Biology is the study of living organisms, whether single-celled or multi-cellular, as individuals or in groups, and their interaction with their environment and with each other. It is concerned with all levels of biological complexity from the molecular level through to cells and tissues, to organisms, their populations and the ecosystems of which they form part. Biologists seek to understand the structure and function of the living world. Biologists investigate how organisms access and use energy and the processes by which they develop and replicate. Evolution provides an overarching framework for understanding changes that have occurred in groups of organisms over time. 

The minor will initially cover fundamental concepts in biology, such as life, the structure and function of molecules, cells and organisms and processes including metabolism and respiration. 

This minor is characterised by integrating 'biology' sub-disciplines which are distinguished by:

• their subject matter
• the scale of the subject matter
• the suite of tools used for investigation.

This minor has been structured in this way because biology is now moving into a phase of rapid expansion and discovery that places biologists at the forefront of current scientific research.