Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Biology with Placement Year

at University of Bath United Kingdom

The modern world needs thoughtful, politically-conscious, questioning economists. Become a professional who understands how economics and politics intertwine.

In this course, you’ll examine the challenges facing individuals, countries and the international community. You will develop an understanding of government and society through core concepts such as power, justice, conflict, accountability, obligation, sovereignty and decision making. You will develop strong analytical skills which will aid your understanding of the institutional, UK and global context within which economic decisions and policy formation takes place.

In your first year you'll study key concepts in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. You'll explore political theory and analysis, introducing central subjects such as power and the state, democracy and the climate crisis.

In your second year you'll continue with more advanced study of political and economic theory. You'll study the exercise of power in societies and economies through an engagement with themes such as democratic theory, populist and nationalist politics, and the politics of race and gender.

In your final year you'll explore your interests through a range of optional units in both economics and politics.

By the end of the course, you will have an appreciation of the interface between economics and political science.

Placement Year

Taking a placement in your third year enables you to use the theory you have learned in a practical context. You will learn about an organisation and its area of work in the UK or overseas. This is an excellent opportunity to test potential career paths. Sometimes permanent jobs are offered to our students. You’ll develop skills such as teamwork, planning, problem-solving, decision making and project management.

Employers value a year of professional work and you’ll gain an advantage in the job market. Sometimes it is possible for you to acquire additional professional qualifications, particularly in accountancy, whilst on placement.

Placement opportunities can’t be guaranteed but you will receive tailored support from our specialist team to help you secure a placement.

Year abroad

On this course you'll combine a work placement with studying at a university overseas. Broaden your horizons and experience another culture whilst studying a course that complements your studies at Bath.

Study abroad locations include the National University of Singapore and Stellenbosch University (South Africa), as well as others. We seek to further expand on these. Study abroad opportunities are limited and are subject to availability at our partner institutions.

Learn about the deep connections between mathematics and theoretical physics and develop your scientific computing and theoretical modelling skills to understand and solve complex physical problems.

This course is for you if you want to study a broad physics degree with less emphasis on experimental laboratories and a stronger focus on theoretical, mathematical and computational aspects of physics.

You'll study the cornerstones of theoretical physics while developing your understanding of their mathematical foundations. Our courses reflect our theoretical research expertise in condensed matter, photonics and astrophysics. The computational physics and programming aspects also reflect the more applied nature of our theoretical research.

The combination of theoretical and practical knowledge of physics and mathematics is highly sought-after by employers and also gives an excellent grounding for postgraduate or industrial research.

Placement Year

As an MPhys student, you can choose to undertake a research placement in the final year of the course. You’ll spend six months (July to December) working in a research organisation of international standing, before returning to the University for the final semester. We have links with leading research organisations, including CERN, NTT Basic Research Laboratories (Japan), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (France) and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

Prepare yourself for a career in specialist language work including translation, editing and précis-writing.

If you're interested in working as a professional linguist or working with the written word to provide translations and specialised language services, this course is an excellent option.

With a growing demand for highly trained speakers of English in the UK and abroad, this specialist master's will equip you to set up your own freelance business or work in-house for an international organisation or language service provider.

Unlike other courses of its kind, ours covers a wide variety of skills, including editing, revision, précis-writing and proofreading. Employers and agencies have told us they’re looking for these services, so having the right skills will place you in a strong position for securing work. You'll have the opportunity to gain skills in public service and commercial interpreting, and you will learn about setting up your own translation business.

In some cases, we can arrange external translation training. This may be in international organisations, such as the EU and UN, or an independent translation agency, and will give you first-hand experience of the workplace and valuable contacts for building your career.

The course is taught by qualified tutors. While some have worked for international organisations, others have developed their careers as freelance linguists. All bring extensive experience to the classroom to give students invaluable advice.

Gain a strong grounding in advanced economics. Take your knowledge a step further by applying it to the field that most interests you.

Our MSc Applied Economics and MSc Applied Economics with Banking and Financial Markets provide rigorous training in all the main aspects of economics. We are one of the only universities in the UK offering this level of specialisation on this type of master's.

Starting with a comprehensive refresher in essential maths and economics skills, you will go on to receive advanced training in the analysis of problems in applied microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics and strategic decision-making.

Most importantly, you will then have the opportunity to tailor the course to the area of business or policy you are most interested in, giving you additional expertise and a head start when seeking work in that field.

Learn the core knowledge and technical skills of chemical engineering and focus on the environmental challenges of new technologies, processes and products.

The first three years of our course develop your understanding of the core practices of chemical engineering. Through problem-based learning, you'll critically apply mathematical, scientific and engineering knowledge to projects. A mix of practical work in laboratories and theory in lectures and seminars gives you the breadth of learning needed to become adept in the subject.

You’ll also develop transferable skills such as problem solving, teamwork and resource management. Integrating these with your technical knowledge, you’ll learn how to tackle complex, and often open-ended, engineering problems. Individual and group projects are a chance for you to develop scientific ideas from bench scale to process scale.

In your final year, you’ll have the opportunity to build on your chemical engineering knowledge by specialising in environmental engineering. Choosing this route allows you to explore aspects that address social, environmental and health issues, as well as sustainability. Focusing on environmental science and engineering, you'll study the economic, legislative and ethical issues that control environmental protection and sustainability. Areas you'll cover will include clean technologies such as water treatment and waste management.

You can switch between this and our MEng Chemical Engineering course up until the end of your third year. This is so you can use your study experience so far to help you decide on your final degree.

Studying an MEng gives you an in-depth study experience through advanced taught units and project work. You can explore topics in more depth through a semester-long research project that can be completed at Bath, a university abroad or in industry. Our MEng degrees also fulfil the educational requirements you need to become a Chartered Engineer.

Placement Year

A placement gives you the chance to gain experience and develop skills in a commercial or industrial environment and can count towards becoming chartered. The professional knowledge you gain can benefit the rest of your degree and improve your career prospects. It can also be an opportunity to earn a salary during your degree.

You can decide whether you want to apply for a placement up until the end of your second year. Placement opportunities cannot be guaranteed but you will receive tailored support from our specialist team to help you secure a placement. Recent employers of our Chemical Engineering placements students include Mondelez, Biobean and Exxon Mobil.

Combine specialist knowledge in engineering with advanced business skills to impact the future of vehicle engineering in the automotive sector.

Our course gives you the opportunity to build on your first degree with more in-depth knowledge in automotive engineering. Alongside this, you’ll learn key business management skills relevant to a variety of industries but focusing first on the automotive sector.

You’ll advance your technical engineering knowledge in areas such as propulsion systems and how they will influence the future of vehicle engineering. Exploring a range of automotive engineering applications and technologies, you’ll consider their impact, analysing past failures and predicting future challenges and successes. Using a systems-thinking approach, you’ll learn to understand wider challenges that affect the automotive sector including moral, ethical and sustainability issues.

Develop an in-depth knowledge of the financial system. Use your quantitative skills and graduate ready for a career in finance or accounting.

This course is for graduates who have little or no business experience and want a finance or accounting-related career.

Receive a solid theoretical foundation in accounting and finance. You’ll learn to analyse financial decisions and the motivations of people making them, and how to apply this knowledge in the real world.

We bring in expertise from the University’s departments of Mathematical Sciences and Economics. This gives you access to a range of teaching and research experience.

Key benefits

• Our emphasis on technical and practical skills means you’ll leave prepared for a finance career
• Share your knowledge and experiences with students from all our finance courses. You'll also gain global insight working with students from all over the world
• Learn from three of the University’s leading teaching and research departments. We bring in expertise from Management, Mathematical Sciences and Economics
• Apply academic theory to a practical issue with an optional dissertation alternative. You'll get valuable experience working on a real problem
• Focus on the areas that interest you with a flexible course structure.

Develop an in-depth understanding of contemporary development issues, and gain the specialist skills to work in peacebuilding, conflict analysis and humanitarian response.

Whether you are a graduate aiming to pursue a development or humanitarian career in conflict-affected regions, or a professional wishing to deepen your knowledge and critical thinking, this course is for you.

The course addresses the core global challenges of conflict and humanitarian crisis and explores a variety of tools and approaches for responding in these contexts. Rooted in real-world practical and policy challenges, the course is founded on Bath’s expertise in international development. It uses innovative learning approaches to promote in-depth investigation of cases and issues, while drawing links across global, regional, national and local scales.

Learn how engineering, manufacturing and management work together in industry. Gain expertise in product creation processes from design to end manufacture.

Our course develops your understanding of the sciences and disciplines relating to manufacturing. You’ll study engineering, manufacturing and management to understand their role in production processes.

We draw on our links with industry to build your knowledge of the integrated systems, processes and technologies used in advanced manufacturing. Learning about the latest engineering developments will inspire you to explore ways to produce high quality products at a low cost.

Your first two years give you a grounding in core mechanical engineering principles. You'll combine this with physical science, mathematics and computing to analyse engineering systems.

Placement Year

A placement lets you experience working in a commercial or industrial environment and learn about the technologies and processes that companies use. It can also be an opportunity to earn a salary during your degree and make industry contacts. Gaining professional experience can improve your career prospects and count towards becoming a Chartered Engineer.

Our students have worked at companies such as Unilever, Rolls Royce Cars and Airbus UK.

Learn practical and theoretical skills across all areas of chemistry, ready to tackle major challenges in a range of careers.

From addressing climate change, to developing new pharmaceuticals or tackling food security, chemistry is vital in modern day society.

This course has the broadest range of subjects of all our chemistry courses. In the first two years, you’ll study an introduction to all areas of chemistry, gaining the practical and theoretical skills needed to design experiments and test hypotheses. This includes understanding the theories of chemical behaviour and how they're applied.

Year abroad

Broaden your horizons with a year studying at a university abroad. You’ll experience another culture whilst studying a course that complements your studies at Bath.

We have links with universities in the United States, Canada, Australasia, Asia and Europe, including the Simon Fraser University, National University Singapore, University of Western Australia and the University of Helsinki.