Biology is a wide and fascinating subject, involving the scientific study of living organisms from bacteria to the largest mammals, and this course will help you to develop knowledge and skills to open up a range of exciting career opportunities.As a student on the BSc Biology with a Year Abroad degree, you will study in our new laboratories within a state-of-the-art £4.2m science lab facility. The £1.3m Visualisation Centre, which displays and manipulates multi-dimensional information from animal tag monitoring, is unique in the world; and we also have a £1.3m purpose-built 18m catamaran-class survey vessel equipped with state-of-the-art survey and research equipment.Biology at Swansea is ranked in the top 10 in the UK for student satisfaction, with 97% (National Student Survey 2017), and the course offers an excellent range of laboratory and field-based topics. We are 16th in the UK for graduate prospects (Complete University Guide 2018) and the subject gives you a wide range of specialist and generic skills that can lead to career opportunities around the world in fields such as medicine, veterinary science, environmental management and conservation, and teaching. You will study in a research-intensive environment - 7th in the UK for Research Excellence (Research Excellence Framework 2014) – and you will learn from academics at the cutting-edge of their fields. Our renowned team includes Professor Rory Wilson, Rolex Laureate and Chief Scientific Consultant behind National Geographic’s Great Migrations, who invented the Daily Diary tag to monitor animal movement and behaviour; and Professor Tariq Butt, who specialises in the bio-control of crops (fungi) and develops products and strategies for pest control. Our experts advised on the Blue Planet II TV series, and our staff also includes Associate Professor Carole Llewellyn, whose innovative algal research is helping provide solutions to global challenges of climate, human health, bioenergy, food security and industrial biotechnology.Teaching excels in such an environment and we are 17th in the UK for teaching quality (Times & Sunday Times University Guide 2018).The BSc Biology course is accredited by the Royal Society of Biology, and covers themes including animal and marine welfare and conservation, the biological control of invertebrate pests, microbiology, and ocean and climate. Our proximity to a diverse range of contrasting environments plus our own facilities provides a wide scope for customising your learning experience. Local, residential and international field courses will allow you to work in habitats such as the spectacular marine coastal ecosystems, freshwater/wetland environments and terrestrial habitats of Gower.You will spend the third of your four years at one of our partner institutions abroad. This is a marvellous opportunity to experience a different culture and, depending on the destination, to develop valuable language skills. “During my time here, I have developed a fascination with animal behaviour. I have learned so much from the inspirational biosciences staff, about such a broad range of topics. Swansea has provided me with amazing opportunities to do science in the great outdoors and put theory into practice. From spending a summer on the research vessel conducting benthic surveys to hiking around the winelands of South Africa researching baboon behaviour to taking an interdisciplinary approach researching impacts of hydro-electric power plants in the Sikkim Himalayas.”Charlotte Rees Roderick, Biology graduate