Natural Sciences

BSc (Hons)
MSci (Hons)
www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci
I thoroughly enjoyed my A-level options and wished
to pursue them all further; the Natural Sciences
programme provided the ideal setting to do just
this. The Masters stream allowed me to develop my
interests to a higher level and helped me to discover
my future research area, whilst also maintaining
a broad knowledge of the Physical Sciences. As a
Natural Scientist you will develop a multidisciplinary
background, one often finds that this enables you to
approach problems in a variety of ways, taking what
you learn in one field and being able to apply it in
another. A lot of emerging research is taking place at
the boundaries between the sciences being a Natural Scientist thus means
you will be perfectly placed to make a contribution to your chosen field. The
Masters programme has proved to be an ideal stepping-stone towards starting
my PhD in Quantum Optics at the University of Bath.
Robert Francis-Jones, Natural Sciences graduate
1
Natural Sciences
www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci
Why Natural Sciences?
Modern science is strongly interdisciplinary with the traditional
subjects now overlapping signicantly. At the University of Bath,
for example, you can nd number crunching biologists, physicists
who are experts on biomembrane structural determination and
chemists whose passion is working out how to mimic the ways
plants harvest sunlight. The Natural Science degrees at Bath
are a great way to gain a deep understanding of one of the
mainstream core subjects whilst studying other science and
supporting subjects alongside your main subject. If you loved
studying chemistry, biology or physics at school or college, and
want to keep that breadth, Natural Sciences is for you.
Why Natural Sciences at Bath?
The key to a successful Natural Sciences course is balancing
breadth and depth. On one hand you need the in-depth
coverage of science to enable you to go on to pursue a potential
research career, whilst retaining a range of topics and exibility.
The Natural Sciences course in Bath has developed over twenty
years to allow you to study familiar subjects at university level as
well as experience new areas of science such as pharmacology
and mathematical biology and other subjects as diverse as
Education, Environmental Studies, Psychology, Languages and
Management. The programmes enable you to study a broad
range of science subjects and at the same time allow you to
design a unique degree to suit your interests and strengths.
The diversity of jobs and research roles of our graduates over
the years have proved the quality and success of Baths Natural
Sciences course.
Professional Placements and Studying Abroad
The University is famous for its placement schemes, and all
Natural Sciences undergraduates have the chance to opt for a
year long placement. If you wish to experience a different culture
from your own, and gain a new perspective on academic life in
an international setting, there is also a study year abroad option
in the third year.
Flexibility
The Natural Sciences programmes have the added exibility
of giving you the ability to transfer between three and four year
degree programmes and an undergraduate Masters degree.
In addition the opportunity to transfer to Year Two of one of the
single honours degree programmes in Biology, Chemistry, or
Physics after your rst year may be possible.
Bachelors or Masters?
2 www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci
The Natural Sciences BSc at the University of Bath allows you to combine subjects more broadly than the
MSci throughout the course in order to achieve the wide range of skills and intellectual experience that many
employers desire in graduates. The 4-year undergraduate masters (MSci) degree programme allows you to
study your preferred subject in more depth than is possible within the BSc programme. This should be of
particular interest to students considering postgraduate research. However, there is exibility to switch from
one to the other after the rst year, or even onto single honours degree programmes. Both courses combine
5 blocks per year to make up 60 credits.
BSc in Natural Sciences
(3 or 4 years)
Each year you take 2 blocks (24 credits)
of your core science subject, choosing
from
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Maths
or Pharmacology
and then add other subjects to make up
your credits.
You can choose blocks from the other
core sciences or from the following:
Environmental Science
Modern Languages (at a range of
levels)
Psychology
Education
Management
Social Science
In the rst year you must choose a block
of Mathematics. In the nal year you
will take a year-long scientic project or
dissertation in your major subject.
MSci in Natural Sciences
(4 or 5 years)
The MSci degree concentrates more
on the core science subjects than the
BSc degree and may be attractive
to students wishing to undertake
postgraduate research. In the rst year
you will choose a subject combination
to follow throughout your degree from
one of the following:
Biology major with Chemistry/
Mathematical Biology
Biology major with Pharmacology
Biology major with Physics
Chemistry major with Biology
Chemistry major with Physics
Chemistry major with
Pharmacology
Physics major with Chemistry
Physics major with Physical
Chemistry and Biology
You can usually t in other blocks as the
course progresses.
3 www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci
Natural Sciences programme structures
Both Masters and Bachelors courses allow you to include a placement or year abroad after your second year, in order to gain
experience, and understanding of where your degree can potentially take you.
Year 1
Year 1
Year 2
Year 2
Final Year
Final Year Year 4
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Mandatory
Units
Mandatory
Units
Mathematics
Units
Mathematics
Units
Practice of Science
Unit
Project/Dissertation
Unit
Major Subject
Stream
Biology, Chemistry, Physics
or Pharmacology
Four blocks from
chosen subject
combination
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
or Pharmacology
Continue with chosen
subject combination
from Year 1
Continue with chosen
subject combination
from Year 2
Continue with chosen
subject combination
from Year 3
Biology, Chemistry, Physics,
Pharmacology or Environment
Biology, Chemistry, Physics,
Pharmacology or Environment
Minor Subject
Stream
Biology, Chemistry, Physics
or Pharmacology
Biology, Chemistry, Physics,
Pharmacology or Environment
Biology, Chemistry, Physics,
Pharmacology or Environment
Additional
Units
Education, Languages,
Management or Psychology
Education, Languages,
Management or Psychology
Education, Languages,
Management or Psychology
More information about subject combinations can be found in the Guide to Course Selection at
www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci/study/admissions
MSci students choose a subject combination to follow from Year 1. More information about subject combinations can be found in
the Guide to Course Selection at www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci/study/admissions
Natural Sciences Placement Year
One of the distinguishing features of the University of Baths
degree programmes is the integrated placement. For the Natural
Sciences BSc and MSci degrees this takes place in the third year
but you do not have to decide if you want to do a placement until
spring of the rst year. Recent placement employers include:

Central Science Laboratory, York - Food security and
environmental health
QinetiQ - Research and technical advice for defence
industryology
Summit Plc, Abingdon - Medicinal Chemistry
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Diageo Menstrie Distillery - Alcohol brands including beer,
wines and spirits
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Didcot -
International Science Centre
Duke University Medical Center (USA)
RWE npower - Risk management
Ernst & Young - Global assurance, tax
Sanofi Aventis - Global pharmaceutical company
ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility),
Grenoble, France
Shell Global Solutions - Energy and processing
Siemens Magnet Technology, Oxford - Designer
GSK GlaxoSmithKline - Global pharmaceuticals
Health Protection Agency
Mercedes-Benz UK
The Gillette Company
Natural History Museum, London
Pfizer UK - Research and development of medicines
for humans and animals
UK Met Office
LOCOG, Olympic Games Organiser
How You
Benefit from Your
Placement Year
Potential to earn a salary
Gain real experience in the
professional world putting
knowledge into practice
Improves your nal year
performance
Develops your professional skills
including time management,
communication and team work
skills - Invaluable experience of
the recruitment process
Possibility of securing a graduate
position with the placement
employer after your degree
Improve your employability
4 www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci
Natural Sciences Placement Year
How the placement scheme works
Once you have decided to do a placement you will be directed to a dedicated Placement Tutor
from whom you will receive individual support and advice throughout the placement process. They
will help you nd the most suitable placement from their many established links with prestigious
employers. The placement tutor will remain on hand throughout your actual placement providing
academic and pastoral support. Most placements are in the UK, but a number each year are
abroad. During your year away the placement tutor maintains contact with the placement employer
and yourself. Our placements are an integral part of our degrees and receive formal recognition on
your degree certicate.
Study Abroad Scheme
Some Natural Sciences students wish to expand their academic horizons by spending the third year
of their degree at an overseas university. This may be particularly appropriate for students including
a European language within the BSc degree. A designated Study Year Abroad Tutor is available
to advise and assist students with their applications. Like the Placement Programme, success is
dependent on the number of places available and competition from other students.
Some of the Universities which we exchange students with are:
USA Purdue
Pennsylvania State
Nebraska
Canada Dalhousie,
Halifax
SFU Vancouver
Australia Wollongong near Sydney
New Zealand Canterbury
Singapore NUS
Hong Kong City University
Spain Castellon
Germany Regensburg
Austria TU Vienna
France Bordeaux

Finland Helsinki
5 www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci
Help with choosing and building
your course
6 www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci
There is lots of information available on the University of Bath web site. Specically you should
look at the Natural Sciences page
http://www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci/admissions/
You can click through to nd a web based Course Building Tool at:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci/mycourse/
where you can build up details of all of the years of your individual course, whilst making sure the
whole programme remains coherent, as the web app automatically checks for pre-requisites such as
appropriate A-level scores. There is a useful help le at
http://www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci/mycourse/resources/mycourse.pdf
You can also nd a very detailed explanation of the course structure, and the available units in
the Course Selection Guide through the website or at:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci/admissions/course-selection-guide-2012-13.pdf
7 www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci
Natural Sciences Teaching
and Learning
You can expect a mix of different teaching styles whichever
Natural Sciences course you devise for yourself! Youll go to
lectures, small group tutorials and workshops for your different
units, as well as practicals and eld trips. Youll use our lecture
capture system, Panopto, to revise and catch up, and can even
nish that essay in the middle of the night on one of our 500 PCs
in the 24 hour library and learning centre.
For almost all of the Natural Sciences courses, you are taught
alongside the students studying the single honours subjects.
For example, in Chemistry units you will go to lectures with
the chemists, and have small group tutorials and workshops
alongside them. In some subjects you will have separate
practical classes.
Support and help while
youre here
There is a whole team of people to support you during your
time in Bath. When you choose your major subject you will be
allocated a personal tutor from that discipline, whose role is to be
an academic contact throughout your career in Natural Sciences.
They can also help out with any other problems that can arise,
including illness, family and nance. Your personal tutor can also
refer you on to the Student Support Services, where professional
advice is available. Each department contributing to Natural
Sciences has a dedicated academic - the subject convenor
who can help with any specic questions with that subject,
and the Natural Sciences team comprising the Programme
Administrator, Director of Studies and Chair of the Programme
Committee are always willing to help.
University of Bath Students
Union
Our Students Union is one of the best in the UK - ranked in the
top three by the National Union of Students (NUS) - ensuring
that the student view is represented effectively at all levels of
governance and working with our academic departments and
professional services to make certain that our students receive
high quality welfare, pastoral and academic support.
The Students Union also provides you with a wide range of
opportunities for personal development, including award-winning
enterprise education, and engagement with social, recreational
and volunteering activities. It won a national Gold Award in 2011
for the excellent student experience it provides for its members -
one of only four such accolades across the country.
I enjoyed all of my
A level subjects so
Natural Sciences
at Bath was a
perfect choice for
me. A wide range
of subjects is
available and in addition to lectures, workshops
and tutorials are run throughout the course.
There is also the exciting opportunity to do a
placement, which makes you highly attractive
to employers. The University of Bath provides a
high standard of teaching from supportive staff
and there is a great social scene with many
extra-curricular activities to enjoy. I have had
a very fulfilling four years studying Natural
Sciences at Bath and highly recommend it.
Sarah Heasman, Natural Sciences graduate
www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci
www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci
Natural Sciences:
Admissions Procedure
8 www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci
Our courses
BSc in Natural Sciences
3 year - CFG0 - 3 year full-time
4 year - FCG0 - with Professional Placement
4 year - GCF0 - with Study Year Abroad
MSci in Natural Sciences
4 year - GFC0 - 4 year full-time
5 year - GFCA - with Professional Placement
5 year - GFCB - with Study Year Abroad
Places Available: approximately 85 (BSc + MSci)
Course entry requirements
Typical ofer: A*AAAAA
Minimum of two core sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics*)
Students wishing to take physics options will be required to have a good A-level (B or higher) or
equivalent in mathematics. In order to take double mathematics, students will require a grade A in
A-level Mathematics. AS Level(s) may be taken into account, but are unlikely at present to form part
of the ofer. Mathematics is needed at GCSE level or higher. Appropriate standards at International
Baccalaureate (38 points overall, with minimum scores of 7,6,6 in three subjects at the Higher Level,
including at least two core sciences). Other qualifcations are acceptable; further details available on
request.
Applications are welcome from mature students, students with disabilities, specifc learning difculties,
and additional support needs.
* contact Admissions Tutor before applying if Mathematics is one of your two core sciences.
Admissions Enquiries:
Dr Susan Crennell Admissions Tutor
Telephone: 01225 384302 or 386644
email: S.J.Crennell@bath.ac.uk or natsci@bath.ac.uk
After Your Degree
It is crucial that you choose a course that has strong evidence of being able
to deliver good postgraduate opportunities. Bath students are consistently
near the top of the table in graduate employment rates, and Natural Sciences
is no exception. Here are some recent examples:
Employment
Analyst, Bank of America Merill Lynch
Scientific Publisher, PJB Publications
Trainee Actuary, Equitable Life
Graduate Trainee, R & R Ice Cream
(Europes largest ice cream manufacturer)
Scientific Research, Cancer Research Campaign
Development Technician, Kraft Foods
Graduate Trainee, National Grid
Associate Accountant, Deloitte
Field Research Assistant, Henry Doorley Zoo, USA
Clinical Scientist, Kings College Hospital London
Lab Technician, Thatchers Cider Company
Graduate Trainee, BP
Project Leader, World Health Organisation
Environmental Consultant, Enviros
Research Assistant, University of Cambridge
Quality Control Microbiologist, GE Healthcare
Further Study
Natural Sciences at Bath is a great route to further study both for
Masters degrees and PhDs. Here are some examples of postgraduate
courses our recent graduates have progressed on to:
PhD Regenerative Medicine - University of Bath
PhD in Green Chemistry - University of Bath
Masters in Environmental Technology - Imperial College London
Masters in Forensic Science - Kings College, London
MSc in Science Journalism - City University
MSc Modern Applications of Mathematics - University of Bath
Career destinations of recent Natural Sciences graduates can be
found on the Careers Advisory Service website
http://www.bath.ac.uk/careers
Programmes
BSc (hons) Natural Sciences
Full Time CFG0
BSc (hons) Natural Sciences with
Professional Placement FCG0
BSc (hons) Natural Sciences with Study
Year Abroad GCF0
MSci (hons) Natural Sciences
Full Time GFC0
MSci (hons) Natural Sciences with
Professional Placement GFCA
MSci (hons) Natural Sciences with Study
Year Abroad GFCB
Information on all of these can be found on
our Department website.
Typical offers
For detailed and up-to-date
information please check
www.bath.ac.uk/study
A levels: A*AA-AAA
For BSc, at least two core sciences (from
Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics).
For MSci, two core sciences other than
Mathematics are required.
For certain options (Physics included),
Mathematics may be an additional
requirement.
International Baccalaureate:
38 points, three at grade 6 at Higher Level,
including at least two core sciences (from
Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics).
For more information
Contact:
Department of Natural Sciences
Tel: +44 (0)1225 386644
Email: natsci@bath.ac.uk
Web: www.bath.ac.uk/study
Remember to check our
web pages before you apply:
www.bath.ac.uk/study
Natural Sciences
University of Bath
Bath
BA2 7AY
Natural Sciences
BSc (Hons)
MSci (Hons)
www.bath.ac.uk/nat-sci