Admissions
Six students are normally admitted to Queen’s each year.
The course
Biology is a single Honours degree course with the option of staying for a fourth year and graduating with an MBiol and is taught jointly by the newly-formed Department of Biology. Course details can be found on the Department’s website and the University’s Admissions page.
Teaching
Most teaching takes place in departments, but tutorials are offered in colleges. Colleges vary in how they provide tutorial teaching but you will enjoy a highly personalised experience, as your College tutors can track your progress and offer appropriate support. You will also benefit from learning in a small group, where you can easily ask questions and learn from your peers. Your choice of College does not in any way restrict what kind of tutorials you can have or which supervisor you can choose for your fourth-year project.
First year: all first-year tutorials take place at Queen’s. The biology tutors have complementary skills and can provide support across the entire first-year course. We also enjoy trips to the Natural History Museum and Wytham Woods.
Second year: specialist teaching is available for some topics, while for others you can choose from a wide range of tutors across the University. We also offer support at Queen’s for research skills training, especially statistics, and an opportunity to practise your poster presentation – an examined component of the degree.
Third year: specialist teaching is available for some topics, while for others you can choose from a wide range of tutors across the University. We also offer support for the oral presentation, which is an examined component of the degree.
Fourth year: if you choose to stay for the fourth year, you will most likely end up with a supervisor beyond the college, who closely matches your research interests. However, your college tutor will remain an important point of contact.
There are two biology tutors at Queen’s: Lindsay Turnbull is Professor of Plant Ecology. Her research includes ecological theory, symbiosis, conservation and management. Steve Kelly is Associate Professor in Plant Sciences. His research is focussed on photosynthesis, evolution, gene expression and bioinformatics. Lindsay and Steve are highly complementary in terms of their research interests. In addition, Jane Langdale CBE FRS is a senior member of the college who works on plant development and the C4 rice project, which strives to increase the productivity of rice through genetic engineering.
Biologists at Queen’s tend to be a close-knit group. Two big events are held each year: a Christmas drinks party and an end-of-year dinner for all year groups. You can expect support from your tutors with essay-writing, revising for exams, and practising for presentations.
Interviews
At interview we aim to get the best out of you – so there are no trick questions. You will be asked to think about several biological problems and apply your knowledge and skills to a scenario you may not have encountered before. We would like to see how you think and how you engage with both the question and the tutor.
The entry requirements for Biology are standardised across the University.
Courses
- MBiol (from 2019)
