Microbiology (BSc (Hons))

Microbiology is the study of microscopic organisms including fungi, bacteria, viruses and protozoa. These microbes are crucially important in medicine, biology, agriculture, biotechnology and the environment.

Microbes are beneficial in process such as food production, promoting human health, biotechnology, agriculture and waste treatment. Conversely, some are responsible for causing disease in humans and animals or in causing food spoilage and crop loss in agriculture.

As one of the classical disciplines, microbiology combines fundamental biology with applications and thus provides excellent training and opportunities for students interested in different aspects of science.

The microbiology course at UCC is varied and broad but has a special focus on our areas of particular strength, namely, medical, food and environmental microbiology.

Many modern scientific disciplines such as genetic engineering, genomics, microbial biotechnology, immunology and molecular biology originated from classical microbiology and form an integral part of our modern microbiology degree.

The entry route to the BSc in Microbiology at UCC is through the general BSc Biological and Chemical Sciences entry. At the end of the degree, you will have a broad knowledge of microbiology, specialised knowledge of aspects that interest you, and a skill set of knowledge acquisition, practical techniques and problem solving ability that will equip you for your future career.