Master of Science in Molecular Biosciences (Microbiology)

at University of Bath United Kingdom

Study life on all scales to find out where your interests lie, on this flexible and wide-ranging course.

Biology encompasses the study of life from molecules to ecosystems. It's an exciting area of study that has a significant impact on our daily lives and is vital to solving some of the world’s biggest challenges.

You'll gain a broad foundation of skills across areas such as evolution, ecology, biodiversity, genetics, cell biology and microbiology, equipping you with the knowledge for a range of careers in the biosciences and beyond.

Tailor to your interests

As the most flexible of our biosciences courses, from year two you'll get to choose from a wide variety of units. This gives you the option to either maintain breadth or specialise in specific areas, such as developmental biology, genomics, neuroscience, cancer biology or microbiology.

To keep your options open further, you'll even have the flexibility to switch between our biology and biochemistry courses after the first year.

Apply the full breadth of physics to a wide range of astrophysical phenomena from star formation to black hole growth and the expansion of the Universe.

Physics with Astrophysics at Bath will give you a strong grounding in physics, along with in-depth specialist knowledge of astrophysics. You’ll learn how to combine evidence from stellar and extragalactic astronomy to build consistent theoretical models of the evolution of galaxies.

Topics covered include exoplanets, galaxies, cosmology, stars and stellar evolution, general relativity and high energy astrophysics. There'll also be opportunities for you to carry out both observational and computational astrophysics projects alongside our astrophysics research group.

Gain the benefits of studying across different scientific disciplines with the flexibility to shape your degree to your career aspirations.

This is the course for you if you love science and want to study more than one science subject at university. You can design your own degree to suit your interests and strengths. You’ll be able to take your existing scientific skills further, explore new areas and apply what you’ve learnt in practical and relevant ways.

Employers will value your ability to bring problem-solving skills from a variety of different angles. You’ll graduate with the breadth of knowledge and practical skills to prepare you for a career in industry or for postgraduate research.

If you decide your interests fit better within a single science, you may be able to transfer to biology, biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacology or physics after year one.

Explore the multi-faceted subject of international security and gain fresh and leading perspectives on this field from leading experts.

International security has evolved enormously in the last 15 years, with terrorism, human and drug trafficking and territorial and sovereignty disputes adding an extra layer of complexity to the traditional security challenges of states.

This course offers a focus on security issues, looking at politics and policy-making in the contemporary international arena, and the role of global actors within it.

You'll gain a deep insight into the diverse dimensions of international security, unpacking the practices and challenges of different governments and organisations and exploring how these relate to research and policy-making.

Studying this at Bath provides an opportunity to work with researchers who are part of the debate on both traditional and non-traditional security issues.

With expertise across a wide spectrum of topics - including cyberspace politics, borders in South East Asia, the American drone strikes in Pakistan, biological and chemical weapons, rising powers and global governance - you'll gain new perspectives on this complex subject area.

You'll leave with:

• An in-depth understanding of the new international security environment of the Post Cold War era
• Detailed knowledge of the theories and methods underpinning international security
• The ability to analyse current security challenges and practices and the impact of those on research and policy-making
• A strong foundation for an international career in administration, diplomacy, research and policy-making

This course is for those with a degree in an appropriate subject, such as public policy, government, international affairs, international relations, history or sociology. It's also suitable for professionals who want to specialise in security issues, whether you're working in an NGO, government or the private sector, or other relevant fields such as commerce, industry and teaching.

Mathematics enables us to reason logically, to understand structure and to formulate scientific principles, whether from the physical, life or social sciences.

Choose this course to gain specialist knowledge in pure mathematics, applied mathematics and/or statistics.

Tailor to your interests

At the start of the course, you’ll gain a broad education in pure and applied mathematics, including programming and statistics. You’ll have the freedom to study a broader mathematical pathway or specialise in your favourite subject areas, enhancing your analytical thinking and appreciation of the beauty of mathematics.

All of our courses are flexible and allow for a wide choice of units after year one. You may be able to switch courses during the first year.

Year abroad

Broaden your horizons with a year studying at a university abroad. You’ll experience another culture whilst studying a course that complements your studies at Bath.

We have links with universities in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and Europe. This includes Binghamton University, National University Singapore, University of Canterbury, Stellenbosch University and the University of Helsinki.

Learn practical and theoretical skills across all areas of chemistry, ready to tackle major challenges in a range of careers.

From addressing climate change, to developing new pharmaceuticals or tackling food security, chemistry is vital in modern day society.

This course has the broadest range of subjects of all our chemistry courses. In the first two years, you’ll study an introduction to all areas of chemistry, gaining the practical and theoretical skills needed to design experiments and test hypotheses. This includes understanding the theories of chemical behaviour and how they're applied.

Placement Year

• Going on placement gives you the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge to a year working in industry. You’ll be employed full-time in a role to match your future career ambitions, broadening your experience and transferable skills. This could give you a competitive edge when applying for graduate jobs.
• We have links with some of the industry’s leading companies. Recent employers include GlaxoSmithKline, Syngenta, AkzoNobel and Pfizer.

Combine your passion for chemistry with a desire to make a real contribution to the development of new pharmaceuticals.

If you’re interested in the drug discovery process and want to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry, this is the course for you.

You’ll gain a solid foundation in chemistry with a focus on how drugs and medicines are designed and made, how they work and why they’re successful. Major pharmaceutical companies have contributed to the design of the course so you can be sure your studies will be relevant for industry. You’ll develop in-depth knowledge of the drug design process, and the skills to carry out experimental and computational drug discovery projects.

Gain the benefits of studying across different scientific disciplines with the flexibility to shape your degree to your career aspirations.

This is the course for you if you love science and want to study more than one science subject at university. You can design your own degree to suit your interests and strengths. You’ll be able to take your existing scientific skills further, explore new areas and apply what you’ve learnt in practical and relevant ways.

Employers will value your ability to bring problem-solving skills from a variety of different angles. You’ll graduate with the breadth of knowledge and practical skills to prepare you for a career in industry or for postgraduate research.

If you decide your interests fit better within a single science, you may be able to transfer to biology, biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacology or physics after year one.

Placement Year

Going on placement gives you the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge to a year working professionally. You’ll be employed full-time in a role to match your future career ambitions, broadening your experience and transferable skills. This could give you a competitive edge when applying for graduate jobs.

We have links with some of the industry’s leading companies. Recent placement employers include Intrinsiq, CERN, EY, Wessex Water, GlaxoSmithKline and European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF).

Gain a broad education in chemistry and business ready for careers in science or management.

This course allows you to combine your love of chemistry with an interest in how business works. You’ll gain a broad education in chemistry with an understanding of the theories of chemical behaviour and how they're applied. You'll also develop skills in experimental chemistry and in designing experiments to test hypothesis.

At least a quarter of the units you’ll study will be management topics, delivered by the School of Management. You’ll develop an understanding of the social, legal and economic implications of the decisions managers in industry are required to make.

Develop theoretical and practical abilities in software design, development and experimentation, to become an innovative computing professional.

This course is for you if you’re interested in studying computer science but want to wait until later in your degree before deciding what area to specialise in. It's a broad-ranging course giving you the knowledge to apply computer science methods to the latest industry challenges and learn skills highly valued by employers.

Tailor to your interests

In the first year, you’ll learn core skills in mathematics and programming and the foundations of artificial intelligence, software design and development, interaction design, computer graphics and vision. More advanced and specialised units follow in the second and final years. In the second year, you'll complete a group project with other students to design and build an interactive application.

In the final year, you'll choose optional units alongside an individual project combining your interests in a specific area of computer science. You’ll regularly meet with an academic who specialises in your chosen field.

Year abroad

Broaden your horizons with a year studying at a university abroad. You’ll experience another culture while studying a course that complements your studies at Bath.

We have links with universities in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, currently including Binghamton University, University of Nebraska, University of Canterbury, TU Vienna and National University Singapore.