Royal Society of Biology Accreditation
We are pleased to announce that the 16 MSci degrees across the Life Sciences portfolio have been awarded Advanced Accreditation by the Royal Society of Biology (RSB).
This status, achieved in April 2025 - three years on from the successful RSB accreditation for our 16 BSc (Hons) degrees - recognises the significant, high-quality collective contributions across the MSci programme.
Directors, mentors, tutors and support staff have committed themselves over the years to design and deliver the MSci with Work Placement year, ensuring it is challenging, supportive, inclusive and engaging.
Combined with accreditation of the BSc (Honours) Veterinary Bioscience, led by Jean Rodgers and Lesley Nicolson from the School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, and the Masters Accreditation of all PGT degrees in MVLS, lead by Cheryl Woodhead and others, all undergraduate and Masters students in MVLS now will graduate with a degree from a RSB-accredited programme.
Co-designed with both universities and employers across the UK, the accreditation process highlights degree programmes that meet an agreed high standard in order to demonstrate these programmes are preparing life science graduates to be the leaders and innovators of the future.
Accredited programmes have been shown to provide graduates with the skills and experience needed to enter a successful career in the biosciences.
In addition to the recognition that comes with receiving an accredited degree, which demonstrates, on a national level, that our MSci students have the knowledge and skills that employers seek.
All students graduating from RSB-accredited degrees (BSc & MSci) are also eligible for free Student Affiliate membership for the duration of their studies and 50 per cent off RSB Associate membership for two years after graduation.
These memberships provide access to RSB-organised events and studentships that would otherwise not be available.
Senior Lecturer in Ecology & Environmental Change Dr Anna McGregor said: "I think we all appreciate there is excellent work that happens across the Life Science degrees.
"However, it is really exciting and rewarding to be able to review that work and, when compared across both the standards set by the RSB and what else is happening in higher education across the UK (and world), be able to see how stellar it really is.
"I'm really proud to be able to represent all of the individuals within Life Science at our university in this format, and be involved with a process that really makes a difference for helping our graduates to take their first step into the post-university world."
Fellow Accreditation Team member Dr Laura McCaughey, a Senior Lecturer in Bacteriology, added: “For me, the best part of being involved in the RSB accreditation of our degrees is getting to see the creative and engaging content unique to each course, and the hard work and dedication by our staff that makes these courses the best they can be."
