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Students working together on lab project

Biology (Biomedical and Molecular) (Top-up) BSc(Hons)

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Start Dates

21 September 2026

Duration

1 year full-time


Recent Awards For Excellence

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About this course

Overview

Why choose Huddersfield for this course?

  • Learn from expert academics at a TEF Gold-rated university, ranked top three in England for staff doctorates.
  • Build on your skills in data analysis, lab investigations, and understanding of cells, membranes, and differentiation.
  • For Biology, we're ranked in the top 10 in the country for learning opportunities. (National Student Survey, 2025, Biology non-specific).

Accreditation and Professional Links

Recognised connections to give you an extra edge when you graduate. Read More

This top-up year will build upon core skills and knowledge you will have acquired in your prior study including the ability to understand and manipulate numerical data and carry out field or laboratory investigations of living systems in a responsible, safe and ethical manner.

You should have the knowledge of the structure and function of various types of cells in unicellular and multicellular organisms, as well as the structure and function of cell membranes and cell differentiation.

You should also have the ability to express relevant biological reactions in chemical terms along with being able to explain the chemistry and structure of the major biological macromolecules and how that determines their biological properties. You will also be able to describe cell metabolism, including the main anabolic and catabolic pathways, along with the ability to describe protein structures and functions and their control mechanisms.

Career opportunities after the course *

Microbiologists

Microbiology Technicians

Molecular Biologists

Molecular Biology Interns

Quality Control Microbiologist

*Lightcast

Who can apply?

Entry Requirements

The admissions process will be in conjunction with other courses of the Chemical Sciences suite.

Entry will normally proceed through formal progression agreements with overseas partner institutions.

For entry student should have been performing at a 1st class level (exact qualifying grades to be determined through liaison with departmental admissions tutors, International Office and partner institution) in their prior undergraduate studies where credit equivalent to Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) or Higher National Diploma (HND) (equivalent of 120 F-level and 120 I-level credits).

Other candidates may be considered requesting course transfer from other institutions on a similar basis with decisions made on an individual basis.

Candidates will be at least 18 years of age by 31st December of the year of entry.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.5 overall with no element lower than 6.0, iGCSE English at grade B, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

What will you learn?

Course Details

The course delivers four 20 credit modules of advanced biological sciences materials across areas of genomics, immunology, infectious disease and cancer pathology and chronic disease. In addition, there is a 40 credit project module that will instil practical research skills through a supervised but independent significant piece of work. In addition to the scientific aspect the course enables you to take a module in Professional English and graduate as a well-rounded individual well prepared for a whole range of global scientific, technology and business environments.

This module provides a comprehensive overview of adaptive and innate immunity. Detailed discussion is also provided for a broad range of parasites, bacterial pathogens and viruses and the dynamic interaction occurring after infection of a susceptible host: the host’s immune response; the evasion, inactivation, and/or manipulation strategies deployed by the microbial invader. Key experimental techniques commonly used in immunology research and in the diagnosis/monitoring of disease are also discussed.

This module provides the opportunity for you to learn about a range of different chronic diseases that can affect human health and quality of life. The underlying biology associated with some of these chronic diseases will be studied, the mechanism(s) by which they arise or develop and current treatments. There will be a particular focus on cancer as an example of a complex chronic disease. Other chronic diseases to be studied will be chosen to reflect recent advances in knowledge or treatment of a disease.

The aim is to give students experience in conducting a piece of independent, hypothesis-driven, biological research, or research into biology education. Under the supervision of a member of academic staff, students undertake practical experimentation in the laboratory/field. Supervisors outline the aims of the project and direct students to the most recent literature. Prior to experimentation, students will be expected to undertake a comprehensive review of the literature related to their project and will be given guidance on appropriate experimental methods. The project is generally fluid in nature, with the direction of the investigation being dictated by results obtained, or problems encountered. Results are presented in a written report and through presentations to student peers and academic staff. Module-specific tutorials will run in conjunction with personal academic tutorials. Tutorials will be given on Health and Safety, Intellectual Property, research ethics and project planning and management.

The module is designed for students who have the minimum level of English language skills for them to have been accepted onto a university course and who may lack the initiative to ask for help when needed. In this module students are provided with the opportunity to develop higher levels of confidence in their production of spoken and written academic English. In addition, students will consolidate and refine their understanding of syntax and grammatical structures. As the module runs alongside their university studies, there is an emphasis on and an incentive to use skills that complement work done in the main area of study and which will be of use in and beyond an academic context. The use of regular AM/AI-proof tasks will ensure students develop an understanding of their own learning and the role they themselves play in developing their knowledge and skills. The module contributes to the attainment of skills and knowledge relevant to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) normally level B2- to B2.

Cellular pathology is the microscopic examination of normal and abnormal cells (cytopathology), and tissues (histopathology) for indicators of disease. You'll have the opportunity to prepare and analyse specimens with disease-relevant markers and familiarise themselves with the use of light microscopy and interpretation of generated data. Immunohistochemistry slides will be prepared, processed and stained with antibodies and staining patterns will be compared between normal and diseased tissues. Lectures will be sectioned into an introduction to anatomy followed by an introduction to tissue architecture and organ function with particular reference to pathological diseases including cancer. The theory and concepts of clinically relevant techniques such as histochemistry and immunohistochemistry utilising chromogenic or fluorescent detection will be discussed with special reference to standardised clinical pathology services. Clinical biochemistry is the investigation of the function and dysfunction of systems, organs and tissues by the measurement of biochemical markers. Lectures will expose you to the broad range of function tests (e.g. liver, cardiac, kidney, pancreatic, thyroid function tests). The different biochemicals used as tumor markers will be described with an overview of the methodology used in laboratory tests. Methods for detection of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol will be discussed alongside the factors which may affect the accuracy of the test. Therapeutic drug monitoring will be discussed with reference to optimizing individual dosage regimens appropriate for the clinical condition. Quality Control in a clinical laboratory will be discussed with tutorials on the use of Levey-Jennings Charts and Westgard rules.

Teaching and Assessment

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How much will it cost?

Fees and Finance

£9,790 per year

This information is for Home students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.

Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy. 

From January 2027 the UK government is launching a new student funding system for people starting university education. Read more about the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE).

For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/study/fees/

£17,600 per year

This information is for international students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.

Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy. 

For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/international/fees-and-funding/

Scholarships and Bursaries

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Tuition Fee Loans

Find out more about tuition fee loans available to eligible undergraduate students.

What’s included in your fee?

We want you to understand exactly what your fees will cover and what additional costs you may need to budget for when you decide to become a student with us.

If you have any questions about Fees and Finance, please email the Student Finance Team.

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Why Hud

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Careers support

We know you’re coming to university to study on your chosen subject, meet new people and broaden your horizons. However, we also help you to focus on life after you have graduated to ensure that your hard work pays off and you achieve your ambition.

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Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you’ll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you’ll soon discover that you’re never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey.

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Teaching Excellence

Great teaching is engaging and inspiring — it helps you reach your full potential and prepares you for the future. We don’t just teach well — we excel — and we have the awards and recognition to prove it.

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Inspiring Academics

Our researchers carry out world-leading work that makes a real difference to people’s lives. Staff within the Department of Physical and Life Sciences may teach you on this course.

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Research Excellence

You’ll be taught by staff who want to support your learning and share the latest knowledge and research.

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Accommodation

Looking for student accommodation? Huddersfield has you covered. HudLets has a variety of accommodation types to choose from, no matter what your preference. HudLets is the University’s approved accommodation service, run by Huddersfield Students’ Union.

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Further Study

If you want to continue your learning beyond your undergraduate degree, there is a range of financial support available for postgraduate study, including discounts for Huddersfield graduates.

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