Our new molecular biosciences curriculum
From September 2021, our molecular bioscience programmes will give you increased flexibility. This will allow you to study optional modules to complement your chosen specialism, with the opportunity to expose yourself to a new area of biology that you’d like to learn more about.
Over the last year we’ve been working hard to enhance our courses to give our students the freedom to explore topics from across the full breadth of bioscience, alongside their chosen specialism.
From September 2021, our molecular bioscience programmes will give you increased flexibility in what you can choose to study.
What does this mean for you?
- Nothing’s been taken away. You’ll still have all the exciting opportunities available to you that we told you about previously, including working with our world-leading academics on your own research projects.
- We’ve expanded the range of optional modules available to you which are informed by our latest research, giving you greater choice across the breadth of bioscience.
- You can choose to focus solely on your chosen specialism within the molecular biosciences, or study complementary topics from across biology alongside this, such as biomedicine, evolution or sustainability. We’ll support you to tailor your degree to your interests and career goals.
From the start of your degree you’ll study modules that span the molecular biosciences covering biochemistry, genetics, microbiology and molecular biology. You’ll also have the opportunity to study optional modules from areas of biology that you’d like to learn more about, such as organisms and the environment or biomedicine. All these modules are underpinned by the latest research discoveries and throughout your course, you’ll learn from top scientists who are working on global challenges from antibiotic resistance to food security, and from climate change to cancer and COVID-19.
Our students have always been able to personalise their degree content within the molecular biosciences but we're delighted that the new curriculum permits them an even greater breadth of choice so that they can gain an even more rounded insight into the world of bioscience.
Dr John Rafferty
Director of Recruitment, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
Skills training has always been at the heart of our courses. Our programmes now include an enhanced skills module so from your very first week you’ll begin to learn the core practical laboratory skills that you’ll use throughout your time at Sheffield and beyond. We’ll also help you to develop the key transferable skills like data visualisation and writing that make our graduates attractive to employers.
We’ll give you plenty of opportunities to apply your new skills and knowledge too. You’ll be in the lab completing in-depth practicals across molecular genetics, DNA manipulation and protein structure analysis, and you’ll get the chance to use cutting-edge equipment to run your own in-depth research projects in an area such as clinical diagnostics or brewing biotechnology.
Find out more about our new course structures
Dr John Rafferty, Recruitment Director for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology said, "Our students have always been able to personalise their degree content within the molecular biosciences but we're delighted that the new curriculum permits them an even greater breadth of choice so that they can gain an even more rounded insight into the world of bioscience. It will give an enhanced opportunity to see the larger context into which a biomolecular viewpoint fits."
If you have any questions about our new course structures or any other queries about what it’s like to study at Sheffield, you can email us at mbb@sheffield.ac.uk.
International undergraduate scholarships
We offer a generous package of financial support for international undergraduate students, including scholarships worth £10,000 towards the annual tuition fee.
Applications are open for existing offer holders for an undergraduate degree programme starting in autumn 2025.