Welcome from the Head of School
“We hope that you enjoy this short introduction to the degrees offered by our School.
In all our degrees we aim to encourage and guide students in a programme of active learning, through which they can develop their knowledge and understanding of the latest advances in biology and genetics. Our teachers are also active in research, so you will receive the benefit of guidance from those actually involved in making discoveries at the forefront of modern biology.
Our teaching approaches are varied, with lectures, practical classes, seminars and tutorials. Our lecture and practical facilities are state-of-the-art, and our students have easy access to extensive freely available and well-supported computing facilities. All our degrees include a third-year research project, which will allow you to gain first-hand experience of biological research, typically in one of our research laboratories. Students in all degrees have a personal tutor, who will oversee both your academic progress and your general well-being throughout your degree. There is a strong emphasis on transferable and employability skills, such as in communication, systematic topic research, IT, problem-solving, and the interpretation of data.
Students in any of our degrees can choose between the three-year BSc degree and the four-year MSci degree, with the latter particularly recommended to those students who aim to progress into a research career upon graduation. There is great flexibility in the structure of our degrees, and transfers between most of our degrees can be made without difficulty, especially between the first and second years.
I hope that you will consider Nottingham for your degree in one of the Biological Sciences, and visit us to see our University Park campus and the Queen’s Medical Centre.”
John Armour
Head of School, Biology
Why Biology at Nottingham?
Nottingham is great because it’s a campus – everything you need is right here so you don’t have to travel and you make loads of friends by living in halls.
Zoology Student
The School of Biology at the University of Nottingham is one of the leading Biology Schools in the UK and is recognised internationally for its world-class research portfolio and its excellence in teaching. Our research is delivered partly through the Centre for Genetics and Genomics, one of Nottingham’s flagship research groupings, and rated Grade 5 in the last Research Assessment Exercise. Our research interests are wide ranging and span from fundamental studies in molecular biology, parasitology, develop-mental biology, microbiology and genome dynamics, through population biology, evolutionary genetics, and animal behaviour to human genetics and toxicology.
We have over 40 academic staff and draw substantial research income from the government research councils and many charities.
Teaching in the school is delivered by academics who are passionate about biology. Our leading-edge research is
incorporated into the curriculum to ensure students are always learning about the latest developments. In 2011 more than 70% of our graduating students achieved a 2(i) degree or higher.
Teaching takes place at the School of Biology in University Park, and also in the Medical School. We have state of the art lecture theatres and laboratories at both sites, with projects taking place in our research laboratories.
Students choose Nottingham for a whole range of reasons. If it’s academic excellence you are looking for then Nottingham is the place for you. Renowned internationally for our top class teaching and ground-breaking research, Nottingham is respected worldwide and offers fantastic facilities to ensure you make a success of your studies.
In independent teaching assessments, 39 of our subjects have been awarded excellent ratings of between 22 and 24 out of 24, and our scores in the latest Research Assessment Exercise put Nottingham in the top ten institutions in the UK for carrying out research of international importance.
If you’re more interested in great career prospects, then we can help with that too. Nottingham is one of the top three UK universities most often targeted by Britain’s leading graduate employers and the employment record of our graduates is one of the best in the country. We have strong and established links with businesses across the UK and offer short courses to help ensure you develop vital transferable skills. For entrepreneurial students we provide business start-up training to help you gain the skills you need to set up your own business after graduation.
We also encourage all our students to build a broad range of outside interests that will appear to employers. We have one of the most active Students’ Unions in the UK with over 150 societies where you can gain new skills, meet new people and even learn a new language.
If you want to broaden your horizons and see the world, we offer great study abroad opportunities. Nottingham is a global institution with around 30,000 students from over 140 countries, and we have more than 270 partner universities in 35 countries. As a result, every Nottingham undergraduate, no matter what course they choose, has the opportunity to travel abroad during their time at Nottingham.
For a great social life and an exciting city, Nottingham fits the bill again. Our campuses are buzzing with life, with organised events, trips and parties taking place throughout the year. For sports fans, our Athletics Union hosts over 75 clubs and we offer fantastic facilities for everything from football to bowling. Nottingham itself is a thriving cosmopolitan city, rich with history and culture, and packed full of bard, restaurants and nightclubs for you to take advantage of. With theatres, cinemas (both independent and multi-screen), comedy clubs, and a diverse mix of music venues, there is always plenty to keep you entertained.
To help you settle in, we guarantee all undergraduates a place in University-arranged accommodation so your move will be simple and stress-free. Your room will be on campus and you’ll be free to meet new people, make new friends and enjoy university life. So why not make your next step Nottingham?
The campus is stunning, especially in the summer and buzzing with activity. The city itself has everything I could have wanted as far as clubs, pubs and shops are concerned. The facilities are more than adequate and the opportunities for getting involved in sports/activities as well as your course are numerous.
Zoology Student