Biology (with Foundation Year)

Highlights

Four-year course features an integrated foundation year to prepare you for degree-level study. You graduate with the same qualification as our three-year honours degree - a BSc (Hons) Biology. Studying Biology at Bangor gives you access to woodlands, grassland, farmland and aquatic habitats.

We also have aquaria, aviaries, a herpetarium, botanic garden, study farm, herbarium, and natural history museum. Excellent experimental facilities include biological, chemical and environmental labs, environmentally controlled rooms, imaging facilities, and extensive analytical equipment. World-leading research by Environment Centre for Wales and Centre for Environmental Biotechnology aims to solve environmental issues, such as pollution, flooding and harm caused by industry.

Opportunities for fieldwork at home and abroad. Previous trips, for example, have studied the soils, forests and volcanic activity of Tenerife, and reptiles, amphibians and the desert ecology of Arizona.

Course overview

This BSc Biology (with Foundation Year) provides an alternative route to undergraduate study if, for example, you cannot meet entry requirements or would benefit from a further year of academic preparation. It provides an excellent introduction to studying a science subject at university, giving you a taste of learning at this higher level. Covering core science topics, you’ll be introduced to a range of organisms, laboratory techniques, and statistical analyses, while building your confidence, academic and research skills.

Situated next to the Irish Sea, Menai Strait and mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia), your studies take place within easy reach of a diverse range of habitats, soil types, climate and topography, ideal for field work. Extensive facilities for practical classes include Europe’s largest underground soil laboratory and our own natural history museum with various vertebrate and invertebrate specimens. We are unusual among British Universities in having our own botanical gardens, Treborth Botanic Garden, with various habitats for biological studies.

Similarly, Henfaes Research Centre facilitates studies of agriculture, including arable crops and livestock grazing, beehives, forestry, hydrology, and conservation. It also has an extensive shoreline for studying coastal salt marsh processes. Bangor University is home to the Environment Centre for Wales, a partnership with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), whose Welsh branch is based there.

We also host the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Wales. Elsewhere in Bangor, you’ll find regional offices for Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Dŵr Cymru/Welsh Water, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and North Wales Wildlife Trust (NWWT). Strong links with these employers provide opportunities for work placements and volunteering, and some contribute to teaching.

You’ll never be short of things to do. The Students’ Union offers a full range of student societies for those with an interest in all manner of animals. Endeavour, our long-standing Ocean Sciences Society, Bangor University Zoological Society, Bangor Herpetological Society, Bangor University Birdwatching Society (BUBS), and Bangor University Entomology Society regularly collaborate on social and educational events.

You can even learn to surf or dive. Read more Course options

Placement year

What is the Placement Year? This exciting opportunity allows you to spend a year working with a self-sourced, professional organisation relevant to your studies. You'll typically start between June and September of your second year and finish by the following June or September.

Placements can be UK-based or even overseas. Why choose a Placement Year? Gain practical experience that complements your academic learning Make valuable industry contacts that could open doors for future careers Strengthen your employability by gaining real-world experience.

How does the Placement Year work? With…