Cell and Molecular Biology – (B.Sc.)

The Cell and Molecular Biology programme focuses on how human cells function in health and disease and draws on a variety of disciplines.

The foundation levels of the programme include the study of physiology, microbiology, biochemistry and genetics. Then, in Years 3 and 4, aspects of cellular regulation, immunology and molecular medicine are studied in depth.

In every subject, students engage in high levels of practical scientific work, enhancing the laboratory skills that are so attractive to prospective employers. Moreover, a five-day practical molecular biology workshop brings together theory and practice.

Knowledge of the interactions between molecules, cells and organs studied in Cell and Molecular Biology enables the biologist to more fully understand the factors that control cell growth and division, and to identify factors in individuals that make them more susceptible to disease than others.

Diseases such as cancer involve many different factors and an understanding of the underlying processes provides opportunities for the development of more accurate diagnostic methods and novel drug therapies or cures.

A degree in Cell and Molecular Biology opens up an extensive array of career destinations including in research and development, for example, in research institutes or in industries such as pharmaceuticals and biotech.

The sequencing of the human genome has also spurred activity in the bio-health area.