The STEM Foundation Year provides the opportunity to study an integrated 4-year programme where you will complete a Foundation Year before progressing onto a degree in biology, computer science, engineering, or geography and geology, subject to passing all assessments. The STEM Foundation Year provides the opportunity to develop scientific skills and knowledge, tailored to your individual needs, that will enable you to progress onto the first-year of selected science-based degrees at Edge Hill University. The programme equips you with the key transferable skills needed for higher education and future employment. It is suitable if you meet the University’s minimum entry criteria but do not meet the subject-specific requirements for science-based courses or wish to extend your scientific knowledge base prior to joining a relevant degree. You will develop skills in academic writing, critical analysis, systematic thinking and personal reflection, and receive a broad overview of applied mathematics and physics. The programme includes three pathways which enable you to enhance your scientific knowledge in computer programming, biology or geography. The pathway you will study is determined by your intended degree. Harness biotechnology to address society’s biggest challenges, including disease and food production. Our biotechnology degree covers the creation of synthetic human insulin, biomedical scientific breakthroughs and the production of genetically modified foods. It’s based in genetics and microbiology and their related laboratory techniques, but its uses go well beyond these disciplines, covering medicine, agriculture and environmental management. You’ll visit biotechnology companies to learn how this sector works and spend a lot of time in practical sessions. Plus, you’ll get to use resources such as our scanning electron microscope, DNA extraction and purification facilities and microbiology suite. Biotechnology is one of the fastest developing areas of science. Getting a degree in this subject will help you secure work in many biology-related fields.