Natural Sciences (Study Abroad) MSci Hons

Program Overview

The Natural Sciences MSci degree at Lancaster University is a challenging program that allows students to study multiple scientific disciplines. Students can choose from ten subject areas, including biological sciences, chemistry, and physics. The program includes a year of study abroad at one of Lancaster's partner universities in North America, Australia, or New Zealand. Graduates of the program have a wide range of career opportunities in both scientific and non-scientific fields.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Natural Sciences is a challenging degree that allows you to study across all of the scientific disciplines to an advanced level. If you are interested in studying more than one scientific subject to an advanced level and want the opportunity to spend a year studying in another country, our Natural Sciences Study Abroad programme is ideal. The course allows you to combine up to three different subjects, while your year abroad allows you to experience a different culture and society at one of our partner universities. As you progress through the course you can maintain a breadth of study or choose to become more specialized. Either way, our Natural Sciences MSci degree is designed to challenge the brightest students who are highly motivated and prepared to apply themselves across multiple boundaries. You can choose pathways from ten subject areas that can be combined together to create a purpose-built degree programme. The science subjects are: Biological Sciences Chemistry Computing Engineering Environmental and Earth Sciences Geography Mathematics Medical School Physics Psychology Additionally, each pathway within these ten subject areas includes a wide selection of modules to choose from. This breadth of possibilities makes it difficult to summarize what the three year programme will look like, but the experience will be unique and tailored to your needs and goals. In the first year, all students begin with three pathways. You must choose two science pathways, and a third that can either be another science topic or you can select from elsewhere across the University, including a range of humanities and social sciences. You will be taught by academic staff who are leaders in their field, gaining a comprehensive understanding of your chosen subjects. You will also develop important skills and technical knowledge specific to each discipline, as well as interdisciplinary skills, such as data handling, analysis and evaluation, plus laboratory, IT and specialist software skills. At the end of the first year, you will have the opportunity to choose whether or not to continue with three subjects or to just focus on two sciences, to suit your goals and ambitions. In second year, your study will begin to become more focused and modules will be more specialized. You will continue to develop your skills from first year and you will have the opportunity to utilize and practice the knowledge and experience you have gained so far. In addition, many of the modules will allow you to progress your project management, research and professional skills, as well as further enhancing your technical ability. During your second year you will also start planning for your overseas experience in third year. Your third year will be spent studying at one of our partner institutions in North America, Australia or New Zealand. There you will benefit from an enriching experience and will broaden your horizons, while continuing your specialist studies and developing new academic networks. Lancaster University will make reasonable endeavours to place students at an approved overseas partner university that offers appropriate modules which contribute credit to your Lancaster degree. Lancaster University cannot accept responsibility for any financial aspects of the year or term abroad. During the third year, you will delve deeper into the topics that interested you previously and much of what you explore will be guided by what you studied in second year. This year, you will firmly cement your learning by applying your skills and experience, while developing news skills and technical knowledge. In the fourth year, you will benefit from cutting-edge, research-led, advanced modules in your chosen subjects, delivered by lecturers that are experts in their field, and undertake a major research project.

Assessment:

We aim to provide you with the most effective and stimulating approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, to enable you to demonstrate your capabilities in a range of ways. Assessment varies across disciplines and from module to module, but typical assignments include: laboratory reports, essays, literature reviews, short tests, short and sharply focused critical reports, poster sessions and oral presentations, as well as formal examinations.

Teaching:

You will be taught by academic staff who are leaders in their field, gaining a comprehensive understanding of your chosen subjects. You will also develop important skills and technical knowledge specific to each discipline, as well as interdisciplinary skills, such as data handling, analysis and evaluation, plus laboratory, IT and specialist software skills.

Careers:

A Natural Sciences degree ensures that you graduate with a broad and multidisciplinary set of skills which means that you benefit from the widest range of career opportunities. The flexibility of the degree and the breadth of subjects that you can study allows you to transition into a career from any scientific discipline, whether it is in biology, chemistry, computing, engineering, mathematics, physics, environmental sciences, and many more. You are also in demand for non-science roles due to your mathematic and statistical abilities, as well as skills in critical analysis and reasoning, logic, solving complex problems, data handling, and project management, to name just a few transferable skills. As a result, you can chart a course to a career in almost any industry. Graduating from this programme, you can honestly say the opportunities are endless. The median starting salary of graduates from our Natural Sciences degrees is £23,900 (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023). Graduate Researcher – Centre for Global Eco-Innovation Financial Modelling Analyst – KPMG Graduate Air Quality Consultant – AECOM Audit Associate – EY Trainee Healthcare Scientist – NHS Environmental Engineer – ARUP Senior Scientist Researcher – AstraZeneca Cloud Solution Architect – Vmware Research Assistant/PhD – University of Cambridge Hydrologist – Environment Agency Every year, approximately 20% of our graduating cohort pursue postgraduate study (MSc or PhD). Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, you also graduate with the relevant life and work based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development.

Other:

Community:

Fitting with the dynamic and diverse nature of our Natural Sciences programme, you will have the opportunity to engage and build meaningful relationships with students and staff from multiple scientific disciplines. You will be welcomed and integrated into departments as anyone on a single-track programme would. You will also be part of a Natural Sciences community, which fosters a highly supportive and productive learning environment. Working in a science or non-science related role at graduate level, you will deepen your understanding of the workplace and how to apply your skills and knowledge.

Internships:

We have an extensive network of businesses providing a range of full-time and part-time paid internship opportunities.

|Category|Fees| |---|---| |Home|£9,250| |International|£28,675|