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Birkbeck, University of London

UCAS Code: Not applicable | Certificate of Higher Education - CertHE

Entry requirements

Minimum of two A-levels or equivalent.

About this course

This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

1year

Part-time | 2025

Other options

2 years | Part-time | 2025

Subject

Biological sciences

Our Life Sciences for Subjects Allied to Medicine Certificate in Higher Education will help you gain the knowledge and skills you need to progress to degree study in the life sciences and subjects allied to medicine. This intensive course also includes modules to help develop your study and research skills and to assist with your personal development and planning of applications for further study. You will gain an overview of the biological, cellular and molecular worlds, raising fascinating questions about their underlying chemical functions.

**Highlights**

- Birkbeck provides state-of-the-art, specialist laboratories and facilities for studying biological sciences in the heart of academic London.

- In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), in a joint submission with UCL, Biological Sciences at Birkbeck were ranked 11th in the UK, with a research environment supporting world-leading and internationally excellent research.

- You will be taught by internationally distinguished experts, who work with governments and institutions around the globe to extend the boundaries of knowledge.

- On successful completion, you may progress to the first year of a variety of degrees, including biology, chemistry, environmental science, geology and all health-related areas, such as radiography (requires biology with physics), pharmacy, osteopathic medicine, nutrition and dietetics, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, veterinary science, herbal medicine, clinical sciences, biomedicine and biomedical sciences. Students who already have a good first degree in another area and achieve high marks in their Certificate of Higher Education studies may also be accepted by some medical schools.

- Students who pass this certificate are guaranteed a place on our BSc Biomedicine.

**Careers and employability**

Graduates can pursue career paths in research, education or medicine. Possible professions include:

- microbiologist

- research scientist

- analytical chemist

- healthcare scientist.

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

Modules

For information about course structure and the moules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment methods

Parts 1 and 2 of each subject are assessed by coursework and tests only, with some assignments completed in class and some at home. Part 3 includes both coursework and a final examination (in early June). The Saturday modules are assessed by coursework (Pass/Fail) only.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£6,935
per year
International
£6,935
per year
Northern Ireland
£6,935
per year
Scotland
£6,935
per year
Wales
£6,935
per year

The Uni

Course location:

Birkbeck, University of London

Department:

School of Natural Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

95%
Biological sciences

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Biosciences (non-specific)

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
36%
Male students
64%
Female students
67%
2:1 or above
14%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
D
C

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Biosciences (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

75%
low
Employed or in further education
50%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

These stats refer to the prospects of graduates from general courses in biosciences. About a quarter go into further study and for those who go into work, bioscience, teaching and finance jobs are the most common types of employment. But you can go into most careers with this kind of degree — the majority of jobs for graduates don’t ask for a particular degree subject - and you will acquire a wide range of skills valued by many employers. If you want to find out more specifically about the prospects for your chosen subject, it might be a good idea to go on open days and talk to tutors about what previous graduates from your chosen subject went on to do.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Biosciences (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£23k

£23k

£26k

£26k

£34k

£34k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here