Course summary

Infectious diseases account for a quarter of all deaths. It’s a hard statistic to take in, but it’s why we keep studying the microscopic organisms that cause them. In this degree, you’ll learn how infectious diseases are caused, prevented, managed and cured – in both research and clinical environments. Do you want to know more about infectious diseases, which are responsible for a quarter of all deaths and are a major cause of death in infants and young children? This three-year BSc in Medical Microbiology will give you a thorough understanding of the range, type, structure and physiology of infectious organisms that cause disease in humans; including the major microbial diseases. You will appreciate how such organisms infect the human body, understand how microbes can promote both health and disease, and how such infections are prevented, managed or cured. This course will allow you to learn from both research and clinical scientists so that you can learn about management of infectious disease in clinical environments. This course is identical to the first three years of the MBiolSci in Medical Biosciences (Microbiology). What's the difference? At the University of Leicester, we offer seven Biological Science subjects and four Medical Bioscience subjects, all as both BSc (three years) and MBiolSci (four years), plus a Foundation Year option, giving you an impressive range of 23 different courses to choose from. Biological Science covers major aspects of biology and molecular sciences across a wide range of organisms from bacteria and fungi to humans and plants. All 14 courses share a common first year so you can change to a different degree before the end of Year 1. Medical Science allows you to select specialist modules that focus more closely on the application of biological principles to medicine. All eight courses share a common first year so you can change to a different degree before the end of Year 1. It is possible to switch between a Biological Science course and a Medical Bioscience course during the first half of your first year, but after that the two fields diverge.