Skip to content

Subjects

Breadcrumbs navigation

Master in Biology (Honours) Biology

The University strives for excellence in all its professional services to students and staff. As part of our digital transformation programme we have automated some of the key processes supporting the provision of curricular information on our website. If you have suggestions about how we might make the information or functionality offered on this page more user-friendly please email ser-capp@st-andrews.ac.uk

MBiol Biology: First year
Code Module name Credits
BL1101 Biology 1 20 AND
BL1102 Biology 2 20 AND
Remaining credits from Level 1000 options

Further requirements

Choose 120 credits in the academic year
MBiol Biology: Second year
Code Module name Credits
^ BL2300 Research Methods in Biology 15 AND
^ BL2303 Evolutionary Biology 15 AND
^ BL2307 Ecology 15 AND
^ BL2308 Vertebrate Zoology 15 AND
Remaining credits from Levels 1000 and 2000 options

Further requirements

Choose 120 credits in the academic year
Choose a minimum of 80 Level 2000 credits

Automatic entry to Honours requires

  • pass and have an average grade 15 or better in modules marked ^

Entry to Honours

Students who attain an average of grade 11.0 or above at the first sitting in TWO of the requisite 2000-level modules and who meet all other programme requirements will be given automatic offers of entry into Honours programmes*.*Apart from students on Integrated Masters degrees. Students permitted automatic entry to Honours will only be permitted to trail one module to a maximum of 30 Sub-Honours credits into Honours.

Some Schools permit qualified entry to Honours (see www.st-andrews.ac.uk/media/teaching-and-learning/policies/honsentry.pdf )

Integrated Masters

The general requirements are 600 credits over a period of normally five years to include a period of placement in the fourth year approved by the School of Biology.

MBiol Biology: Third year
Code Module name Credits
BL3320 Statistical and Quantitative Skills for Biologists 10 AND
( BL3000 Field Course 10 OR
BL3321 Advanced Critical Analysis Reading Party 10 ) AND
View list 100 credits from Module List: BL3307 - BL3309, BL3315 - BL3316, BL3318 - BL3319, BL3323
BL3307 Evolution 20
BL3308 Aquatic Ecology 20
BL3309 Ecosystems and Conservation 20
BL3315 Developmental Biology 20
BL3316 Animal Plant Interactions 20
BL3318 Biology of Marine Organisms 20
BL3319 Animal Behaviour: A Quantitative Approach 20
BL3323 Terrestrial Zoology 20
Note:
- Not all modules are available in every academic year and/or semester
- Individual modules may have requisites to satisfy to be eligible to select them

For further details, see the module catalogue entry for each individual module above

Further requirements

Choose 120 credits in academic year
MBiol Biology: Fourth year
Code Module name Credits
BL4601 Research Project Development and Methodology 20 AND
BL4602 External Research Placement 100

Further requirements

Choose 120 credits in academic year
MBiol Biology: Fifth year
Code Module name Credits
BL5440 Major Review Paper in Evolutionary Biology 15 AND
BL5441 Animal Cognition 15 AND
View list 30 credits from Module List:BL4248-BL4249,BL4251,BL4254-BL4256,BL4258-BL4260,BL4262-BL4263,BL4266,BL4268,BL4270,BL4273-BL4278 ...
BL4248 Human Physiology of Diving 15
BL4249 Scientific Diving 15
BL4251 Tropical Marine Biology 15
BL4254 Fisheries Research 15
BL4255 Marine and Environmental Biotechnology 15
BL4256 Marine Bioacoustics 15
BL4258 Foraging in Marine Mammals 15
BL4259 Marine Mammals and Man 15
BL4260 Biological Oceanography 15
BL4262 Environmental Drivers of Marine Habitats 15
BL4263 The Question of Culture in Cetaceans 15
BL4266 Conservation Research Methods 15
BL4268 Scientific Communication in Biodiversity and Conservation 15
BL4270 Plant-environment Interactions 15
BL4273 Bioinformatics for Biologists 15
BL4274 Evolutionary Developmental Biology 15
BL4275 Evolution in Action 15
BL4278 Biology of Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Vertebrates 15
BL4280 Evolution and Human Behaviour 15
BL4281 Animal Communication and Cognition 15
BL4282 Biology and Behaviour of Social Insects 15
BL4284 Breeding Systems and Sexual Conflict 15
BL4285 Complex Systems in Animal Behaviour 15
BL4286 Advanced Topics in Evolution 15
BL4301 Polar Ecology: A field course in Antarctica 15
Note:
- Not all modules are available in every academic year and/or semester
- Individual modules may have requisites to satisfy to be eligible to select them

For further details, see the module catalogue entry for each individual module above

Further requirements

Choose 120 credits in academic year

Other information

With the permission of the Director of Teaching up to 20 credits per programme may be taken in a module outwith the specified modules in all School of Biology Programmes. Where there are choices between modules in the programmes, some options may have pre-requisites therefore the 1000- and 2000-level modules taken may limit choices. The availability of 4000-level modules in the School of Biology will be dependent on sufficient student demand.

Study abroad

In the case of students who spend part of the Honours programme on a recognised Study Abroad scheme, the Programme Requirements will be amended to take into account overseas courses which are approved by the relevant St Andrews School in the Learning Agreement (see www.st-andrews.ac.uk/studyabroad/outgoingstudents/AcademicInformation ).