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Plant Biology degree

C200 - 3 years

Plant Biology degree at Aberystwyth

Plants provide an essential foundation for life on earth, the food we eat and the beauty of the natural environment. The Plant Biology degree course at Aberystwyth enables you to study plant life in all its aspects, from the molecular to the ecological. It encompasses some of the issues that are of worldwide importance to plants, such as the implication of genetic modification of crops and global climate change. Mid Wales is an excellent centre for this Plant Biology degree scheme, with a wide range of habitats within easy reach, including oak woodlands, coastal sand dunes, salt-marshes, raised bogs, freshwater lakes and uplands. There are close links with the National Botanic Garden of Wales and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research which are also located nearby. The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, which runs the Aberystwyth Plant Biology degree has an extensive suite of tropical and temperate glasshouses, plant growth rooms and its own botanical collection. You can take a virtual tour of the collection at www.aber.ac.uk/biology/dept/botgardens.html

Plant Biology degree course structure

Year 1

The first year is common to all students, and includes studies of the structure and function of plants, their physiology, ecology and classification. Building on your existing knowledge and skills, you will also be introduced to the basic skills and techniques of the plant biologist at University level: research, analsysis, evaluation and reporting.

Years 2+3

The skills and knowledge base created in your first year are the foundation on which we build your studies in the later years of your degree. You still take some core modules in the second and third years; but you can also, increasingly, tailor your degree scheme to your developing interests through your choice of optional modules. These include local field studies, and trips to Northern Spain and Western Ireland, as well as biotechnological and physiological modules.

Research and individual project work are key elements in the final year of study. You undertake an individual project which gives you the opportunity to develop field or laboratory skills in an area of your choice.

Detailed Course Structure

Careers related to you Plant Biology degree

Graduates from our Plant Biology degree have a broad-based knowledge of the way in which plants grow and interact with other organisms and the environment. They also understand the potential of molecular biology to advance plant biology and biotechnology in the twentyfirst century. This means that as well as being equipped to enter careers mentioned previously in our introduction to the biological sciences, you can also take advantage of career opportunities in conservation management, industrial and government funded plant research institutes and the scientific civil service.