English Language and Biology

English Language

English Language is a new and innovative programme which aims to provide you with a theoretical knowledge and understanding of the English language, how it works in society and its role in the world today. It will also help you to develop your own communication skills.

Biology

Applied and Human Biology is the study of life, from the simplest organism to the complexities of the human species. By focusing on the study of the Human Being, this demanding and exciting discipline offers a revealing insight into the living world.

This course will give you a sound biological foundation, and substantial training as a human biologist. The Biology degree course at Aston University will ensure that you are given support in developing practical research skills that are relevant to the climate today. You will also develop knowledge and professional skills that will open up a wide range of career opportunities when you graduate. This course will also increase understanding of the living world and how all organisms depend on each other, with particular emphasis on the human species.

Key benefits

English Language

At Aston, you can study English Language as a half-programme in combination with a range of other subjects, such as a foreign language (French, German, Spanish), International Relations, Politics or Sociology, or one of an approved range of subjects from within the Combined Honours portfolio.

The School of Languages & Social Sciences (LSS) at Aston is recognised as a leader in the integrated study of national cultures and societies in Europe. The School's outstanding reputation for teaching quality was confirmed by our score of 22 out of a possible 24 in the last Teaching Quality Assessment exercise. The international quality research undertaken by members of staff was confirmed by a Grade 5 out of 5 in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise in 2001. The School also boasts innovative IT facilities which contribute to the quality of student learning.

Biology

At Aston University our programmes concentrate on the biological aspects of health and welfare, with emphasis on biomedical, environmental and economic problems or challenges. All of our programmes are supported by our extensive research activities, which include immunology, microbiology, cancer studies, cell biology, molecular genetics, vaccine and drug development and pharmacology.

Our Biology degree programmes have been assessed by the Quality Assurance Agency as achieving a score of 23/24, which is one of the best results in the country, and has been rated as excellent. You will also enjoy studying in one of the leading centres of Health Science in the country. Some other key benefits are:

• Combinations: There are a wide range of subjects to partner your Biological studies, widening your knowledge base and hence your range of possible careers.

• Firm Foundations: The first year is broadly based, covering the fundamental principles and practice of Biology.

• Professional Experience: You can opt to develop your knowledge and refine your skills by choosing the four-year sandwich programme, in which you spend your third year outside the University working with a relevant organisation.

• Flexibility: You may enrol for either the three-year full-time programme or the sandwich; transfer between them is possible at any time up to the beginning of your second year.

• Information Technology: You have the opportunity to develop your skills through access to computer-aided learning (CAL) packages in our computing laboratory.

• Specialisation: In the final year, you have the opportunity to develop your own particular interests by means of an individual project or dissertation.

• Professional Accreditation: You are eligible to apply for Student, and later for Graduate, Membership of the Institute of Biology

Teaching and assessment

English Langauage

You will experience a wide variety of learning and teaching methods, including:

• lectures, tutorials and seminars

• english exercises and case studies

• group and individual project work

• use of our extensive computing facilities

• corporate investigation and analysis

Students will be assessed in individual modules by end-of-semester (January & May/June) examinations and by assignments conducted and submitted during each session. Each module has its own method of assessment. Assessment methods include written exams, essays, presentations and projects.

Biology

You will experience a wide variety of learning and teaching methods, including:

• lectures, tutorials and seminars

• biology laboratories

• group and individual project work

• use of our extensive computing facilities

• corporate investigation and analysis

Students will be assessed in individual modules by end-of-semester (January & May/June) examinations and by assignments conducted and submitted during each session. Each module has its own method of assessment. Assessment methods include written exams, essays, presentations and projects.

Personal development

English Language

The Placement Year at Aston has an enviable reputation. This year provides the opportunity to develop professional skills by spending a year in paid employment.

Students will be strongly encouraged to seek a placement, although this is not compulsory. We have a full-time placements officer who will assist you in finding a suitable placement. In recent years student have had placements in the European Parliament as assistants to MEP's and with various European business organisations, as well as in UK based institutions. English language placements can be taken up either abroad or in the UK.

When English Language is combined with French and/or German, a year abroad must be spent in a French or German speaking country to develop language based skills. Students may choose to work in a well known and established company, as a teaching assistant in a school abroad or follow a university programme at one of our prestigious ERASMUS partner institutions.

Aston University has one of the best records for graduate employment in the UK. The course ensures that students will gain academic knowledge as well as developing a wide range of skills that are valued by employers.

English Language in combination with other Combined Honours subjects provides a good basis for a wide variety of work.

Biology

We offer an optional 12 month professional work placement between year 2 and the final year of our course. A final decision about whether or not to take a placement need not be made when you apply through UCAS. You will have the option to take a Biology or a related professional placement, usually in the UK, but possibly abroad. The placement year is one of the key factors in Aston's employment success. A higher proportion of our Biology degree graduates have found employment within 6 months of graduation than those of any other British university.

This year is undertaken with some of the UK's leading companies, hospitals and research establishments. Employers value the additional knowledge, maturity and confidence that are developed during this year and students returning from placements are often better motivated and better organised because of the experience they have gained.

Graduates enter the job market with a number of desirable skills, attractive to graduate employers. You will be proficient in gathering information, conducting research and laboratory experimentation. You will have to examine and assess data, to write and prepare reports. You will have an aptitude to calculate, compute and apply formulas. Graduates of biology are also able to develop ideas and problem solve effectively, with skills in organisation and conducting research. Due to the nature of the course you will also develop a capacity to interpret technical data and build knowledge of laboratory procedures. All of these skills ensure that our graduates are sought after and well-equipped to enter the job market after graduation.

Career prospects

English Language

Potential careers for English Language graduates include: publishing, linguistic computing, journalism, law, the Civil Service, the media (including advertising marketing and public relations) and information technology (including library work), as well as teaching (at home or abroad).

Biology

Graduates can choose from a wide range of careers in health, welfare, bio-medical research and the biological industries. Recent graduates have found positions in research, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, nutritional and brewing industries, environmental conservation and pollution control, scientific Civil Service, and teaching.

Objectives

Our Aims

Why study English Language?

• English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world today. Not only is it the first language of millions of people in such widely spread parts of the world as the UK, the USA and Australia, but it is also chosen as the first foreign language to be taught by many education systems, and there are over 1.4 billion people living in countries where English has official status. It is the main language of international diplomacy, commerce and trade, as well as of academic conferences, of pop music and of advertising - not forgetting of course the great body of literature, classical and modern, which is written in English.

• Studying English Language gives you an insight into how it came to occupy this dominant role. It helps you to understand how language is connected with other aspects of society, including power, culture and the economy. It also teaches you about the details of, and variations in, the way English is used in speech and writing for a wide variety of purposes.

• A qualification in English language equips graduates with relevant skills and competences to succeed in careers where communicating and mediating communication are key. Career prospects are wide-ranging, including such areas as publishing, linguistic computing, journalism, teaching (at home or abroad), the Civil Service, the media (including advertising, marketing and public relations), politics and information technology (including library work).