Marine Biology with a Year in Applied Research
Swansea University
UCAS Code: C16R | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Swansea University
UCAS Code: C16R | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
To include Biology, Human Biology or equivalent
Pass with Distinction overall to include 24 distinctions (3 in Biology), plus 15 Merits. Only Science based Access course considered (excluding Health Sciences)
We recognise the EPQ as an excellent indicator of success. If you are predicted a grade B or above in the EPQ, you will receive an offer with a one grade reduction, to include your EPQ with a grade B.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
To include 5 in Higher Level Biology or Human Biology
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
From Science-based BTEC Extended Diploma (excluding Animal Management and Health Science) plus at least one grade B in GCSE Science with GCSE Grades C in English/Welsh and Mathematics. Accepted BTECs: Applied Science, Environmental Sustainability and Countryside Management.
ABBCC to include Biology Grade B
Swansea University accepts the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales as fully equivalent to x1 A-Level.
Requirements are as for A levels where you can substitute the same non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Level Core Grade
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
An academic understanding of ocean life across the world has never been more important.
Our four-year Marine Biology degree with a year abroad is highly practical and fieldwork based and our unique location gives students easy access to a variety of study habitats including exposed rocky shores, steep cliffs salt marshes and estuarine mudflats.
Marine Biology at Swansea University has a strong reputation and draws students from across the world and is based on our stunning Singleton Park campus overlooking Swansea Bay.
Your learning will be shaped by inspirational and internationally-renowned academics including Professor Rory Wilson – Chief Scientific Consultant behind National Geographic’s Great Migrations, and Dr Richard Unsworth – advisor on the globally acclaimed BBC series Blue Planet II.
The third year of this programme is spent 3 on a research project. Each students' experience and activity will depend on the field and specialism of the hosting organisation.
Your Marine Biology Experience will include:
• A flexibly structured degree path means you have the opportunity to study abroad, work in industry or undertake research for a year, either locally, nationally or overseas.
• All second-year students receive training at sea.
• Our state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities include the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research, a Zoological Museum, a custom-designed 18 metre catamaran-class survey vessel, and a unique visualisation centre that displays multi-dimensional information from animal tracking data.
• Field courses available near and far allow you to work varied habitats. You can explore the spectacular marine coastal ecosystems of the Gower Peninsula on our doorstep, and natural life in distant lands such as India, Borneo and Puerto Rico.
We are ranked:
• 11th in the UK for Research Quality (Complete University Guide 2025)
• 1st in the UK for Learning Opportunities (NSS 2024) *Based on the average positivity score across questions 5 to 9 in the NSS 2024 when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide.
Modules
Year 1: Areas studied typically include:
Cellular & Microbial Biology, Core Skills for Biological Sciences, Botany and Ecology, Evolution and Genetics, Life in the Oceans, Animal Diversity and Behaviour
Year 2: Areas studied typically include:
Marine Invertebrates, Boat Based Marine Biology, Ecological Data Analysis, Marine Biology Field Course, Ichthyology, Oceanography,Tetrapod Evolution
You will spend Year 3 on a research project. Each students' experience and activity will depend on the field and specialism of the hosting organisation.
In your final year: Areas studied typically include:
Professional Laboratory Skills, Tropical marine ecology field course, Tropical marine ecology and conservation, Ecology of Marine Megafauna, Climate Change Biology, Fisheries and aquaculture, Macroevolution and Phylogenies, Sensory Ecology
Assessment methods
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars and discussion groups supported by practical classes and field courses. You will be assessed through a variety of methods, including examinations, coursework and a practical research project.
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.
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.
Ecology and environmental biology
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Ecology and environmental biology
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.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Ecology and environmental biology
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£20k
£23k
£27k
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.
Explore these similar courses...
Higher entry requirements
Lower entry requirementsSame University
Nearby UniversityThis is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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
