Natural Sciences

There are many complex challenges in the world today which require scientists who can work at the interface of many disciplines, so if you love science, and want to study more than one subject, you can build your own modular degree with us. We offer one of the longest running and most flexible Natural Sciences degree schemes in the country. Choose pathways from 17 subject areas across the physical and life sciences and connect with staff and students at the cutting-edge of these disciplines. It’s a challenging degree, and the reward is that you are uniquely positioned when you graduate, which opens a wealth of career options.

What to expect

Our four-year MSci Hons Natural Sciences degree starts with your choice of three pathways in Year 1. This allows you to discover and develop your passion for the scientific discipline and build those core fundamentals to take into subsequent years.

In Year 2, your study becomes more focused continuing with two pathways and the introduction of optional modules as you start to specialise.

Year 3 is about delving deeper into topics you have been studying and applying your skills and experience to a major research project or dissertation.

Master’s-level training

You can advance your degree in Year 4 by studying Master’s modules and conducting a significant, individually supervised research project. This is a great opportunity to build your CV and is a gateway to future research opportunities too.

Personal development

Working across different scientific disciplines gives you a unique perspective of how they overlap, and as a result, you will develop a broad skills set including abilities in maths and statistics, critical analysis, reasoning, logic, solving complex problems, data handling, and project management, to name just a few. The confidence gained from working across multiple teams to understand their nuances and complexities is directly replicable in the workplace.

3 things our Natural Sciences students want you to know

• You’ll be immersed in science and technology communities which are designed to challenge the most highly motivated students and world-leading researchers, all working together to shape current thinking across multiple scientific disciplines. You’ll have access to a large pool of student communities and support networks

• You’re also uniquely placed to boost your employability by making the most of opportunities within each department you are linked to, including state-of-the-art facilities, internships, placements, guest lectures, industry-led projects, practical lab sessions, or fieldwork

• Natural Sciences degrees make you highly employable by showing you can think and work across the conventional boundaries of science

How our pathways work

A pathway is a defined selection of modules taken from a range of degree programmes, e.g. Biology, Engineering, Geography. We then organise them into dedicated science and technology ‘groupings’. We ask you to choose three pathways in your first year of study. Before choosing your pathways it’s useful to understand that the complexity of some pathways mean they are double or triple weighted, meaning they count as two or three. For example, you may choose the Biology Pathway which is double weighted and another single weighted pathway such as Chemistry.