Accreditation
Accreditation is an industry-recognised standard and provides the assurance that our teaching is of high quality and has been approved by an independent body of academics and industrialists. Our courses are accredited by professional bodies including:
Applied learning
With placement opportunities and extensive work in labs and in the field, practical learning is at the heart of our learning experience.
Fieldwork enables students to develop practical skills and apply their learning in real-world situations, preparing them for life beyond university. Our students studying biology, ecology, geography, Earth or environmental subjects enjoy fieldwork opportunities in our local area as well as further afield. Overseas destinations have included North Africa, Greece, Sicily, Portugal, South Africa and Brazil.
All of our undergraduate courses have a placement option. Our pharmacy students benefit from placements in every year of the course in hospital or community settings. And hospital visits and lectures from visiting clinical and biomedical scientists enhance the learning experience of our biomedical students and provide a professional context for their studies.
Specialist facilities
A range of specialist facilities, support our teaching, research and consultancy activities.
- computer labs running GIS; remote sensing and image analysis software
- geology, soil and water analysis labs; public health and geochemical labs, including walk-in storage
- advanced microscope technology equipment for rock and mineral analysis
- drones and equipment for field-based geophysical surveying
- dedicated microbiology lab with its own technical support team and preparation area
- primary cell/tissue and secondary cell culture facility
- molecular biology lab
- RT-PCR equipment
- image analysis suite with electron microscopes, a confocal microscope and atomic force microscopes
- genomics/proteomics facility for analysis of cell genes and proteins
- clinical skills lab
- SimMan 3G – a highly advanced patient simulator that allows you to monitor vital signs, detect numerous signs of disease and assess clinical response to drug treatment in real time
- medicine dispensary.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
The school has committed to the principles of the Athena Swan charter and embedding them across the school. The Athena Swan Charter aims to address unequal gender representation across Higher Education and advance gender equality, representation, progression and success for all. The school has undertaken an evidence-based self-assessment of its staff and student data, culture, practices and procedures and created an action plan to address the issues it has identified.