Movement between programmes within the specialisations is a possibility at any stage of the degree. The common first year includes chemistry, a central component of all our subjects. The amount and level of chemistry depends upon the degree. In the second and third years, armed with fundamental information about how cells and organisms function, you choose courses to focus towards one of the specialist disciplines outlined below. A major aim is to provide you with experience of working in a research environment and to encourage you to consider a future in research.
All students carry out a final-year research project, working alongside qualified research workers.
This specialism deals with the structure of cells and how they interact. Although there is overlap between molecular biology and cell biology, in cell biology much more focus is given to the larger organelles within the cell and how they communicate. This programme deals with the interaction between molecules within cells and how they function. Molecular biology encompasses the study of gene regulation and DNA cloning and its use in the overexpression of a wide range of proteins and RNA in different organisms. Molecular biology and immunology Immunology is the study of the immune system and the way it operates to protect us from infectious micro-organisms and cancers.