Biology and Mathematics
Biology and mathematics is a combination that recognises that the life sciences are becoming increasingly quantitative, and that the most powerful approaches to understanding living systems draw on both biological insight and mathematical rigour. As St Andrews itself notes, biology involves the study of life at all levels of organisation, from the molecular biology of virus replication to the study of animals and plants in their natural habitats, and it touches on many aspects of contemporary life from drug design to the molecular basis of disease and the conservation of marine mammals. Mathematics provides the formal language and analytical tools to model, predict, and understand those biological systems with greater precision.
St Andrews' four-year full-time Biology and Mathematics degree carries a typical entry tariff of 232 points, reflecting the high academic demands of a programme that combines two demanding disciplines at one of the UK's leading research universities. A year abroad option is included, giving you the opportunity to study at a partner institution and extend both your scientific and personal horizons. You will study the core areas of biology alongside pure and applied mathematics, developing both deep biological understanding and the quantitative and computational skills needed for modern research.
The combination is particularly valuable for quantitative biology, mathematical modelling of ecosystems, population dynamics, neuroscience, and computational biology.
Graduates with biology and mathematics are in strong demand across biomedical research, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, environmental modelling, epidemiology, computational biology, data science in the life sciences, and academic research. Many continue to doctoral study in biology, mathematical biology, bioinformatics, or related fields. The combination of quantitative rigour and biological understanding the degree develops positions graduates at the forefront of a discipline that is increasingly driving advances in medicine, ecology, and our understanding of life itself.