Year 12 Discovery Day
Bring your Year 12 or Lower Sixth students to the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston campus for a Discovery Day.
This on-campus event gives students the chance to explore university study, experience campus life and take part in two subject taster sessions linked to their degree and A Level interests. The day helps students consider their options, learn what it’s like to study at a research‑intensive university and start planning their next steps after sixth form.
Event details
Date: Wednesday 22 April 2026
Time: 10.00am–2.00pm (optional campus tour afterwards)
Students can choose from a wide range of tasters across Arts and Law, Engineering and Physical Sciences, Life and Environmental Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences, and Social Sciences.
Why attend?
Students will have the opportunity to:
- explore university-level study through engaging subject tasters
- discover subjects linked to their current A levels and future degree interests
- experience our Edgbaston campus
- learn more about studying at Birmingham
Timetable
Timetable
| Time | Activity |
| 10:15 | Arrival and welcome |
| 11:00 | Taster session one |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 12:45 | Move to second taster session location |
| 13:00 | Taster session two |
| 14:00 | Walk to coaches - depart by 14:15 |
| 14:00-14:30 | Optional campus tour - coaches depart by 14:45 |
Subject taster session one
Subject taster session one
Each student will have the opportunity to attend two taster sessions during the day. We will contact schools closer to the event to confirm session preferences, and students from the same school do not all need to attend the same sessions.
11:00 – Taster session one
| Session | Ideal for | Description |
| Martin Luther: Hero or Villan? | History | Explore the life and legacy of Martin Luther, from religious reformer to controversial historical figure. Students will consider how reputations change over time and how the past can be interpreted and misused. |
| Getting to the heart of the matter - is understanding cardiac electrical activity important | Medicine/Biomedical Science | Tale part in a practical ECG session exploring the heart's electrical activity and its importance in understanding health and disease. |
| Shark Lookout: height vs shake | Engineering | Design and build a shark lookout tower that can withstand simulated earthquake conditions, exploring structural stability, forces, vibration and electrical systems. |
| Location, location, location | Computer Science/Mathematics | Discover how computer scientists are using machine learning and data from smart devices tackle the challenges facing rapidly growing cities. |
| Urban planning | Geography | Explore how cities are designed and managed, and how planners respond to challenges such as population growth, sustainability and quality of life. |
| Volcanism and mass extinctions through Earth's history | Geography/Earth Sciences | Investigate how volcanic activity has shaped Earth's history and contributed to major extinction events. |
| Gene therapy in crops | Biology/Biosciences | Learn how gene editing technologies are being used to improve crops and respond to global food security challenges. |
| Antibiotic resistance, bacterial plasmids and strategies to combat them | Biology/Biosciences | Explore how bacteria becomes resistant to antibiotics and the scientific strategies being developed to tackle this global issue. |
| From lab to field: Sport and Exercise Science explained | Sport/PE | Discover how sport scientists use laboratory testing and real-world data to understand performance, health and exercise. |
| Digital dependence? Understanding our relationship with smartphones | Psychology | Examine how smartphones influence behaviour, wellbeing and attention, and what psychology reveals about our digital habits. |
| What are 'Rights'? | Politics/International Relations/PPE | Explore what it means to have rights, where rights come from and how they are debated in real-world political contexts. |
| Why we buy the past: Nostalgia, brands and consumer behaviour | Marketing | Discover how nostalgia shapes our consumer behaviour and how brands use it to create emotional connections and influence decisions. |
Subject taster session two
Subject taster session two
Each student will have the opportunity to attend two taster sessions during the day. We will contact schools closer to the event to confirm session preferences, and students from the same school do not all need to attend the same sessions.
13:00 – Taster session two
| Session | Ideal for | Description |
| Stories of slavery | English Literature | Explore how literature represents slavery and its legacy, and how storytelling shapes our understanding of history, identity and culture. |
| Getting to the heart of the matter - is understanding cardiac electrical activity important | Medicine/Biomedical Science | Tale part in a practical ECG session exploring the heart's electrical activity and its importance in understanding health and disease. |
| Location, location, location | Computer Science/Mathematics | Explore how large-scale data and machine learning are transforming how we understand and manage modern cities. |
| Cosmic detectives: Exploring the universe from particles to planets | Physics | Analyse real scientific data to investigate particle physics or astrophysics, from the Higgs Boson to planets beyond our solar system. |
| From lab to field: Sport and Exercise Science explained | Sport/PE | Discover how sport scientists use laboratory testing and real-world data to understand performance, health and exercise. |
| Urban planning | Geography | Explore how cities are designed and managed, and how planners respond to challenges such as population growth, sustainability and quality of life. |
| Volcanism and mass extinctions through Earth's history | Geography/Earth Sciences | Investigate how volcanic activity has shaped Earth's history and contributed to major extinction events. |
| Gene therapy in crops | Biology/Biosciences | Learn how gene editing technologies are being used to improve crops and respond to global food security challenges. |
| Antibiotic resistance, bacterial plasmids and strategies to combat them | Biology/Biosciences | Explore how bacteria becomes resistant to antibiotics and the scientific strategies being developed to tackle this global issue. |
| Digital dependence? Understanding our relationship with smartphones | Psychology | Examine how smartphones influence behaviour, wellbeing and attention, and what psychology reveals about our digital habits. |
| Planning for healthy and resilient cities | Geography/Planning | Discover how cities can be designed to support wellbeing, sustainability and resilience in a changing world. |
| AI and Public Policy | Social Sciences | Discover how sport scientists use laboratory testing and real-world data to understand performance, health and exercise. |
| Development Economics: Informality | Economics | Examine why many workers and firms operate outside formal systems, and how economists use evidence and policy experiments to understand development challenges, inequality and productivity. |
Book your place
Contact us
If you have any questions, please email openday@contacts.bham.ac.uk.