Biology at Merton is characterised by a very friendly, dynamic community, with opportunities for some support with field trips, travel and research. Oxford’s wonderful array of world-renowned museums and libraries, notably the Museum of Natural History, and its extensive reference collections, make this a fantastic setting for delving into the study of biology.
Subject Intake: Four.
Course Duration: Three or Four Years.
Course Listing and Admissions Criteria: Biology at Oxford.
Teaching in Biology is co-ordinated by Professor Thomas Richards, with further tutorial teaching provided by Professors Peter Holland, Craig MacLean, and from a College Lecturer, Dr Chriss Terry.
The Biology course at Oxford is taught by the Department of Biology. You will be taught in a variety of formats, including lectures, practical skills classes and laboratory work, field courses and projects, and college tutorials. Topics covered in our biological science degree include cell biology, developmental biology, evolutionary biology and ecology, to name but a few.
Practical laboratory sessions and fieldwork are core aspects of this degree in Biology, and there is ample opportunity to pursue your individual interests and passions.
Students can either choose to complete their Oxford undergraduate course after three years and graduate with a BA, or continue to a fourth year and graduate with an MBiol (Masters in Biology). Progression to the MBiol is contingent on satisfactory academic performance in the first three years. The optional fourth year of the Biology masters degree consists of an in-depth research project, which can be lab- or field-based, supervised and supported by an Oxford academic.
The College employs a Stipendiary Lecturer whose role is to support undergraduates with the development of their skills in quantitative methods, mathematical problem solving and programming.
Merton provides generous academic grants and funding for field trips, research projects and travel.
Merton is the College of the Linacre Chair of Zoology, Professor Peter Holland.
The University of Oxford Botanic Garden, established in the early 1600s, is next door to Merton. Its collection of around 5,000 species provides a wealth of opportunities for students to easily explore the world of plants and biology, whether independently or through more formal teaching arrangements.
Distinguished biologists associated with the College include Niko Tinbergen, who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Karl von Frisch and Konrad Lorenz for their discoveries concerning the organisation and elicitation of individual and social behaviour patterns in animals; and Richard Southwood, Linacre Chair of Zoology 1979-1993, who went on to take up the Vice-Chancellorship of the University.
Merton’s student-run biology society, the Tinbergen Society, holds a variety of events, social activities and talks throughout the year, which are always popular.
