Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Natural Sciences

at University of Bath United Kingdom

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.

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.

Placement Year

You may gain a competitive edge in the graduate job market by taking a placement year. You’ll work full-time in a role that might be undertaken by a graduate, where you’ll broaden your experience and transferable skills.

There are a wide range of opportunities, from working in marketing for a pharmaceutical company to a lab-based role at a research institute. We have links with some of industry's leading companies. Recent employers include Lilly, Field Studies Council, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Oxford Gene Technology, AstraZeneca, Genesys and LifeArc.

Gain a global perspective on business. You’ll learn to understand the national and cultural contexts in which firms operate.

This course is for graduates who want to work in multinational companies or manage in an international context.

Learn about the international economic environment by studying several business disciplines and examining the latest management research. You’ll learn to appreciate and keep up with the complex and ever-changing global marketplace.

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.

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.

Year abroad

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

We have links with universities in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, currently including Binghamton University, University of Nebraska, University of Canterbury, TU Vienna and National University Singapore.

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.

Combining core economics with relevant finance topics, this course is ideal preparation for a finance-focused career.

If you are considering work in a financial institution, consultancy, ministry of finance or economics, or central bank, our MSc Economics and Finance course is for you.

This specialist master’s brings together a compelling combination of training in advanced economic theory with relevant finance units; some of which are taught by our School of Management.

Starting with a comprehensive refresher course in essential maths and economics skills, you will go on to explore how economics can be used to help address real financial issues such as the global financial crisis.

You will use a deeper understanding of economic theory to gain additional insights into these events, and we will support your investigations with rigorous training in econometrics to allow you to interpret and analyse empirical data effectively.

The dissertation will give you the chance to work with one of our experienced lecturers on a topic of your interest and apply your knowledge to a specific problem.

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.

How we can get people more active and making healthy choices? Prepare yourself for a range of careers, promoting health at an individual or population level.

This course combines science, social science and public health. Through learning about how the human body works, you will understand the impact that physical activity, diet and other lifestyle choices have on health and wellbeing.

This degree has three core themes running throughout the course:

• Exercise Science provides a fundamental, interdisciplinary understanding of human function
• Behavioural Medicine explores how we can use the principles of exercise science to promote health, or treat and prevent disease
• Public Health investigates the determinants of population health, focusing particularly on the role of physical activity and lifestyle in the health of a population

Through these core themes you will apply your knowledge to health and exercise settings and understand their relevance in 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

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.