Many of the technical issues of sustainability in energy and material resources, advances in technology and medicine, that are now faced by society are interdisciplinary. Our Natural Sciences BSC(Hons) degree offers the opportunity to study across the traditional discipline divides, preparing you for multidisciplinary workplace and to contribute to a better life for all.

• The course enables you to study your chosen areas of science at the depth of a single honours degree but also gives you the chance to explore a wide range of options during your studies.
• You could find yourself delving into medicinal chemistry or getting to grips with chemical engineering. Studying or developing an understanding of environmental science. The range of subjects on offer helps you to tailor your degree to the kind of job you’d like to do after graduation.
• The flexibility of the course means that as your interests evolve so too can the subjects you study in your degree. Whichever options you choose, you’ll be able to get a grounding in the fundamentals of science while developing your logical reasoning and imaginative problem-solving skills in specialist research skills modules.
• In our labs you’ll have the opportunity to learn using the kind of instruments used in industry. And with an optional work placement in the UK or abroad in Year 3, you’ll find everything in place to help you gear your study towards boosting your employability.
• You'll be taught by academics in specialist areas of science all educated to doctoral level in their subjects and involved in forward-thinking research. This ensures we keep our courses challenging, exciting and thought-provoking and helps prepare you well to start your own career in academic, industrial or commercial settings.

Placements

In the third year of this course, you’ll get the chance to step out of the classroom and into the real world on an optional placement year working for an organisation related to your areas of interest. This is when you’ll really be able to see your knowledge in action, pick up invaluable skills for your future career and boost your employability to help you hit the ground running after graduation.

You could stay to do your placement in the UK or experience a new culture and work abroad for one year. Where could this year take you?

Previous students in the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering subject area have undertaken placements with Akzo Nobel, Chemfix, Dechema (Germany), GlaxoSmithKline, Lonza Biocides and Brenntag UK Ltd. Those in the Biological Sciences subject area have undertaken placements with Abcam plc, the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Pfizer, The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Germany) and Sooam Biotech Research Foundation (South Korea).

Your Career

As a graduate of this course, you may consider a career in a wide range of scientific areas, including chemical analysis, chemical manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceutics, environmental consultancy, oil and gas, food and drink, petrochemicals, research and teaching, the NHS, molecular sciences, medical genetics, pharmaceuticals, developing scientific patents, medical sales or marketing, medical writing and teaching.

Natural Sciences BSc(Hons) is a new course and therefore there are no graduates as yet. However, previous graduates within the School of Applied Sciences have gone on to work in roles such as Clinical Study Co-ordinator in Ophthalmology at NHS, Laboratory Technician at ALS, Microbiology Medical Laboratory Technician at IDEXX Laboratories, Analyst at ALS Environmental, Analytical Scientist at Sequani and Microbiological Analyst at Microsearch Laboratories Ltd.**