Overview

    Get ready with a foundation year and learn the foundational skills and knowledge to complete a full Honours degree. You'll be able to embark on this qualification without meeting the level 3 entry requirements, giving you the opportunity to study at degree level through this four year course.

    Explore the science behind the human body, health, and disease with a Human Biology degree from CCCU. Develop the knowledge and practical skills needed to make a real impact in research, diagnostics, or future clinical practice.

    What you’ll learn

    • Study a range of topics, from DNA and biochemical pathways to how organs work together and the behaviours that define us as humans.
    • Gain hands-on experience using current lab protocols, scientific equipment, and AI tools to analyse the human body and its interactions with other organisms.
    • Learn how the body responds to drugs, food, environmental factors, and other external inputs, preparing you for work in fields like pharmacology, nutrition, or public health.
    • Build skills in data analysis, statistics, scientific writing, and AI literacy, which are crucial in research, industry, and communication roles.
    • In your final year, you’ll carry out your own research project, integrating all your knowledge and skills to tackle complex scientific questions, just like a graduate researcher in the field.

    You’ll benefit from unique opportunities through our industry links, including the Discovery Park Industry Liaison Lab, located in Kent’s foremost science business park. You’ll also have direct access to our Anatomy Learning Centre that includes a dissection room and specialist equipment.

    Whether you’re aiming for graduate into biomedical science, scientific research, or a job in the health sector, this course will give you the skills, knowledge, and experience to kickstart your graduate career.

    We know employers are looking for dynamic, open-minded graduates who can adapt, innovate, and collaborate. So, we have designed a new way of teaching and learning to ensure that you are work-ready for when you graduate. 

    I find that the support I’m given from lecturers and my academic tutor is beyond helpful, especially during my final year, which is crucial for my personal development.
    Ebony, Human Biology student

    Why study Human Biology at CCCU?

    National Student Survey 2023

    100% of our Human Biology (including Foundation Year) students were satisfied with the academic support on their course.

    Joint 6th in the UK
    for student satisfaction with the quality of teaching in the subject area of Biological Sciences.
    Complete University Guide Subject League Table 2025

    Accepted qualifications

    We accept a wide range of general qualifications that attract UCAS Tariff points either on their own or in combination with others. Below are some common examples.

    Entry requirements needed to enroll on the course.
    QualificationGrades
    A LevelsDDE
    BTECMPP
    AccessPass 45 Credits
    International BaccalaureateTBC

    More information

    Contact us

    Any questions?
    Any questions?
    Contact our Course Enquiries Team

    Module information

    As well as the core modules, you may also have the opportunity to study a number of option modules. Option modules will not be pre-selected for you. We provide examples of option modules. The availability of specific option modules may vary from year to year. The offer of an option will be subject to a minimum number of students choosing the module to ensure the appropriate student experience. The offer of option modules may also be affected by staff availability. It means we cannot guarantee the availability of a particular optional module. However, we will ensure you have a choice of option modules.

    Core/optional modules

    How you’ll learn

    In your Foundation Year, you will be introduced to higher education with a range of supportive modules that prepare you for study in higher education and familiarise you with the core knowledge and skills of your chosen subject.

    From Level 4 onward, each module features a mixture of practical sessions (in the field or laboratory), lectures, workshops and seminars. The emphasis is always on practical and applied skills development, so on a typical module we will spend more than half of our time with you in practical sessions, often two thirds of the module contact time. This is complemented by additional structured and guided learning resources we provide and curate for you.

    In addition, you will have time allocated for independent learning. Face-to-face teaching hours per week may vary but will typically be approximately 10-16 hours. Some modules include intensive weeks where you will have up to 24-30 contact hours in a week.

    Modules feature a variety of independent learning materials that we curate and structure for you. This may include textbook chapters to read, videos to watch or research papers to review in preparation for or following on from a face-to-face session. You might engage in online discussions, post comments or otherwise interact with fellow students or academics as well. Some of the independent learning can be accompanied by short quizzes or revision aides to help you remember the key content you have covered.

    As a full-time student, you should expect a workload similar to a full-time job during the weeks of the semester (each of your two semesters is 15 weeks long). You will be studying 60 credits worth of modules each semester, which corresponds to an overall workload of 600 hours per semester. Most of this time is set aside for your independent learning, however, you can use it flexibly around your other commitments, such as work or caring responsibilities. Your personal academic tutor and the course team will always be there to support you in engaging with your studies and meeting the learning requirements of the course.

    Face-to-face sessions are typically led by academics – our focus is teaching and supporting you. Occasionally, industry experts or guest lecturers may provide specialist sessions and share their expertise with you. In some of our laboratory and field practicals or IT workshops, you will be supported by PhD students alongside the academic leading the session. The academics teaching you will have higher education teaching qualifications (such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, PGCAP) and may also be fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) or members of professional bodies and academic organisations.

    Human Biology brings together several disciplines in the study of the human body, from the molecular level all the way to physiology, health and disease. Our priority is your skills development, so we spend a lot of time with you in our labs in the Verena Holmes Building and the Industry Liaison Lab at Discovery Park in Sandwich. You will also be sharing some of your modules with biomedical scientists to develop some clinically relevant skills.
    Jana StastnaSenior Lecturer in Human Biology and Course Advocate for Human Biology

    How you’ll be assessed

    We understand that different students have different strengths and ways of learning. This is why you will be assessed in a range of ways during your degree. In your first year of study, you will mainly be assessed by coursework (e.g. lab or field reports) and by timed online questionnaires. In your second and third year, your coursework assessment may include poster presentations, scientific reports, portfolios and others. Some of your modules will also include an exam, but no module will be assessed exclusively by an exam. In your final year, you will complete a dissertation module that includes a thesis assessment in semester 2 and a presentation where you can reflect on your achievements and journey as a student. 

    Your future career

    Previous graduates from Animal Science courses at Canterbury Christ Church University have gone on to work as Clinical Respiratory Physiologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Research Associate at Epsilogen Ltd., Support Biomedical Scientist in Medical Microbiology and Virology at St. George’s Hospital London or Junior Chemist at Algaecytes, for example. Several of our graduates have gone on to study at postgraduate level as MSc or PhD students and some decide to pursue a career in teaching. 

    Fees

    Tuition Fees for 2026/27 have not yet been finalised. These course web pages will be updated with Tuition Fee information once they have been agreed.

    Industry links

    Our Industry Liaison Lab at Discovery Park in Sandwich has facilitated research collaborations and student internships with biomedical companies located there. You will have opportunities to visit and carry out practicals at Discovery Park during your studies and we regularly have students completing dissertation projects there in collaboration with one of our industry partners.

    We also host a careers fair specifically for our life science students where you can talk to employers, find out about the exciting careers they offer and get advice on how to progress into those careers with the skills you have learned. The careers fair has features talks from major biotechnology companies such as Roche. 

    The Industry, Careers and Enterprise module you will take at Level 5 will allow you to tackle a client brief from one of our partners where you apply the skills you have learned to a real-life problem. 

    Regulated by the Office for Students

    The Office for Students (OfS) regulates Canterbury Christ Church University. The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England. It aims to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. Further details about its work are available on the OfS website.

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    Duration:

    4 years

    UCAS code:

    B101

    Location(s):

    Canterbury
    Apply via UCAS

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    *We are advertising this course as ‘subject to approval.’ When we add new courses or update existing courses, we advertise the course as ‘subject to approval’. We do this to let you know the University still needs to agree to run the course. It is rare for a course not to gain approval, but it is not guaranteed. There may be changes to course and module titles, content and assessment, but we will tell you about these if there is a change. You can still apply to study a course subject to approval. We have prepared some questions and answers to tell you more.