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Biological Sciences

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​Explore the inner workings of microbes, discover how medicines work, study the chemistry of life or learn how to protect delicate ecosystems.

Through our biological sciences courses at the University of Reading, you'll embark on the fascinating study of the science behind life itself, and humanity's interactions with the natural world.

Topics explored range from the detailed structures of complex biological molecules to the growth and development of multicellular animals and plants. Biology underpins important human services and industries including healthcare, agriculture, commercial manufacturing and energy.

Our biological sciences courses do not have a common first year, so you will be able to study your chosen subject right from the start. You'll also be able to tailor your studies to suit your interests through a range of optional modules.

Our courses also have a strong practical element, and you can learn a range of laboratory and fieldwork skills. You may even have the chance to take part in research with a global impact.

Our new £60m Health and Life Sciences building will open in 2020. As the new home of the School of Biological Sciences, it will offer state-of-the-art research and teaching laboratories, seminar rooms, and plenty of study and social space, including a café. The building will also house the Cole Museum of Zoology. The collection, featuring over 3,500 natural history specimens, provides a fantastic resource for biological scientists and the wider community.

There is also a wonderful array of wildlife on our award-winning Whiteknights campus, creating many opportunities for fieldwork on site. Additionally, you can apply your scientific knowledge to a range of other habitats through our optional field courses. These normally last between one and two weeks and take place in locations such as Devon, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, Iceland, Spain and Colombia.

All of our lecturers are involved in research and you will be taught by experts in their fields. Our courses have a strong practical basis, and you will learn key cellular, molecular and biochemical techniques, including live cell microscopy, DNA and protein technology, microbial and molecular genetics, and cell culture. We achieved an overall student satisfaction score of 91% in the National Student Survey 2020, and 96% of our students said that staff were good at explaining things. 

During your final year, you will have the chance to spend 11 weeks working in a lab on a research project. Past projects have included topics such as coronary heart disease, gene therapy for muscular dystrophies, stem cell biology, mosquito ecology and public understanding of evolution.

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About the Department

Visit the Biological Sciences website.

After two years of studying Biomedical Sciences I continue to find the complexity of the human body fascinating, from the intricate features of intracellular organelles to whole organ systems. I enjoy learning about how the human body functions and where things can go wrong in diseases.

Laura Moody
BSc Biomedical Sciences

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