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Overview

Plant science sits at the center of today's greatest challenges, from securing global food supplies to protecting biodiversity and responding to a changing climate. It draws together the study of genes, cells, whole organisms and entire ecosystems to explain how plants grow, evolve and interact with the world around them. The BSc Plant Sciences at the University of Bristol offers a broad, research-led introduction to this subject, giving students exposure to both the fundamental biology of plants and its practical relevance to sustainability, conservation and food security. The course begins with a wide grounding across the life sciences before allowing students to specialise or maintain breadth as they progress. It is designed for those who want to understand plant life from the molecular level through to whole ecosystems, and who are drawn to a discipline with direct bearing on some of society's most pressing environmental and agricultural questions.

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What You'll Learn

• The diversity, evolution and biological function of plants

• Functional genomics and bioinformatics as applied to plant systems

• Plant developmental biology and cell signalling

• Plant pathology and disease

• Pollination biology and plant-ecosystem interactions

• Ecology and plant conservation

• Systems-level approaches to biology

• A broad foundation across the life sciences in the first year, with increasing choice to specialise or maintain breadth in later years

• Practical experience through a field- or laboratory-based course and an independent research project

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to explain how plants function and evolve at the molecular, cellular, organismal and ecosystem level, and connect these different scales of biology into a coherent understanding of plant life. They will be able to critically evaluate current research in areas such as functional genomics, plant pathology, cell signalling and pollination biology, and apply this understanding to pressing challenges including food security, biodiversity loss and climate change. Through their field or laboratory course and independent research project, students will gain hands-on experience in designing experiments, collecting and interpreting biological data, and communicating scientific findings. Graduates will leave with the ability to think across disciplines within plant science, and to identify and pursue their own area of specialism with confidence.