Virology and Immunology
Virology and immunology together constitute two of the most clinically and scientifically important fields in modern biology. Virology is the study of viruses, the submicroscopic infectious agents that cause diseases from influenza and HIV to COVID-19 and Ebola, examining how they replicate, evolve, and interact with host cells. Immunology examines the extraordinary system of cells, molecules, and processes that the body uses to defend itself against infection, and how this system can fail, causing autoimmune diseases when it attacks the body's own tissues.
The relationship between the two disciplines is central to understanding disease and to developing vaccines, antivirals, and immunotherapies.
The University of Bristol's three-year full-time Virology and Immunology degree carries a typical entry tariff of 152 points. As the course itself notes, you will study the immune system and how it controls infection, as well as the autoimmune diseases that can occur when the immune system attacks the body's own tissues. You will develop a rigorous understanding of molecular and cellular biology, genetics, biochemistry, and the specific mechanisms of viral replication and immune response, alongside laboratory skills in techniques that are fundamental to modern biological research and clinical practice.
Bristol has significant strengths in both virology and immunology research, and your teaching will be informed by work at the frontier of these disciplines.
Graduates of virology and immunology programmes enter careers in pharmaceutical research and development, vaccine development, clinical research, biotechnology, medical laboratory science, public health, and academic research. Many continue to postgraduate study or doctoral research, which opens doors to senior scientific roles in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, in hospital-based clinical science, or in academic medicine. The combination of molecular, cellular, and disease-focused training this degree provides is directly relevant to some of the most significant health challenges of our time.