Microbiology and Immunology with Foundation Year

Microbiology and immunology together address two of the most fundamental and urgent areas of biological science. Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa, asking how they are structured, how they reproduce, how they interact with their hosts and environments, and how they can be exploited for biotechnology or controlled when they cause disease. Immunology examines the body's defence systems, analysing how the immune system detects and responds to infection, how it distinguishes self from non-self, and how failures of immune regulation lead to conditions ranging from autoimmunity to cancer.

The interplay between microbiology and immunology is at the heart of infectious disease research, vaccine development, and the emerging fields of immunotherapy and microbiome science.

At the University of Keele, this five-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, which builds the biological, chemical, and mathematical foundations needed before the main degree begins. This structure makes the programme accessible to students from a wider range of prior educational backgrounds while ensuring you are thoroughly prepared for the scientific demands of undergraduate microbiology and immunology. Across the programme you will develop cutting-edge laboratory techniques, experimental design skills, and the analytical and communication abilities needed to pursue research or professional roles in the bioscience sector.

You will engage with both the basic science of microbial life and immune function and the applied dimensions of infectious disease, clinical microbiology, and biotechnology.

Graduates are well prepared for careers in biomedical research, clinical microbiology, public health, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, food safety and environmental microbiology, and the broader bioscience industry. The combination of microbiological and immunological expertise is particularly valued in sectors engaged with infectious disease surveillance, vaccine development, and immunotherapy. Many graduates continue to postgraduate research, using the laboratory and analytical skills developed during the programme as a foundation for doctoral work in areas such as infection biology, host-pathogen interactions, immunology, or microbiome science.