Biology
On average, St John's accepts 4 Biology students per year.
We are looking for students from any background who we think will thrive on our course, particularly those who:
- Share our passion for biology
- Can describe and discuss a biological topic
- Can engage in problem solving
- Can present a reasoned argument
- Demonstrate academic potential
The entry requirements for this course are determined by the University’s Department of Biology
More information about applying to study Biology at Oxford can be found on the Department’s website.
General advice about applying to St John’s can be found here
St John's is fortunate to have two full Tutorial Fellows in Biology (Professor Theresa Burt de Perera and Dr Laura Moody) and a Tutor in Biochemistry (Professor Jason Schnell), all at the frontiers of active research in their fields, and who between them cover a very broad range of teaching interests, from cell biology and developmental genetics to animal behaviour and evolution.
The Tutors are enthusiastic about tutorial teaching and believe it rightly complements the more formal lectures by providing students with the opportunity to explore their own ideas about biology and to develop their ability to express them.
We own Bagley Wood, 200 hectares of mixed lowland woodland on the edge of Oxford that students can use for research and recreation.
St John's encourages any interested biologists to undertake overseas expeditions in order to increase their experience of the natural world, and is able to offer generous travel grants to help.
Biology students in College form a good social as well as academic group, helping one another and enjoying an annual Biology Club dinner.
Biology is a great foundation for many professions which benefit from observation, communication, critical thinking, and intellectual skills.
Some of our students continue to postgraduate research at Oxford or further afield.
Others use their skills and knowledge to establish careers in a variety of sectors, which may or may not have direct connections to biological topics. These include charity and not-for-profit, law, energy and the environment, financial services, consultancy, medicine or health and social care, government and public services, and media, marketing and publishing.
