Biological Sciences - Behavior (MSc)

Course content

Our MSc in Advanced Biological Sciences degree allows you to study a broad base of Biological Sciences, or specialise in one of six specialist areas (Animal Biology, Bioinformatics, Ecotoxicology, Microbiology and Infectious Disease, Molecular and Cellular Biology, or Sustainable Aquaculture).

Throughout this research-intensive Masters, you will be immersed in a world-leading research environment and trained in the skills required to analyse and address major biological challenges of our time.

Knowledge and skills learned during core modules will enable you to develop your research project, which will be supervised within one of our world-leading research groups, determined by your research project focus.

The optional modules available provide access to a breadth of biosciences topics, which will allow you to tailor your studies to your particular interests and career goals.

Our Advanced Laboratory Skills module provides training in both practical and data processing skills, with advanced laboratory experiments carried out in small groups to prepare you for your independent research project with one of our research groups.

The modules below provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

Modules Please note that the module information displayed here is from a previous year and is subject to change. 120 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules Compulsory modules Code Module Credits BIOM560 Research Project 90 BIOM509 Professional Skills 15 BIOM549 Advanced Laboratory Skills 15 Optional modules *You cannot choose this module if you have already taken the undergraduate version Code Module Credits BIOM515 Cellular Basis of Immunity * 15 BIOM516 Bioinformatics * 15 BIOM534 Medical Mycology 15 BIOM543 Ecology of Environmental Change * 15 BIOM544 Ecotoxicology * 15 BIOM545 Frontiers in Plant Biology * 15 BIOM546 Living in a Microbial World * 15 BIOM547 Frontiers in Molecular Cell Biology * 15 BIOM548 Cell Biology of Disease * 15 BIOM553 Current Issues in Marine Biology * 15 BIOM554 Advanced Applications of Physiology * 15 BIOM555 Bioimaging 15 BIOM567 Application of Genomics in Infectious Disease 15 BIOM568 Blue Planet 15 BIOM570 Beyond the Frontiers of Medical Mycology 15 BIOM571 Molecular Biology of Bacterial Infection 15 CSC3009 Pharmacogenomics 15 GEOM149 Green Planet 15 HPDM039 Pharmacogenomics and Stratified Healthcare 15 HPDM041 Bioinformatics, Interpretation and Data Quality Assurance in Genome Analysis 15 NSCM005 Mathematical Modelling in Biology and Medicine 15 PSYM205 Advances and Methods in Animal Behaviour 30 PSYM213 Current Research Issues in Animal Behaviour 15 Specialist pathways Please note that the module information displayed here is from a previous year and is subject to change. During your MSc you can, if you wish, choose to specialise in one of six specialist pathways: Animal Biology Bioinformatics Ecotoxicology Microbiology and Infectious Disease Molecular and Cellular Biology Sustainable Aquaculture You will receive advice about the specialisms once you're at Exeter so you don’t need to make any decisions in advance. Specialist modules To be awarded a bracketed specialism on the MSc, at least 45 credits should be selected from the specialist modules grouped below. Your research project (module BIOM560) must also be relevant to the specialist field. You may take optional modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows, and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module. *You cannot choose this module if you have already taken the undergraduate version. MSc Advanced Biological Sciences (Animal Biology) Code Module title Credits Compulsory BIOM553 Current Issues in Marine Biology (variant of BIO3083)* 15 No BIOM554 Advanced Applications of Physiology 15 No PSYM205 Advances and Methods in Animal Behaviour 30 No PSYM213 Current Research Issues in Animal Behaviour 15 No MSc Advanced Biological Sciences (Bioinformatics) Code Module title Credits Compulsory BIOM516 Bioinformatics (variant of BIO3092)* 15 Yes BIOM567 Applications of Genomics in Infectious Disease 15 Yes CSC4007 Medical Genomics 15 No CSC4005 Pharmacogenomics 15 No HPDM041 Bioinformatics, Interpretation and Data Quality Assurance in Genome Analysis 15 No NSCM005 Mathematical Modelling in Biology and Medicine 15 No MSc Advanced Biological Sciences (Ecotoxicology) Code Module title Credits Compulsory BIOM568 Blue Planet 15 Yes BIOM544 Ecotoxicology (variant of BIO3067)* 15 Yes BIOM543 Ecology of Environmental Change (variant of BIO3037)* 15 No BIOM554 Advanced Applications of Physiology 15 No MSc Advanced Biological Sciences (Microbiology and Infectious Disease) Code Module title Credits Compulsory BIOM525 Molecular Basis of Infection (variant of BIO3079)* 15 No BIOM515 Cellular Basis of Immunity (variant of BIO3078)* 15 No BIOM534 Medical Mycology 15 No BIOM567 Applications of Genomics in Infectious Disease 15 No MSc Advanced Biological Sciences (Molecular and Cellular Biology) Code Module title Credits Compulsory BIOM525 Molecular Basis of Infection (variant of BIO3079)* 15 No BIOM515 Cellular Basis of Immunity (variant of BIO3078)* 15 No BIOM547 Frontiers in Molecular Cell Biology (variant of BIO3077)* 15 No BIOM548 Cell Biology of Disease (variant of BIO3086)* 15 No NSCM009 Bioimaging 15 No MSc Advanced Biological Sciences (Sustainable Aquaculture) Code Module title Credits Compulsory BIOM568 Blue Planet 15 Yes BIOM553 Current Issues in Marine Biology (variant of BIO3083)* 15 No BIOM554 Advanced Applications of Physiology 15 No *You cannot choose this module if you have already taken the undergraduate version.