Intro

Our Biological Sciences MRes enables you to join a team working towards solutions to global issues such as infectious disease and environmental health, and explore topics such as genetic and molecular biology with researchers who are experts in their field.

You will become part of one or more of our research groups, with expertise in areas including biomaterials and biomedical devices, zoonoses, and applied biosciences. You’ll work alongside postdoctoral and other postgraduate researchers with shared interests.

Your research project will examine a specialised subject within the fields of biomaterials, biomedical devices, microbiology, biochemistry, ecotoxicology and genetics. Option modules allow you to explore further areas according to your personal and professional interests.

You'll develop practical skills using our specialist facilities including an image analysis suite with electron microscopes, a confocal microscope and atomic force microscopes, and purpose-built ecology, microbiology, molecular biology and tissue culture labs. 

Find out about postgraduate events

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2 years

Apply now for your place

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Degree and experience
A 2:1 degree in a relevant subject. Students with a degree that does not fall within this category but who have significant relevant experience, will also be considered. All applicants should provide a full description of any research projects undertaken, relevant work experience and non-academic qualifications.

ATAS requirements
The JACS code for this course is C100, meaning that students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland will have to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate before they apply for a visa. Details can be found on the  gov.uk website.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

View our English language courses

For pre-sessional English preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Course content

Course structure

The Biological Sciences MRes is typically completed full-time in one year, but can be taken part-time over two years. The course is structured to include a significant research component which you will undertake throughout the course. In addition, a series of supporting taught modules further enrich your learning.

To be awarded the MRes, you must obtain 180 M-level credits, 40 credits from taught and subject-specific modules and 140 credits through the completion of the research project.

Areas of study

The core MRES research project module is at the heart of the degree and equips you with a fundamental understanding of the research process across disciplines. Additional elements of the course provide an integrated, employment-focused, research programme for students wanting to develop their research skills in the biosciences.

Projects have included:

  • elucidating the genetic basis of chlorhexidine resistance in Proteus mirabilis
  • assessing the tumour microenvironment in ovarian cancer (PSN1) cells
  • antimicrobial proteins of the defensive mucus of Helix aspersa
  • investigating the detrimental effect of metformin on human pancreatic adenocarcinoma
  • investigating inflammatory effects of anti-retroviral drugs on glial cells.

Full-time students study for 180 credits; the research project for 140 credits and 40 from additional modules.

Core modules

  • MRes Research Project
  • Evaluating Research in Biosciences

Options*

  • Controversies in Science 
  • Omics for Diseases: Theory, practice and applications
  • Biological Membranes: Drug targets and disease
  • Regenerative Medicine and Medical Devices
  • Clinical Microbiology in the Post-antimicrobial Era 
  • Introduction to GIS
  • Oxidative Stress and Human Disease
  • Monitoring Signalling Molecules in Neuroscience
  • Ageing: Pathology and prevention
  • Cancer: Bench to bedside
  • Understanding Age-related CNS disorders
  • Astrobiology
  • Microbiology, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Remediation 
  • Applications of GIS
  • Water Quality Assessment and Management

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Staff profile

Dr Angela Sheerin, Course Leader

Working in haematology and volunteering on the orthopaedics ward in a London hospital cemented that the medical sector was where I wanted my career to be in. My first degree is in Biochemistry BSc(Hons) sandwich, from the University of East London. During this degree I undertook a placement year at a London hospital in a Bone and Joint research group and fell for a career in research.

I did my PhD in molecular gerontology; Investigation of the composition of AP-1 during ageing and I came to the University of Brighton in 2000 as a research fellow and now I am a lecturer in the field of ageing, molecular biology, pathobiology, medical genetics, endocrinology and biochemistry.

Having an earlier career in research has allowed me to more effectively see how we can inform our teaching with relevant backdrops which will, hopefully, allow our students to see the bigger picture beyond the subject they are doing and see how it can be used for research.

I am an enthusiastic lecturer who likes to use new and modern technologies to translate knowledge to the students. I believe in 'hands on' practical experience as well as interactive learning through lectures, blended learning and flip learning.

Dr Angela Sheerin

Facilities

You have access to our labs and facilities to support your research, including: 

  • primary and cell line culture facilities 
  • molecular biology lab with access to qPCR equipment and dark room facility 
  • a specialist image analysis suite with electron microscopes, a confocal microscope, atomic force microscopes 
  • a genomics / proteomics facility for analysis of genes and proteins using microarray platforms

Careers

Our graduates are equipped with a foundation of knowledge for careers in research, industry, the public sector or academia. The MRes provides well-rounded, research-based learning, plus the necessary transferable skills to prepare you for employment.

female student using microscope

Fees and costs

Course fees

UK (full-time) 8,400 GBP

International (full-time)15,900 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

Fee information for this course for 2025 entry will be updated here no later than December 2024.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2024–25.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

What's included

Here you’ll find details of specific resources and services that are included in the tuition fee for our biology students. To help you to budget for your studies, there is also information on any additional costs that you may have to pay or can choose to pay in addition to your tuition fee.

Find out how tuition fees enable us to support all of our students with important services, facilities and resources across the university and check out our finance pages for info about fees, funding and scholarships along with advice on international and island fee-paying status.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information.

What’s included in your tuition fee

  • The cost of project poster printing is covered for undergraduate School of Applied Science students.

The following items are covered by your fee where they are required or relevant.

  • Personal Protective Equipment – all students are provided with a laboratory coat, safety glasses.
  • Essential instruction booklets (laboratory handbooks) are provided.
  • Access to relevant software such as Nearpod, Jamovi, Minitab and SPSS.
  • Course books, magazines and journals are available in the university libraries. You do not need to have your own copies. See the subject area in the library for an up-to-date list of key subject journals databases such as PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science.
  • The cost of laboratory consumables and equipment for your final year project is included in the fee.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software on campus – and can borrow a laptop from us if yours is broken or you don’t have a computer at home. Specialist equipment is provided to cover essential learning.
  • If you choose to take an undergraduate optional placement year you can get 20% of your student finance England maintenance loan whilst on that placement.
  • Biological Sciences BSc(Hons) and MSci students who fulfil the eligibility criteria are guaranteed an interview with the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) if they want to pursue a degree in medicine Applications to BSMS are still made using the UCAS system and you must select BSMS as one of your choices. UCAS costs are covered by you.

Additional course costs

  • You’ll need to budget for printing and stationery for personal study, and books if you decide to buy your own.
  • In most cases coursework submissions are electronic but you may wish to print notes which would involve an extra cost.
  • Many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices, but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.
  • There are optional field trips which you may choose. For these you need to budget up to £1,400 to pay toward travel, accommodation, insurance, food and drinks. There are other optional modules which do not have any additional costs associated with them.
  • BSc and MSci students that are eligible and want to pursue a degree in medicine with the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) will need to budget for any cost needed to take the UCAT admissions test.
  • If you choose to take an optional placement year you’ll be expected to cover your own travel, accommodation, food and drink.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Moulsecoomb has been transformed by a recent development of our estate. On campus you'll find new Students' Union, events venue, and sports and fitness facilities, alongside the library and student centre.

Over 900 students live here in our halls, Moulsecoomb Place and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.

Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains and to all the exciting things happening in our home city.

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Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:

  • Mithras Halls are stylish new high-rises in the heart of the student village at our revitalised Moulsecoomb campus with ensuite rooms for more than 800 students.
  • Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre, and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently?
We can help – find out more about private renting.

Relaxing in halls

Modern accommodation at Moulsecoomb

Mithras halls room with a view

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Student Union social space

Student Union social space at Moulsecoomb

Local area

About Brighton

The city of Brighton & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

Brighton is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy - as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Students playing frisbee

Stay in touch

Find out about postgraduate events

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

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