Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Biology and Education

at Keele University United Kingdom

You will learn about the history of the Earth, its past and present environments, and the planet's resources and hazards. We look at the Earth as a global system, including the causes and effects of global environmental change. There is strong emphasis on developing both laboratory and fieldwork skills.

Combining fieldwork, practical classes, tutorials and lectures, this course provides a diverse range of specialist options. You will focus particularly on research skills and aim to collect, analyse and interpret different types of data, and to carry out your own research using specialist software and equipment.

Criminology is a rapidly developing field which draws on insights and methods from disciplines such as law, social sciences, and psychology to explore crime, crime control and justice from a range of perspectives.

You will examine such issues as the impact of crime on society and victims. You will be able to gain insights into a range of topics which may include how society responds to crime through systems of crime control, the workings of our criminal justice institutions, as well as through media representations.

You will gain a critical understanding and detailed insight into the politics and development of criminal justice policy. You will learn about the nature and causes of crime and offending and explore the methods used to collect and analyse criminological data, vital skills for a future career in a range of sectors, including criminal justice.

You will learn to harness the concepts and debates in organisational behaviour and management, including the diversity in decision making across the private and public sectors.  You may explore topics, such as: markets and consumers, their behaviours and how to understand and communicate with them and gain an appreciation of contemporary issues facing marketers and managers, such as ethics and sustainability. You may also examine contemporary digital marketing, where skill requirements evolve rapidly and employer demand is high. The variety of optional modules available on this course will also enable you to further develop your skills and insights. 

With almost 2.5 million untrained ‘accidental managers’ in the UK alone, the need to upskill future business leaders is widely accepted as one of the top organisational priorities. Poor management costs this country around £84bn in lost productivity each year, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Grounded in theory and practice, our MSc will equip you with the necessary knowledge, skills and techniques to overcome some of the problems associated with substandard management – low staff morale, loss of talent, inadequate budgeting, reduced productivity and missed commercial opportunities.

Instead, we’ll prepare you to perform executive duties in ways which motivate others and achieve business objectives successfully, with the flexibility to adapt and thrive in rapidly changing and uncertain external environments.

Referring to real-life business examples and hearing direct from businesses, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the strategic and operational challenges that can arise, in areas such as leadership, ethics or sustainability, for example. The Business School’s Grand Challenges lecture series invites key speakers to provide fresh perspectives on the political, ethical and intellectual problems we face as a world today, while our Lunchtime Lectures centre on leadership in the context of complexity and inclusion.

Your final project will give you the opportunity to directly transfer your learning to the workplace by researching a current management topic, responding to a specific business issue or undertaking a ‘live’ work-based project.

Our programme explores key themes around accountancy, which may include: organisational behaviour, financial and management accounting, operations and quality management, audit and business strategy.

Core modules, such as financial and management accounting, organisational behaviour, operations and quality management, audit, and business strategy, may be supported with options, such as, marketing, business law, economics, taxation, and international finance. This will allow you to explore new and different areas of study.

Astrophysics is active wherever the laws of physics are being tested to the limit – and beyond. Keele will help you to use astronomical observations, mathematical models and computer simulation to develop theories explaining some of the most complex phenomena.

You’ll develop your mathematics and computing skills, and apply them to solving a range of problems in the laboratory and beyond (you’ll have access to Keele’s own on-site observatory). 

Medicinal Chemistry prepares you to help solve problems at the intersection of chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and pharmacology. The goal of medicinal chemistry is to support the search for new drugs to treat conditions such as heart disease and cancer.

You’ll work in well-equipped laboratories, and learn to conduct effective independent research. You’ll develop essential skills for employment, such as problem solving, presentation and communication and Keele also offers support in finding placements. We are committed to supporting you throughout your studies, providing you flexible access to our staff to seek advice or feedback.

The goal of medicinal chemistry is to support the search for new drugs to treat conditions such as heart disease and cancer. You’ll work in well-equipped laboratories, and learn to conduct effective independent research. You’ll develop valuable skills for employment, such as problem solving, presentation and communication.

Biology at Keele focuses on the amazing world of organisms – from how they’ve evolved to their relationships with the environment and each other. Keele takes a broad approach to biology, examining the diversity of life and its evolution from the geological past.

You’ll consider a range of biological concepts which may include the complexity of biological processes and mechanisms at molecular, cellular, organismal and ecosystem levels, and the related philosophical and ethical issues. You’ll engage in activities to strenghten your skillset which may include sampling, recording and analysing data in the field and in our well-equipped labs.

In Astrophysics, you will learn to formulate and tackle problems – from below the level of the atomic nucleus to astronomical scales. Astrophysics is active wherever the laws of physics are being tested to the limit – and beyond. Keele will help you to use astronomical observations, mathematical models and computer simulation to develop theories explaining some of the most complex phenomena.

You’ll develop your mathematics and computing skills, and apply them to solving a range of problems in the laboratory and beyond (you’ll have access to Keele’s own on-site observatory). We are committed to supporting you throughout your studies, providing you flexible access to our staff to seek advice or feedback.

Alongside this you will be studying Environmental Science. This course crosses the traditional divide between the natural and social sciences, providing the necessary holistic perspective to understand environmental and sustainability issues, and to develop strategies to work towards a more sustainable future. For society to tackle the environmental and sustainability problems we now face, we need people who can grapple with both the scientific and human aspects of those issues. That’s why this innovative course is taught across three different faculties, integrating a range of disciplines that might include, geo and environemental sciences, life sciences, chemical sciences, politics and international relations, management, and health.

For the Forensic Science element of the course, you will be taught by academics and forensic professionals, and gain valuable lab and crime scene experience, helping you to stay ahead in this fast-moving science. You will be taught in our modern laboratory facilities and have access to equipment and our dedicated Crime Scene House.

This course will provide you with a broad education in the core areas of forensic science. Your studies will focus on key topics in forensic chemistry, analytical science, forensic biology and criminalistics science. You will develop your analytical science skills, enabling you to analyse a variety of forensic of evidence. This is complemented by additional emphasis on professional practice and an understanding of the roles of the crime scene investigator and the forensic scientist as an expert witness in the court. You may be able to study abroad for a semester (dependant on subject scheduling) or year at one of our partner universities.

The Psychology element of the course, which is accredited by the British Psychological Society enables you to explore why humans think, feel, communicate and act in the ways that they do. At Keele you will find out what the latest research tells us about human behaviour and learn how to design and conduct your own psychological studies in our well-equipped labs using a range of techniques.

You’ll learn to use technology to create new opportunities and to solve a wide range of problems, benefiting every aspect of society from the home to business, government and beyond. Our teaching is informed by research, and we also reflect what’s happening now in industry.

You will follow a set of modules providing a specialism in information systems, evolutionary systems, or creative computing. You’ll have access to our own computing labs, based on Microsoft Windows and Linux, plus a wide range of software. This degree builds the essential skills which are in demand from employers looking for systems analysts, software engineers and consultants. You’ll graduate with a wide range of computing skills plus a highly developed approach to problem solving.