Plant Biology BSc (Hons)

Plants provide an essential foundation for life on earth and have a crucial role to play in solving some of the most serious problems facing the human race, such as food shortages and rising carbon emissions. Never before has there been such urgency to train a new generation of plant biologists who can develop future technologies and approaches to respond to these challenges.

Here’s why we think Aberystwyth is a great place to be a Plant Biologist:

• Passionate teaching staff that are also world-leading researchers;
• World class facilities for plant biology teaching and research, including a botanical garden with tropical glasshouse, modern laboratories, a microscopy suite, historic botanical specimen collection, and the National Plant Phenomics Centre;
• Local access to a wide range of flora, and sites that are of international importance;
• Direct links to industry, with companies on campus, international company links, and a soon-to-be-built innovation campus that will house even more plant-focused companies.

Overview

Why study Plant Biology at Aberystwyth University?

• Learn and live in an exceptional environment where you will be surrounded by a great diversity of beautiful environments, including marine, moorland, mountain, waterways, grassland and coast.
• Investigate subjects areas such as plant physiology, genetics, agronomy, crop science, ecology, food security and global climate change impacts.
• Receive expert training in field and laboratory skills.
• Taught by well-known and world-leading experts in the field.
• Use of the Biological Service Unit, Mass Spectrometry, Analytical Unit, Modelling laboratory, the Computational Biological laboratory, Advanced Microscopy and Bio-imaging Laboratory.

Employability

What are our graduates doing now?

Students can engage in careers in the following areas:

• Horticultural / Agricultural production;
• Habitat surveying of habitats and Conservation;
• Education and public engagement;
• Plant Breeding;
• Plant Biotechnology;
• Consultancy;
• Plant research –graduate position;
• Ph.D. research.

Following graduation our students are ideally positioned to target employment with the following organisations:

• NIAB;
• The Environment Agency;
• Natural Resources Wales;
• National Trust;
• National Parks;
• Botanic Gardens (e.g. Kew, NBGW);
• The Forestry Commission;
• Plant breeding companies;
• Biotechnology companies;
• Agri-Food organisations.

What skills will obtain from studying Plant Biology?

Employability is embedded in our teaching. Our students leave Aberystwyth University with the skills including:

• research and data analysis skills;
• enhanced mathematical and computational skills;
• effective problem-solving and creative thinking skills;
• a thorough grounding in information technology skills;
• the ability to work independently;
• time-management and organisational skills, including the ability to meet deadlines;
• the ability to express ideas and communicate information in a clear and structured manner, in both written and oral form;
• self-motivation and self-reliance;
• team-working, with the ability to discuss concepts in groups, accommodating different ideas and reaching agreement.