How to Use This Site

For Students and Teachers

Welcome to The Biology Faculty

The Biology Faculty provides free, short films of university lecturers speaking on topics directly from the A-level curriculum. The site also helps students choose a university Biology department that's right for them and shows them what careers may follow their studies and what employers particularly value in Biology graduates.

The site has three levels - A-levels → Universities → Careers
These can be accessed from the navigation bar under the top banner.

The "Home" or "A-levels" pages contain the video lectures. Each individual video podcast is accompanied by related resources and a discussion forum which allows teachers and pupils across the UK to discuss the podcast content. All discussions are moderated.

To find the podcast relevant to what you learn/teach you can browse the podcasts page to page, or click the "Find a Podcast" button. This will open a list of titles by category. Each title is a link to the podcast itself.

The "Universities" page has videos offering advice for prospective Biology undergraduates on making the transition from sixth form to university. Information on individual Biology departments in the UK can be found by clicking on the universities listed in the navigation bar on the right of the page.

The "Careers" page provides general careers advice for Biology graduates in the videos on the main part of the page. Information on leading UK employers of Biology graduates can be found by clicking on the names of companies listed in the navigation bar on the right of the page.

For Universities

Do you want to promote your department to prospective students across the UK and abroad? Our podcasts bring the expertise of research scholars into the classroom, stretch and challenge students, inspire deeper learning and better prepare them for undergraduate study. With the backing of the major exam boards, our resources are being used in classrooms across the UK. A profile on TheBiologyFaculty.org offers your department an excellent opportunity to show 16-18 year olds that you teach the subjects they want to study at university. The associated online “discussions” also allow can be used to conduct outreach and widening participation activities on a national and international scale.

We can film presentations at your university, edit and upload the completed podcast for as little as £200 per film. If you make and edit films that meet our technical and academic specifications, prices are lower still.

Entries on our universities pages are free.

For further information on how your department can participate in TheFaculties.org please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 0113 344-3878.

For Graduate Recruiters

Are you interested in encouraging 16-18 year olds across the country to aspire to work for your company after graduation? Is your company interested in supporting the production of educational resources of the highest academic quality? As tuition fees are set to triple, A-level students want reassurance that the subject they choose to study at university will lead to a rewarding career. This is why they want to know about opportunities presented by companies such as yours.

An entry on our careers pages will allow you to explain what your company values in graduates with degrees in English, Maths and other disciplines we cover, and what it's like to work for you. You can also sponsor podcasts on our site so that your corporate logo appears on the opening and closing credits of films as they are played in the classroom. Prices start at £200 per annum.

For more information on prices, our user profile, hit rate, download rate and feedback, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 0113 344-3878.

A-levels section:

This section of the site contains short films of university lecturers speaking on topics directly from the A-level curriculum. All the topics are provided by the major exam boards: AQA, Edexcel and OCR. Use the films and the related resources to delve deeper into topics; helping you to excel in your assessments and smooth the transition from school to university.

Each video podcast is also accompanied by a discussion forum which allows you to discuss the podcast content with teachers and other pupils across the UK. All discussions are moderated. All podcasts are available to stream for free, whilst those that have been sponsored by a recruiter can also be downloaded. Be sure to click the ‘want to download this podcast?’ button if a pod you want to use is not currently downloadable. You can also use the social media buttons at the bottom of each page to share the website with your peers.

Universities section:

This section of the site is aimed at helping you choose where to study.

Use the videos in the Universities section to get advice on what to look for when choosing a University, how to apply and what to expect when you get there. There’s also a video explaining the range of careers that could follow your choice of degree.

Use the tab on the right hand side to compare departments that offer degrees in Maths. This section offers both ‘at a glance’ as well as more ‘in depth information to help you make the right decision about where to study.

The ‘at a glance’ section shows the vital statistics of the department. This includes links to the department’s website and prospectus, where the department ranks in the major league tables and other figures relating to the size of the department, its student satisfaction ratings (NSS) and the quality of research in the department (RAE).

Rankings can be arbitrary. Note what can be stark differences between Times and Guardian rankings. Decide whether student satisfaction, or research excellence are more important to you and think about whether you want to be in a large or a small department.

The ‘in depth’ section allows you to look beyond the statistics. In this section departments have the opportunity to give you a fuller description of what they have to offer in terms of teaching, research and employability.

New universities are being added to the site regularly.

Careers Section:

This section of the site shows you the types of careers that are available to Maths graduates and offers advice on maximising your employability.

Use the videos in the careers section to get advice on how to use your time at University to increase your employability, as well as how to apply for jobs, write a CV and prepare for an interview.

Use the tab on the right hand side to see who recruits Maths graduates, what skills they are looking for, how your career may evolve and comments from current employees. You can also see what internships they offer, as well as showing whether the company has a school leavers schemes if you aren’t sure about whether university is right for you. Keep coming back to this section of the site as more recruiters are being added to the site weekly.

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