Biology and Professional Education

Course description

Are you interested in any of the following? • The evolution of animal behaviour • Genetic engineering of crop plants • The fossil record • The response of plants and animals to climate change, or •The biological molecules that underpin respiration and development. If the answer is yes, you’ll have the opportunity to find out about them and more as a biologist at Stirling. Biologists study the immeasurable diversity of living organisms amongst which we live on planet earth. During a biology degree you will study organisms from bacteria to blue whales, investigating systems ranging from enzymes to ecosystems. Of all the biological sciences degrees, Biology has the greatest flexibility, and module choice increases as students progress through their degree. In year 4, our range of specialist half-modules allows students to specialise in an area of biology that they have become particularly interested. Training is provided in both laboratory and field skills. As well as the beautiful campus in which the University is situated, we have a wide range of superb landscapes and habitats on our doorstep, and make the most of these throughout the degree. Final-year projects are a challenging yet valuable part of our degrees, and some have been so good they were published. These are supervised by a member of staff in the School but may also be carried out in conjunction with an external organisation. Examples of recent titles include: • The role of the blood brain barrier in HIV infections •  Searching for evidence of division of labour within flowers: characterisation of anther dimorphism in the genus Solanum • Competition between clonal fragments and seedlings in Mimulus guttatus • Ultraviolet light, skin collagen and ageing •  Mechanisms of sperm storage and its use in seaweed flies • Fruit fly promiscuity: influences on female fitness. The programme includes a compulsory field class in Scotland in year 2, and optional field courses during year 4. (Students must pay most of the costs of their travel, accommodation, and subsistence for field courses.) During the field trips, students learn various techniques in field sampling, identification, experimental design, data analysis and presentation. A 10-day field course in ecology and animal biology takes place in the Cévennes in France, a rugged mountain landscape of exceptional natural beauty and tremendous biodiversity. A further optional field course in tropical conservation biology travels to Gabon in year 4, where the University of Stirling has a long history in the study and practice of conservation and management.      

The opportunity to work with young adults to help them fulfil their potential must surely rank as one of the most important and influential roles anyone can take up as a career. What are the complex processes that underpin both learning and teaching within classrooms and other ‘learning spaces’? How can we use expert knowledge and developed experience of these processes to maximise the quality of education experienced by all our young people? Choosing to study Secondary Education at Stirling will involve exploring these and other core pedagogical beliefs, issues and practices and lead to one of the most rewarding and challenging career choices available to any graduate. You will usually follow eight semesters (four years) which leads to an Honours degree in the chosen teaching subject(s) and Professional Education. Alternatively, seven semesters (three and a half years) lead either to a General degree, or to a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Education. General degree students may only be able to qualify in one teaching subject.

Subjects

• Teaching (secondary teaching)
• Teaching