School of Mathematics
FACULTY OF MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES
BSc Biology and Mathematics
UCAS Code: CG11
Duration: 3 years full-time
Typical offer:
AAB from three A-levels including Biology and Grade A in
Mathematics.
Taught by


School of Mathematics (parent school)
Faculty of Biological Sciences
In the first two years, equal time is spent on the two
subjects, while the 3rd year may be split as a 2:1 ratio
between the subjects.
Variants
This is a three year full time programme. There is
opportunity to do our Study Abroad or Year in Industry
schemes, which would make the programme a four year
degree.
Programme aims
Biology and Mathematics is a truly interdisciplinary degree.
Along with mathematics, you will study topics at the cutting
edge of biological discovery and which reflect the complexity
of the subject area, encompassing everything from
molecules to populations of organisms.
Advances in biological science have stimulated the
development of new mathematics, leading to new ways of
understanding our place in the universe.
Programme structure: Year one
Compulsory modules:
BLGY 1115 Introduction to Cell Biology: from Molecules
to Cells and Tissues: exploring the structure and function of
cells.
BLGY 1117 Ecology in a Changing World: focusing on
the challenges facing mankind (climate change, harvesting
natural resources and human population growth)
BLGY 1124 The Diversity of Life: covering the full range of
life on earth, plants, animals and micro-organisms and the
origin of life.
BLGY 1232 Introduction to Genetics: the nature of
genetic material – DNA – how is it transmitted from parents
to offspring.
MATH 1050 Calculus and Mathematical Analysis:
revision of integration and differentiation, and extensions to
more than one dimension.
MATH 1055 Numbers and Vectors: introducing you to
three influential developments from the 19th century –
complex numbers, vectors and the rigorous notion of limit.
MATH 1060 Introductory Linear Algebra: covers the ideas
involved in solving simultaneous equations, and using
matrices and determinants.
MATH 1400 Modelling with Differential Equations:
developing the theory of differential equations and applying
it to produce and study mathematical models.
MATH 1710 Probability and Statistics I: introducing
probability, random variables and statistical learning.
MATH 1712 Probability and Statistics II: covering
sampling, statistical tests and regression techniques.
Additionally two of the following optional modules:
BIOL 1212 Tissues, Organs and Processes of the
Human Body
BLGY 1211 Applied Biology and Agriculture
*BLGY 1234 Practical Genetics
*BLGY 1236 Practical Applied Biology
MATH 1920 Computational Mathematics
MICR 1201 Introduction to Microbiology
MICR 1220 Introduction to Immunology
*students must enrol on at least one of these modules.
BSc Biology and Mathematics
Programme structure: Year two
Compulsory modules:
BLGY 2163 How Plants Work
Study the principles of plant development biology and how a
plant develops throughout its life cycle.
BLGY 2223 Organismal Evolution
Making sense of micro and macro evolutionary processes,
and relating these to changes at the genetic level.
MATH 2365 Vector Calculus
Study differentiation and integration in 2, 3 and higher
dimensional space.
MATH 2375 Linear Differential Equations and
Transforms
Study and solve Partial Differential Equations which arise
from wave and diffusion problems in the real world.
MATH 2391 Nonlinear Differential Equations
Study the oscillatory and even chaotic behaviour of nonlinear systems.
Choose at least one of the following two optional modules,
covering more advanced statistical methods:
MATH 2715 Statistical Methods
MATH 2735 Statistical Modelling
In Mathematics, you choose a further optional module from
a choice of six, including:
MATH 2740 Environmental Statistics (how to make
inferences from environmental and spatial data)
MATH 2900 Maths at Work
(career skills linked to case-studies of how mathematics is
used in industry)
In Biology, take either BLGY 2144 Population and
Community Ecology or both of BLGY 2137 Parasitology
and BLGY 2296 Human Genetics. Depending on your
other choices, you can take one or two more modules from
a choice of six, including BLGY 2175 Human Populations,
BLGY 2222 Animal Behaviour and MICR 2221 Medical
Immunology.
Programme structure: Year three
You will undertake a final year project in mathematics or
biology, and take options from a wide range of pure and
applied mathematics, statistic and biology. You must take at
least 40 credits (a 3rd of the year) in both subjects.
There is one compulsory module, MATH 3567
Evolutionary Modelling, which applies mathematical
theory of differential and difference equations, and the
theory of stochastic processes, to model and study a variety
of evolutionary and biological phenomena. Further, you
must choose at least one module from MATH 3365
Mathematical Methods, MATH 3414 Analytic Solutions
of Partial Differential Equations, MATH 3772 Multivariate
Analysis or MATH 3880 Introduction to Statistics and
DNA.
In Biology, you can choose from 15 modules. For example,
BLGY 3122 Social Insect Biology (gain a firm
understanding of the major aspects of social insect biology
and the insights social insects can provide into general
problems in behaviour, ecology and evolution), BLGY 3214
Behavioural Ecology: Sex and Parasites (understand how
animal behaviour is adapted to the environment in which it
lives), BLGY 3245 Advanced Topics in Evolution (group
studies of advanced, research-led topics in evolution).
In Mathematics, you can choose from over 30 modules
(mostly 10 or 15 credits). For example, MATH 3143
Combinatorics, MATH 3355 Hamiltonian Systems,
MATH 3531 Cosmology or MATH 3802 Time Series.
You can also take up to 20 credits of discovery modules
with the approval of the programme co-ordinator.
For further details on all the modules associated with the
programme please see the programme catalogue at:
http://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/dynprogrammes.
asp?P=BS-BLGY%26MATH
For further details on all the Discovery Modules please see
the modules catalogue (ensure you select ‘search by
Discovery Modules’)
http://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/modulesearch.as
p?T=S&L=UG
Important Information
Information provided by the University such as in
presentations, University brochures and the University
website, is accurate at the time of first disclosure. However,
courses, University services and content of publications
remain subject to change. Changes may be necessary to
comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies or to
keep courses contemporary through updating practices or
areas of study. Circumstances may arise outside the
reasonable control of the University, leading to required
changes. Such circumstances include, industrial action,
unexpected student numbers, significant staff illness (where
a course is reliant upon a person’s expertise), unexpected
lack of funding, severe weather, fire, civil disorder, political
unrest, government restrictions and serious concern with
regard to the transmission of serious illness making a
course unsafe to deliver. After a student has taken up a
place with the University, the University will look to give
early notification of any changes and try to minimise their
impact, offering suitable alternative arrangements or forms
of compensation where it believes there is a fair case to do
so. Offers of a place to study at the University will provide
up to date information on courses.
The latest key information on courses can be found at
www.leeds.ac.uk/coursefinder
Please check this website before making any decisions.
School of Mathematics
University of Leeds
Leeds, LS2 9JT
United Kingdom
maths.admiss@leeds.ac.uk
www.maths.leeds.ac.uk/undergraduate