structures Data Engineer I/IIIambic Therapeutics, IncCrop Geneticist The James Hutton Institute, Department of Cell & Molecular SciencesEuropean Plant Science OrganisationRegional Lead, Life Sciences FM, UK, Ireland & NordicsJLLIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
92% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £29,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 9.1 out of 10: NSS 87% · in work or study 92% · continued 95%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Warwick
Biological and sport sciences across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around The University of Warwick
256 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Biological Sciences right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Warwick from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £25,000 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Warwick’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Warwick and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Warwick
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
Request information about BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences with Placement Year
Prospectus, key dates, entry and funding, free to your inbox.