Applied Biosciences BSc (Hons)
Study level: UndergraduateHNC/HND courses
Applied biosciences explores life at all levels from chemicals, molecules and cells to organ systems, laying the foundation for a career in human health and disease.
Course option
Year of entry
Location
CU Coventry (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Part-time
Sandwich
Duration
3 year - Degree
2 year - HND
1 year - HNC
Flexible part-time
UCAS codes
CF11 / 112C / 11FC
Start date
April 2024
June 2024
Course overview
The course aims to provide you with a solid grounding for building a career in the health and bioscience sectors.
- It explores life at all levels from chemicals, molecules and cells to organ systems. You will also explore human health and illness and how they are managed in the context of contemporary research, as well as how populations, communities and the environment influence health and illness.
- Course content and assessments have been designed to help you develop theoretical knowledge and understanding, as well as the practical skills to enhance your career and academic opportunities.
- Each year, the course is reviewed to ensure it includes the major causes of illness and death globally as researched by the World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as the major causes of sickness absence from the workplace, to give you a well-rounded understanding of the way disease affects human life.
Why you should study this course
The course aims to develop autonomous scientists of the future - so you will know where and what to look for as you face scientific challenges throughout the course.
Bioscientists work all over the world in a wide variety of jobs and careers that require knowledge and application of science, from research to business and from regulation to teaching (The Science Council 2019). Settings include research and development laboratories (for example microbiology, marine science and immunology), biotechnology companies, classrooms, sales representatives and the food and drink industry.
How can we help?
Chat with an advisor now or leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
What you'll study
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
How you'll learn
This course is available as a full-time three-year or optional four-year sandwich course, the latter incorporating a work placement or study year in a related field2. Alternatively, part-time study is also available.
Our teaching methods are varied, offering several teaching styles to suit the needs of all our students, so in addition to lectures, we also utilise a blended learning approach, including online aspects, workshops and group work. Additional support is available via email and our online learning platform, Aula.
Progression through the modules develops knowledge and skills, including communication (written and oral), study skills, research methods, project management, presentation and career development. We will also encourage you to consider your employability and/or entrepreneurial development.
Unlike traditional institutions, there are no end-of-year exams. Instead, learning is assessed through coursework and phase tests, which are more reflective of our learning model.
Teaching contact hours
Full-time
If you choose to study full-time you can expect up to 20 hours of learning activities per week, made up of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, online classes and independent learning.
Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 30 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.
Part-time
If you choose to study part-time you'll usually receive up to eight hours per week of blended learning, including classes, tutorials and online learning. Outside of this, there will also be independent study and online support. Please note: part-time courses run subject to numbers.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
Assessment
The learning outcomes of modules, assignments and projects will be clearly stated. Your work will be marked according to how well you achieve these learning outcomes and your final feedback will refer to each outcome, as well as providing an overall percentage grade.
Assessment methods vary and include: practical class and project performance, written practical reports, project thesis, laboratory experiments, tutorial tasks and assessments.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.
International experience opportunities
You may have the opportunity to attend international visits2 with academic or industry collaborative partners. Furthermore, a number of modules across the course may have collaborative online international learning (COIL) projects embedded within them, allowing you to gain valuable experience working with peers, both at Coventry University and global collaborative institutions.
Please note that all international experience opportunities may be subject to additional costs, competitive application, availability and meeting applicable visa and travel requirements are therefore not guaranteed2.
Entry requirements
Typical offer for 2023/24 entry.
Fees and funding
2023/24 tuition fees.
Student | Full-time | Part-time |
---|---|---|
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man | £7,950 per year | Not available |
EU | £7,950 per year with EU support bursary** £18,300 per year without EU support bursary** |
Not available |
International | £18,300 per year | Not available |
For advice and guidance on tuition fees3 and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see the university’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.
We offer a range of international scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees3 cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.
If you choose to do a work placement2, you should consider travel and living costs to cover this. There is also a tuition fee3 of £1,250 that will cover your academic support throughout your placement year.
The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees3:
- Any optional overseas field trips or visits.
- Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).
*Irish student fees
The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.
**EU Support Bursary
Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.
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How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the government's Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.
If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.
Facilities
All our facilities are located at Mile Lane4. Our building has been designed to enable collaboration, creativity and innovation to flourish, and includes (subject to availability):
- indoor and outdoor social spaces, including a café
- a library that includes loan laptops, over 115,000 eBooks and a silent study area
- open access IT suites and 83-inch teaching screens
- engineering lab, science lab and a moot courtroom
- student support and careers advice teams
Careers and opportunities
On successful completion, you will be able to:
- understand the fundamentals of biological and chemical sciences, including cell biology, chemistry and physiology. You will develop a core understanding within the sciences, with applications to industry and the health sector
- develop appropriate research and analysis techniques, alongside the ability to undertake reliable scientific research activities
- operate, lead and collaborate in a team to solve problems of a practical (experimental) nature and to provide appropriate solutions
- apply appropriate presentation and evaluation tools to establish the significance of research data produced.
With a degree, your chances of employment are improved and the level at which you enter the job market could mean a higher salary.
On graduation, you will have a portfolio of employability skills across a range of science disciplines, which could give you an advantage over other candidates. You could go on to work in different disciplines including studying towards postgraduate qualifications, working within laboratory-based industries, technical posts within education or industry, research technician or even teaching in science. The degree also provides you with a strong set of transferable skills valued by employers.
Where our graduates work
Graduates have gone on to work at a number of nationally and internationally renowned companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, HelloFresh, Oxford Immunotec and ALS Environmental.
Further study
Graduates have progressed into further education, undertaking a master’s degree in related subjects such as Biotechnology, Cancer Research, Pharmacology and Drug Discovery, Molecular Microbiology, Medical Sciences and Polymer Chemistry.
How to apply
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UK students
Full-time UK undergraduate students apply through UCAS. Otherwise, you will need to apply to CU directly. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
If you'd like further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form
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International students
International codes:
CUCU039International students should apply to CU directly. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
How to applyFor further support for international applicants applying for an undergraduate degree view our International pages or Coventry University Group's International hub.
If you'd like further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form
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Disclaimers
Coventry University together with Coventry University London Campus, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the “University”) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.
1Accreditations
The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.
2UK and international opportunities
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or International opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel COVID and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the visa requirements, please contact the International Office.
3Tuition fees
The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.
For International Students, we may increase fees each year but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.
4Facilities
Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.
Student Contract
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2023/24 contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.