BSc (Honours) Life Sciences
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Degree
- Code
- B28
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Made up of
- 360 credit points
Description
The degree programme aims to develop a lifelong interest in the life sciences (namely, biological sciences and human sciences) through provision of courses that are accessible to people with a wide range of educational backgrounds.
If you are awarded this degree you will have developed an understanding of the interdisciplinary approach necessary to unravel the processes and mechanisms of life, from molecular to cellular and from organismal to ecological levels of organisation, and, thereby, an appreciation of the complexity and diversity of life processes. In addition, you will have gained an understanding of how scientific knowledge develops, an appreciation of the limits of scientific knowledge and an awareness of its impact on society. You will also have acquired the skills needed for effective further learning of science as an independent learner.
Planning your studies
If you’re new to study or to the OU, we recommend that you start with a course at Level 1. For this degree we recommend starting with Exploring science (S104) and Practising science (SXR103). If you have not studied science or basic maths before – or perhaps not for some time – we recommend you study Science starts here (S154) before S104. These should provide you with an appropriate background in scientific thinking, knowledge, methods and skills to progress to Level 2 study.
You can register your intention to study for this degree when you reserve your place on individual courses, or you can ask us at any time to link courses that you have already studied towards the degree. This gives you the flexibility to delay your decision or to change your mind as your studies progress. There is no time limit for obtaining the required credit points for this qualification unless you are including discontinued courses which may cease to be countable at some point after their final presentation. You must include at least 120 points from OU courses that have not been counted in any other OU diploma or first degree that you may have been awarded. If you have graduated with an OU BSc degree without honours this requirement is reduced to 60 points.
Career relevance and employability
Science graduates are well placed to enter a range of both scientific and non-scientific jobs. The study of the life sciences develops good analytical and reasoning skills. Skills such as these are sought by a wide range of financial, business and public sector employers, so life sciences graduates – particularly those who have good communication and interpersonal skills – are in demand. Further information about Scientific Institutions is available in our Recognition leaflet 3.8.
Ask our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for the careers publication OU study and your career if you want to find out more about the process of career development and about sources of careers information and guidance.
For planning your next career steps, visit the OU Careers Advisory Service.
There’s more information about the career relevance of degrees on the national HE Prospects website.
Courses
For this 360-point honours degree you require:
70 points from the following compulsory courses:
| Level 1 compulsory courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | Jan 2010 |
|
10 | Jun 2010 |
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses S102 or S103
*Students who satisfactorily attended the residential school that was previously a component of S102 or S103 may count this instead of SXR103
And at least 60 points from the following optional courses:
| Level 2 optional courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | Jan 2010 |
|
30 | Feb 2010 |
|
30 | Oct 2010 |
|
30 | Oct 2010 |
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses S203, SD206 (60 points, of which 30 may count in place of SD226), SK220
And 10 points from the following compulsory course:
| Level 2 compulsory course | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
10 | May 2010 |
And 60 points from the following optional courses:
| Level 3 optional courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
30 | Feb 2010 |
|
30 | Feb 2010 |
|
30 | Feb 2010 |
|
30 | Feb 2010 |
|
30 | Feb 2010 |
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses S324, S327, S328, S365
And you will also need to successfully complete at least two residential schools from the following (totalling between 10 and 30 points depending on the combination you choose):
| Level 3 optional residential school courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
15 | |
|
15 | May 2010 |
|
15 | May 2010 |
Or the discontinued 10-point courses SXR370, SXR371, SXR372, SXR373.
The embedded residential school week associated with the discontinued course S328.
And you will need further points from any of the courses listed in any of the categories above, at any level, and/or from the following, to bring your total number of life sciences points to 300. (The points required here will vary according to how many and which SXR courses you have included in your degree.)
| Level 1 optional courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
15 | Nov 2010 |
|
10 | Feb 2010 |
|
15 | May 2010 |
|
10 | Feb 2010 |
|
10 | Feb 2010 |
|
10 | Feb 2010 |
|
10 | Feb 2010 |
|
30 | Oct 2010 |
|
10 | Feb 2010 |
|
10 | Feb 2010 |
|
10 | Feb 2010 |
|
10 | Feb 2010 |
|
10 | Mar 2010 |
|
15 | May 2010 |
|
15 | Nov 2010 |
|
10 | Feb 2010 |
|
15 | Nov 2010 |
| Level 2 optional courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | Jan 2010 |
|
60 | Feb 2010 |
|
10 | Apr 2010 |
|
60 | Oct 2010 |
|
15 | Jun 2010 |
|
60 | Jan 2010 |
|
30 | Feb 2010 |
|
30 | Jan 2010 |
| Level 3 optional courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | Jan 2010 |
|
30 | |
|
30 | Feb 2010 |
|
60 | Feb 2010 |
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 1 the discontinued courses S182, S191, S195, T172, at Level 2 the discontinued courses S269, S280, S292, S293, ST240, U205, U206, at Level 3 the discontinued course D309
* 60-point course of which 30 points count in this category and 30 towards the category which can include any OU undergraduate courses (see the last paragraph of these qualification requirements)
To complete the 360 points needed for an honours degree, the remaining points up to a maximum of 60 points (or less if you have already included A218, U216, DSE212, DD303, U316 or D309) can be from any OU undergraduate courses. You must ensure that you have the required number of points at each level.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit for this study that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of courses so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
Credit transfer details for this qualification:
Classification of your degree
On successful completion of the required number and type of courses you will be awarded a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Life Sciences degree. Your honours degree will be classified either as first-class honours, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours. The class of degree is determined by the best grades you achieve in 240 points from courses above Level 1. These 240 points must include all the compulsory Level 2 and Level 3 requirements of the award as specified, and must include at least 120 points at Level 3. You will have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony to collect your award certificate.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Award Regulations and the Student Regulations.
Award Regulations
- Introduction to the Award Regulations
- General Award Regulations
- BSc (Honours) Life Sciences
- Schedule A to the Award Regulations
Student Regulations
The Student Regulations (including the Code of Practice for Student Assessment and the Code of Practice for Student Discipline) are available on our Policy Documents for Students website.
How to register
To register for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the course you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that course.
About this page
An undergraduate qualification in Science.
Study explained
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- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
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