Genetics

To gain a profound understanding of how living things function, grow and reproduce we must refine our focus to the molecular level. Studying Genetics at Royal Holloway, University of London will give you an insight into the molecular mechanisms that control all life processes on Earth.

Our flexible degree structure allows you to tailor your course to your own interests, even within the first year. In years 2 and 3 you can further specialise with a selection of optional modules including Evolution, Developmental Biology, Climate Change and Cell and Molecular Neuroscience.

You’ll study at our state-of-the-art Department of Biological Sciences, where a recent £16 million investment has helped to provide specialist equipment for mass spectrometry, bioinformatics and gene and protein sequencing. Gain laboratory experience across the three years, joining our renowned research culture in year three as you complete your individual research project alongside our expert academics. The Department of Biological Sciences was ranked 25th in the UK for influential research output by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014.

Develop your interest in Genetics and you’ll graduate with a range of transferrable skills that will make you an attractive prospect to employers in a variety of fields. Department of Biological Sciences graduates have gone on to find careers in fields including forensic medicine, medical research and pharmaceuticals, and BSc Genetics will give you a robust skillset to take into your chosen career.

Our flexible degree programmes enable you to apply to take a Placement Year, which can be spent studying abroad, working or carrying out voluntary work. You can even do all three if you want to (minimum of three months each)! To recognise the importance of this additional skills development and university experience, your Placement Year will be formally recognised on your degree certificate and will contribute to your overall result. Please note conditions may apply if your degree already includes an integrated year out, please contact the Careers & Employability Service for more information. Find out more

• Develop practical laboratory and data handling skills.

• Examine the life cycle of flowering plants, their evolution, developmental and functional biology.

• Learn how biological and ecological principles can help develop sustainable solutions to 21st-century problems.

• Join a close-knit and supportive learning community with a high staff-to-student ratio.

Please refer to our website for information:
https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/biological-sciences/genetics/

Each year you will take modules worth a total of 120 credits, with most individual modules worth 15 credits. In your final year, your Individual Research Project is worth 30 credits.

The first year is formative, while outcomes of your second and third year contribute one third and two-thirds of your final degree classification respectively.

You will attend a mixture of lectures, seminars and small-group tutorials, with class sizes that range from 6 to 180 students. Practical classes are a major part of all first and second year modules, and include experiments that are integral to the subject, helping to familarise you with the material and augment your understanding of key topics. These are either laboratory-based or field-based with laboratory follow-up. In your third year, you will complete an individual research project supervised by one of our academics, and you may have the opportunity to contribute towards a published scientific paper. The individual research project is assessed on the basis of a written report, supervisor assessment, and an oral presentation.

During your first and second years, you will complete essays and reports, and sit written examinations. In your third year, assignments include a range of activities, such as preparation of posters, oral presentations, creation of leaflets and podcasts, coursework essays, mock research grant applications and scientific news-and-views articles, as well as analysis of data from online repositories in mini-research projects.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Royal Society of Biology