The course provides all of the practical skills needed for working in a laboratory, including preparing solutions, chemical handling and working with state-of-the-art laboratory instruments. You will also undertake nutritional, chemical and microbiological analysis of food, air, soil and water, and investigate chemical synthesis, gene cloning, protein analysis and other microbiological techniques.
You will study the key environmental and biological principles that govern the natural world, diseases, anatomy and physiology, and gain the enhanced research skills required for further study.
The course has employability at its heart and will set you up for various roles within a laboratory setting. You will be taught in the laboratories and classrooms in our Knightstone Campus, and you will also be able to take advantage of all of everything on offer in our new University Centre in the redeveloped Winter Gardens.
Students on this course are also offered the opportunity to go on visits relevant to their studies at an additional expense. Students recently visited Hinkley Point and Thatchers Cider, for example.
Please click on the next tab to find out more about what you’ll learn on this programme and how it is delivered. The information below deal with our partnership with UWE Bristol and what is and isn’t included in the cost of tuition.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the course leader Dr Elena Borodina or UCW’s HEART student services team. It would also be great to meet you and show you around at our next Open Day.
Students who pass this course are awarded a Foundation degree from UWE Bristol. The agreement between UWE Bristol and UCW is reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure academic standards are maintained.
2020 entry full-time tuition fees: £8,250 per year.
2020 entry part-time tuition fees: £5,500 per year.
2021 entry full-time tuition fees: £8,500 per year.
2021 entry part-time tuition fees: £5,700 in year 1, £5,650 in years 2 and 3.
This covers all of the teaching and assessment elements that are required for students to complete the course.
It also includes:
- The use of the specialist laboratory equipment and facilities on offer at UCW.
- All of the resources and facilities on offer across all UCW campuses.
- Attendance at guest lectures and conferences at UCW.
- Annual £10 printing and photocopying allowance for full-time students and £5 for part-time students.
- The use of UCW computer equipment at any of our campuses and access to Microsoft Office 365 while you are enrolled with UCW.
- The loans of books from our libraries.
- Access to all of the UCW student support and careers services.
It does not include:
- Attendance on optional UK ( approximately £50 per day/night) and overseas (approximately £75 per night) visits and trips.
- Extra printing and photocopying above the £10 limit.
- The cost of books that you may wish to purchase.
- Transport between our campuses, and to/from your partner university and any work placements. We encourage students to take advantage of termly bus passes to reduce transport costs.
- Accommodation and other living expenses.
UCW publishes its Tuition Fees Policy on the Wider Information Set page of this website.
You may also be eligible for additional financial support, depending on your circumstances.
All of the modules on this course are compulsory and worth either 15 or 30 credits. Successful completion of all of the modules in the first year is worth 120 credits at Level 4 and equivalent to a Certificate of Higher Education. Successful completion of the second year is also worth 120 credits and will lead to the award of the Level 5 Foundation degree.
Full-time year 1:
- Anatomy and Physiology (15 credits)
- Core Chemistry (15 credits)
- Environmental Sciences (15 credits)
- Laboratory Skills and Data Analysis for Biosciences (30 credits)
- Microbiology (15 credits)
- Practical Cell Biology and Biochemistry (30 credits)
Full-time year 2:
- Ecology and Ecosystems (30 credits)
- Human Health and Diseases (15 credits)
- Practical Cell Biology and Biotechnology (30 credits)
- Research Skills and Laboratory Project (30 credits)
- Work-based Learning (15 credits)
This course is taught via a combination of lectures, seminars, skills practice, presentations, practicals, lab work, case studies and group workshops. UCW’s Higher Education Library Plus (HE.LP) team also deliver a series of sessions on degree-level research and academic writing to all first-year students. When not in scheduled lecturers and seminars, students are expected to continue learning through independent self-study. This involves reading relevant literature, working on individual and group projects, and undertaking research in preparation for coursework and exams.
This course has an average of 13 hours of scheduled teaching per week.
Assessment is via a combination of written exams, practical exams and coursework, with an assessment breakdown of 10% written exams, 30% practical exams and 60% coursework.
Please click on the Course Handbook button to find out more, including how it is delivered on a part-time basis.
- Graduates are eligible to apply for related Honours Top-up degrees or to apply to join the Level 6 stage of associated Honours degrees including the BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences at UWE Bristol.
- Graduates are also qualified to progress on a research career pathway or gain employment in roles such as laboratory technician, laboratory analyst, laboratory supervisor or laboratory manager.
Industry insight
A scientific laboratory technician typically earns a starting salary of £15,000 to £19,000 which can rise to £25,000 with experience (Prospects data).
A minimum of CC at A Level, or a BTEC Extended Diploma at MPP, or an Access to Higher Education Diploma with 15 Level 3 credits at Merit, or equivalent, preferably including a science subject, in addition to English and Maths at grade C/4 or above. Applicants are also required to attend an interview.
