Biology with a Foundation Year, BSc (Hons)

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Key Course Details

UCAS Code: C101
Mode of Study: Campus Based
Typical Offer (view equivalents): CDD-DDD
Location: Singleton Park Campus

Start Date	Tuition Fees - Year 1
Sep 2025	£ 9,250

4 Year Full Time With a Foundation Year

UCAS Code: C101
Mode of Study: Campus Based
Typical Offer: CDD-DDD - More Information
Location: Singleton Park Campus

Start Date	Tuition Fees - Year 1
Sep 2025	£ 22,000

Biology with a Foundation Year, BSc (Hons)

9th in the UK for Teaching*

National Student Survey (NSS) 2023

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 four-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.

Our four-year BSc Biology with an integrated foundation year is ideal for students who don't meet the necessary requirements to enter onto the first year of a degree course.

Why Biology with a Foundation Year at Swansea?

11th in the UK for Research Quality (Complete University Guide 2025)
9th in the UK for Teaching*(NSS 2023) *Based on the average positivity score across questions 1 to 4 in the NSS 2023 when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide.
Top 301-350 in the world (QS World University Rankings 2024)
95% of Graduates are in employment, study and/or study, or doing other activities such as travelling, 15 months after leaving Swansea University (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023)

At the end of the Integrated Foundation year, you will progress to a BSc Biology. If you wish to pursue a BSc in Marine Biology or a BSc in Zoology you will need to transfer onto those courses.

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 with a Foundation Year Experience

A flexibly structured degree path means you can study abroad for a year or work in industry 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 with a Foundation Year 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.

International/EU Students: Your Foundation Year will be taught by The College and your modules will be different to those below. You can find more information on the Undergraduate Pathways here.

Year 0 (Level 3)

Entry Level 3 / Foundation Year

Students choose 120 credits from the following:

Compulsory Modules

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Foundation Biology	September-January (TB1)	20	BIO012
Foundational Scientific Skills	September-January (TB1)	20	CH-012
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry	January-June (TB2)	20	BIO016
Techniques in Ecology and Biogeography	January-June (TB2)	20	BIO019

Optional Modules

Optional Chemistry modules

Choose Exactly 40 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : You must either choose between 2 Chemistry modules, OR 2 Geography modules

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code	Guidance
Elementary Chemistry	September-January (TB1)	20	CH-005
Reactions and Products	January-June (TB2)	20	CH-010

Optional Geography

Choose Exactly 40 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : You must either choose between 2 Chemistry modules, OR 2 Geography modules

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code	Guidance
Foundation Physical and Environmental Geography	September-January (TB1)	20	GE-007
Foundations in Human Geography	January-June (TB2)	20	GE-008

Year 1 (Level 4)

FHEQ 4 Undergraduate / HECert

Students choose 120 credits from the following:

Compulsory Modules

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Cellular & Microbial Biology	September-January (TB1)	20	BIO104
Core Skills for Biological Sciences	September-January (TB1)	20	BIO109
Botany and Ecology	September-January (TB1)	20	BIO111
Evolution and Genetics	January-June (TB2)	20	BIO108
Life in the Oceans	January-June (TB2)	20	BIO112

Optional Modules

Choose Exactly 20 credits from the following Modules:

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code	Guidance
Animal Diversity and Behaviour	January-June (TB2)	20	BIO114
Amrywiaeth ac Ymddygiad Anifeiliaid	January-June (TB2)	20	BIO114C

Year 2 (Level 5)

FHEQ 5 Undergraduate / HEDip

Students choose 120 credits from the following:

Compulsory Modules

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Introduction to field ecology	September-January (TB1)	15	BIO249
Ecological Data Analysis	September-January (TB1)	15	BIO252
Plant Ecology	January-June (TB2)	15	BIO232
Ecological Microbiology and the Cycles of Life	January-June (TB2)	15	BIO239

Optional Modules

Compulsory

Choose Exactly 15 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Choose Welsh or English module

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code	Guidance
Year 2 Biological Sciences Literature Review	January-June (TB2)	15	BIO231
Adolygiad Llenyddiaeth Bl 2	January-June (TB2)	15	BIO231C

AND

TB1

Choose Exactly 15 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Choose exactly 15 credits from TB1.

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Parasitology	September-January (TB1)	15	BIO228
Animal Conservation and Welfare	September-January (TB1)	15	BIO234
Molecular Ecology	September-January (TB1)	15	BIO235
Animal Physiology	September-January (TB1)	15	BIO258

AND

TB2

Choose Exactly 15 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Choose exactly 15 credits from TB2. Choose exactly 15 credits from TB2. You must take BIO229 if you plan to take Mammalian Carnivore Ecology and Conservation BIO316 in Year 3

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Tetrapod Evolution	January-June (TB2)	15	BIO229
Entomology	January-June (TB2)	15	BIO230
Population and Community Ecology	January-June (TB2)	15	BIO261

AND

Both TB1&2

Choose Exactly 15 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : The maximum credits permitted in a teaching block is 75. You must take BIO229 if you plan to take Mammalian Carnivore Ecology and Conservation BIO316 in Year 3

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Professional Development and Careers Planning	September-January (TB1)	0	BI-200
Parasitology	September-January (TB1)	15	BIO228
Animal Conservation and Welfare	September-January (TB1)	15	BIO234
Molecular Ecology	September-January (TB1)	15	BIO235
Animal Physiology	September-January (TB1)	15	BIO258
Tetrapod Evolution	January-June (TB2)	15	BIO229
Entomology	January-June (TB2)	15	BIO230

Year 3 (Level 6)

FHEQ 6 Undergraduate / Honours

Students choose 120 credits from the following:

Compulsory Modules

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Biosciences Research Project	September-June (TB1+2)	30	BIO350

Optional Modules

Choose Minimum Of 20 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Choose a minimum of 20 credits and a maximum of 40 credits. You MUST choose either an International Field course or a Professional Skills module; you MAY choose both an International Field Course and a Professional Skills module. You CANNOT choose both BIO331 and BIO340. BIO249 OR BIO353 are the pre-requisite for BIO331

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Professional skills in conservation	September-January (TB1)	20	BIO331
Professional Laboratory Skills	September-January (TB1)	20	BIO340
Tropical Ecology and Conservation - Borneo Field Trip	September-January (TB1)	20	BIO347
Interdisciplinary Field Course to the Indian Himalayas (Sikkim)	September-January (TB1)	20	GEB301
Tropical marine ecology field course	January-June (TB2)	20	BIO327

AND

Biology Recommended

Choose Minimum Of 30 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Biology Recommended. Choose a minimum of 30 credits. No more than 70 credits can be selected from any one semester.

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Plant Conservation and Ecology	September-January (TB1)	10	BIO341
Macroevolution and Phylogenies	September-January (TB1)	10	BIO345
Epidemiology of zoonotic diseases	January-June (TB2)	10	BIO328
Natural Products Biotechnology	January-June (TB2)	10	BIO343

AND

Optional

Choose Maximum Of 40 credits from the following Modules:

NOTE : Choose a maximum of 40 credits. No more than 70 credits can be selected from any one semester. BIO252 is the pre-requisite for BIO334. BIO229 is the pre-requisite for BIO316. If you have been given a place on BIO327, you are unable to also take BIO351 due to a timetabling clash.

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Mammalian Carnivore Ecology and Conservation	September-January (TB1)	10	BIO316
Tropical marine ecology and conservation	September-January (TB1)	10	BIO330
Advanced Data Analysis	September-January (TB1)	10	BIO334
Movement ecology	January-June (TB2)	10	BIO308
Ecology of Marine Megafauna	January-June (TB2)	10	BIO318
Climate Change Biology	January-June (TB2)	10	BIO329
Sensory Ecology	January-June (TB2)	10	BIO342
Hormones and Behaviour	January-June (TB2)	10	BIO344
Science Communication	January-June (TB2)	10	BIO351

Entry Requirements

Our typical offer is CDD-DDD including one science subject.

BTEC Extended Diploma: Grades DMM with Science/Biology GCSE Grade C.

Access to HE (Science): 27 Merits to include Biology (excluding Health Sciences and Animal Management).

IB: 28 (including 4 HL or 5 SL in Biology or Human Biology).

Unfortunately, we are unable to consider applicants with GCSE qualifications alone.

General Studies and Key Skills qualifications are normally excluded from our offers.

All applications will be considered on an individual basis, and we will look at the whole application when deciding whether to make an offer of a place, including: the balance, nature and quality of A-level, AS and GCSE subjects (or equivalent); personal statement and referee’s comments.

International/EU Students

Please visit The College website for course information and entry requirements. If you don’t meet the entry requirements of our three-year undergraduate courses, you can join our Foundation or International Year One programmes at The College which will prepare you for your chosen Science degree path at Swansea University.

Click here to apply

How You're Taught

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.

Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching.

Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.

This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.

Welsh Provision

Some provision

There are opportunities for Welsh speakers to study some elements of this course through the medium of Welsh but there is not yet enough provision to reach 40 credits in each year.

Academi Hywel Teifi is here to support you throughout your time at Swansea University. We can offer you:

Access to generous Welsh-language study scholarships or bursaries.
Access to modules taught wholly or partly in Welsh.
Access to the Arwain mobile app for the latest information about Welsh-medium courses and modules available to download free on the App Store and Google Play.
An interview through the medium of Welsh when applying for a place.
The option to receive your personal correspondence in Welsh, English or bilingually.
The option to write and submit your coursework or exams through the medium of Welsh (even if you have chosen to study in English), and your work will be marked in Welsh.
A Welsh-speaking Personal Tutor.
One-to-one support to improve your academic Welsh language skills.
An opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence of your Welsh language ability for future employers.
Opportunity to be a member of the Swansea University Branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

To learn more about the above and all the opportunities available to you through the medium of Welsh, visit Academi Hywel Teifi's undergraduate pages.

Professional Body Accreditation

This programme has been accredited by the Royal Society of Biology following an independent and rigorous assessment. Accredited degree programmes contain a solid academic foundation in biological knowledge and key skills, and prepare graduates to address the needs of employers. The accreditation criteria require evidence that graduates from accredited programmes meet defined sets of learning outcomes, including subject knowledge, technical ability and transferable skills.

Meet Your Lecturers

You will be taught by world-class lecturers who are all active researchers. Their research activities in areas such as environmental conservation, sustainable aquaculture, biocontrol and species monitoring, help to change the world for the better.

See all of the Biosciences staff

Tuition Fees

Start Date	UK	International
September 2024	£ 9,000	£ 20,950
September 2025	£ 9,250	£ 22,000

Fees for full time Undergraduate UK students may be increased in subsequent years of study by an inflationary amount determined by Welsh Government.

Fees for full time Undergraduate EU/International students will increase by 3% for each subsequent year of study.

You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

Funding and Scholarships

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.

To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.

Our degree schemes in Biology, Zoology and Marine Biology are eligible for the Ysgoloriaeth Cymhelliant scholarships for those students who wish to pursue part of their studies through the Welsh language. Students who intend to study at least 33% of their subject through the medium of Welsh can apply. We offer 40 credits through Welsh at all levels.

More information on scholarships

Additional Costs

Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up.

You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):

Travel to and from campus
Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
Purchase of books or texts
Gowns for graduation ceremonies

Lab coat and dissection kit (Level 1 for all degree programmes) – approximately £30
Tropical Marine Biology field course in Puerto Rico - (costs ~£1200 - £1700 tbc)
Sikkim overseas field trip (Biology and Zoology Level 3 - optional) – student contributes £500 towards travel and accommodation

*We also advise all students to have suitable outdoor clothing and sensible footwear (wellington boots)

Careers and Employability

Swansea Employability Academy (SEA) will support you at each stage of your career journey helping you build a bright future.

Our career support services include:

Employability workshops, employers’ talks, bespoke events and careers fairs
Individual advice and guidance from professionally qualified Careers Advisers
Help with finding jobs, internships, work placements and volunteering opportunities
Access to information resources on a wide range of career management topics
Advice and guidance on postgraduate study and funding
Funding to support student internship opportunities and Student Society/Club events.

We also provide help and advice for Swansea University Alumni up to two years after you graduate.

Graduates of biological sciences are set on course for a range of stimulating opportunities. These are a small number of their recent destinations.

Ecologist (Jacobs Engineering & CSA Environmental)
Delivery Officer (Biotechnology & Biological Science Research Council)
Project Officer (Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust)
Hydrometry and Telemetry Officer (Natural Resources Wales)
Benthic Taxonomist (Oceanology Ltd)
Wildlife and Education Officer (Ipswich Borough Council)
Crop Technician (Humber Growers)
Animal keeper (All Things Wild)
Quality Control Associate (Amgen Biovex Ltd)
Royal Navy Officer (Britannia Royal Navy College)
Research Assistant (TRP Research)

95% of Graduates are in employment, study and/or study, or doing other activities such as travelling, 15 months after leaving Swansea University. (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023)

Academic Support

As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your personal tutor, the Centre for Academic Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas such as:

Academic writing
Maths and statistics
Critical thinking
Time management
Digital skills
Presentation skills
Note taking
Revision, memory and exam techniques
English language skills (if English is not your first language).

In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability, mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.

Our lecturers operate an ‘open door’ policy so you can chat with them about any concerns you may be having. These do not have to be just course related; our academic staff are there to help you with anything at all during your time in Swansea.

Each course has a student rep. They are there to make sure that every student voice is heard. Their role is to listen and feedback on your opinions, attend regular meetings and make sure that the people who can make changes listen to the people who really matter - you!

We offer both a Personal Tutor and peer mentoring. All students on our undergraduate courses are assigned a Personal Tutor, who will offer you not only Academic Guidance, but advice on finding and accessing help with personal issues. Our Peer mentoring scheme is in place to help new students settle into university life here at Swansea. You will get a chance to talk to your mentor who can tell you about their experiences as a student and also chat about student life. The peer mentoring scheme is a great way to meet students and widen your friendship circle while at Swansea.

You can also get help with personal issues from our wide range of student support such as CampusLife, Inclusive Student Support Services and The Centre for Academic Success.

Study Abroad and Global Opportunities

To learn more about study abroad, visit our Go Global webpages. Enrolment on a programme with a semester/year abroad does not guarantee you a semester/year abroad placement. Spaces are limited and subject to a competitive selection process. In the event you do not secure a semester/year abroad placement, you will be transferred to the standard variant of your degree scheme without a semester or year abroad.

International summer programmes are open to students from all schools. Programmes typically range from 2 to 6 weeks, across destinations such as China, Zambia, South Korea, Japan, Canada and across Europe. For more information about programmes and eligibility visit our Summer Abroad webpages.

How to Apply

Apply now – UK, EU and international students.

For further guidance please visit our how to apply pages.

EU students - visa and immigration information is available and will be regularly updated on our information for EU students page.

Application Deadlines

We recommend that you submit your application to our courses as early as you can in advance of our application deadlines. Courses will close earlier than the application deadlines listed if all available places are filled. You can find further information on our Application Deadlines webpage.

Additional Information

Field courses

All of our Biosciences courses have modules that involve a field course. Swansea University is an ideal place to study Biosciences as we have outstanding locations on our doorstep for biology, zoology and marine biology. We make the best of our locality by visiting the coastal Gower peninsula, travelling on our boat, the R.V Mary Anning, around Swansea Bay and researching the beautiful flora and fauna both on land and at sea in South Wales.

Further afield, past field course destinations have included Puerto Rico, Borneo, and Sikkim in the Indian Himalayas. These trips of a lifetime are a great way to learn about other environments and also to bond and work collaboratively with your fellow students and lecturers.

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