Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Natural Sciences

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.

Develop a broad foundation of theory and practical skills in mathematics, statistics and computing, preparing you for careers in mathematics and beyond.

Mathematical sciences combines traditional mathematics with statistics and computing. This course is for you if you’d like to keep your options open and study a broader range of topics.

Tailor to your interests

In the first year, you’ll explore an introduction to mathematics at university level before choosing areas in which you’d like to specialise later in the course. In year two, you’ll also have the option to study computing, physics and economics units run by other departments. All of our courses are flexible and allow for a wide choice of units after year one. If you find you want to specialise more, you may be able to switch courses during the first year.

Develop your knowledge of biomechanics, physiology and psychology. You will understand how humans function in sport, physical activity and health environments.

This degree has three core strands running throughout the course:

• Biomechanics will explore how humans create and control movement including athletes’ technique
• Physiology will cover the structure, function, regulation and performance of bodily systems
• Psychology will examine the role of thoughts, feelings and behaviours in sport and exercise settings

Through these core disciplines you'll apply your knowledge to sports performance and exercise participation and understand the relevance of sport and exercise science to current practice.

Use specialist facilities

As a student on one of our sport, exercise and health courses you'll have access to facilities that support your learning, including laboratories with specialist equipment and the latest technology, including:

• Applied Biomechanics Laboratory
• Applied Physiology Laboratory
• Biochemistry Laboratory
• Metabolic Research Laboratory
• A dedicated movement analysis suite

Study human health and the causes, prevention and treatment of diseases and graduate ready to help tackle global health challenges.

This course will equip you with the skills and knowledge to be a part of the next generation of biomedical research scientists.

You’ll learn to apply biological sciences to explore human health and the causes, prevention and treatment of diseases such as cancer and Parkinson’s disease. You'll study a broad range of topics including genetics, genomics, human physiology, cancer, pathology, infection and immunity, molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry and pharmacology.

Become an innovative computing professional with the skills needed for a career in the fast-growing field of AI.

This course is for you if you’re keen to learn about current Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, specialising in this field from the start of your degree whilst still gaining a broad grounding in computer science. AI is becoming an ever more important part of a wide range of sectors from medicine to marketing, so this course will help prepare you for continued demand in the job market.

You'll gain the skills and knowledge to apply the latest AI technologies and methods to a wide range of problems, studying topics such as machine learning, algorithms and complexity, and visual computing.

Tailor to your interests

In the first year, you’ll learn the basics of computer science, including mathematics and programming skills, along with an introduction to the theory and practice of AI. In the second year, you’ll continue to develop your AI skills, with a focus on machine learning. In the final year, you’ll choose optional units alongside an individual project in a specific area of AI. You can specialise in areas such as robotics, natural language processing, intelligent agents or computer vision. You’ll regularly meet with an academic who’s an expert in your chosen field.

Placement Year

Going on placement gives you the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge during a year working in industry. You’ll be employed full-time in a role to match your future career ambitions, broadening your experience and transferable skills. This could give you a competitive edge when applying for graduate jobs.

We have links with some of the industry’s leading companies. Recent placement employers include Accenture, Imagination Technologies, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft and Google.

Vital in addressing global health and environmental challenges, biochemistry explores the chemical processes of living organisms at a molecular level.

Combine your interests in biology and chemistry by applying chemical knowledge and techniques to study biological processes. You’ll learn what’s happening inside cells, how they communicate with each other, and use this to predict how molecules will interact.

Tailor to your interests

In year one you’ll gain a broad grounding in biosciences to help work out where your interests lie. Then from year two, you'll choose optional units in specific areas, such as developmental biology, genomics, neuroscience, cancer biology and microbiology.

And to keep your options open further, you'll even have the flexibility to switch between our biology and biochemistry courses after the first year.

Study life on all scales to find out where your interests lie, on this flexible and wide-ranging course.

Biology encompasses the study of life from molecules to ecosystems. It's an exciting area of study that has a significant impact on our daily lives and is vital to solving some of the world’s biggest challenges.

You'll gain a broad foundation of skills across areas such as evolution, ecology, biodiversity, genetics, cell biology and microbiology, equipping you with the knowledge for a range of careers in the biosciences and beyond.

Tailor to your interests

As the most flexible of our biosciences courses, from year two you'll get to choose from a wide variety of units. This gives you the option to either maintain breadth or specialise in specific areas, such as developmental biology, genomics, neuroscience, cancer biology or microbiology.

To keep your options open further, you'll even have the flexibility to switch between our biology and biochemistry courses after the first year.

Combine your passion for chemistry with a desire to make a real contribution to the development of new pharmaceuticals.

If you’re interested in the drug discovery process and want to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry, this is the course for you.

You’ll gain a solid foundation in chemistry with a focus on how drugs and medicines are designed and made, how they work and why they’re successful. Major pharmaceutical companies have contributed to the design of the course so you can be sure your studies will be relevant for industry. You’ll develop in-depth knowledge of the drug design process, and the skills to carry out experimental and computational drug discovery projects.

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.

Gain a critical appreciation of the sports industry and develop the skills and knowledge necessary to lead organisations affiliated with sport across private, public, and voluntary sectors.

The MSc Sport Management has been co-developed by the Department for Health and the School of Management. Through the course, you'll cover the diverse theories and methods relevant to the Sport Management industry. The course will draw upon expertise from industry partners to deliver content with real-world application.

You'll also cover core management concepts and practices focusing on the types of business involved in sport and exercise provision.

Develop theoretical and practical abilities in software design, development and experimentation, to become an innovative computing professional.

This course is for you if you’re interested in studying computer science but want to wait until later in your degree before deciding what area to specialise in. It's a broad-ranging course giving you the knowledge to apply computer science methods to the latest industry challenges and learn skills highly valued by employers.

Tailor to your interests

In the first year, you’ll learn core skills in mathematics and programming and the foundations of artificial intelligence, software design and development, interaction design, computer graphics and vision. More advanced and specialised units follow in the second and final years. In the second year, you'll complete a group project with other students to design and build an interactive application.

In the final year, you'll choose optional units alongside an individual project combining your interests in a specific area of computer science. You’ll regularly meet with an academic who specialises in your chosen field.

Placement Year

Going on placement gives you the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge during a year working in industry. You’ll be employed full-time in a role to match your future career ambitions, broadening your experience and transferable skills. This could give you a competitive edge when applying for graduate jobs.

We have links with some of the industry’s leading companies. Recent placement employers include Accenture, Imagination Technologies, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft and Google.