BSc (Hons) Microbiology

Study the smallest, but most abundant, organisms on the planet, with a focus on those that cause human disease.

Course overview

Having evolved alongside us for millennia, microorganisms have had an extraordinary impact on our development. Whether by driving the formation of our complex immune responses, wiping out swathes of populations via plagues, or by providing a source of antimicrobial compounds, microorganisms have such a vital impact in our lives.

Microbiologists are needed in research to understand how microorganisms cause disease and more importantly, how emerging disease threats and increased antibiotic resistance can be tackled. In addition, microbiologists work in NHS pathology labs diagnosing infectious diseases or in industry, understanding the importance of microorganisms and how they can be exploited for food production, biotechnological and industrial applications.

Why study this course with us?

Microbiology is taught by enthusiastic academic and professional staff who will provide continuous support throughout your studies at Chester Medical School.

The academic staff are research active and continually strive to promote research within areas of biomedical science, in which they have published research findings and discussed their work at national and international conferences. You will have the opportunity to join a research team to undertake your research dissertation in the final year.

This course provides an in-depth understanding of microorganisms, and provides the background necessary to pursue a range of careers relating to microbiology. You should therefore study this course if you have an interest in microbiology, particularly in the context of human health and disease.

Assessment

Learning is assessed by a combination of examinations and coursework. The overall balance between these two forms of assessment is approximately 50:50. Coursework assessments may consist of laboratory reports, data handling exercises, essays, poster and oral presentations, allowing a full range of skills to be developed. The end-of-module assessment is normally by examination, consisting of a combination of multiple choice questions (MCQs), short answer or long answer questions.