Natural Sciences

Natural Sciences provides the intellectual foundations for the interdisciplinary scientists of the future. It is a degree designed for highly motivated students combining flexibility, choice and intellectual rigour. It will place you at the heart of the learning process and give you the opportunity to work alongside world-leading researchers who are exploring some of the most important scientific developments of the 21st century. It will enable you to develop the essential skills and knowledge that will allow you to make a real contribution to these challenges.

The four year degree ensures that you build solid foundations in the fundamentals of physical, biological and mathematical sciences, with a bespoke first year, and provides you with the flexibility to specialise in areas of specific interest as the programme progresses. As well as having the opportunity to specialise in the more traditional subject areas, you will be able to engage with the inspirational new areas of modern scientific innovation and research such as mathematical and computational biology; biophysical, biochemical and biomedical science; materials science and materials chemistry; the science of oceans, atmospheres and climate; astrophysics; and energy research. This aspect of the programme is uniquely inspired and underpinned by some of the exciting and world-leading interdisciplinary research being carried out within the University of Exeter’s Science Strategy themes, such as climate change and sustainable futures, systems biology, functional materials and extrasolar planets. The fourth year of the degree provides an opportunity to extend the research project initiated in your third year, with the aim of preparing you for a research- or development-based career.

Our Natural Sciences programme will allow you to take full advantage of the growing demand in research organisations, industry and business for graduates who are able to work in the multidisciplinary scientific environments of the future.

The general aims of this programme are:

To provide education intended to give you competence in the Natural Sciences, and to encourage you to develop your intellectual capabilities within an institution that is committed to advancing world-leading, interdisciplinary research, scholarship and learning, and to disseminating knowledge.

More specifically, this programme aims:

• To provide you with knowledge and understanding of the natural sciences from the fundamentals to the frontiers of the subject.
• To provide you with the basic scientific, intellectual, and practical training that will prepare you for lifelong learning, and, if you wish, for a career in scientific research.
• To develop your analytical and problem-solving skills.
• To enable you to experience a supportive learning environment that fosters your academic and personal development.
• To produce graduate Natural Scientists who are well-prepared for more advanced professional work, and research, in interdisciplinary areas.

The programme is divided into units of study called modules which are assigned a number of 'credits'. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload, with 1 credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work.

The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.

In Stages 2 and 4, you may take optional modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.

During Stage 3, you can choose to take a Semester Abroad (60 credits), instead of the Group Project (45 credits) and one of the elective 15 credit modules.

You may take elective modules up to 30 credits outside of the programme's core and optional modules in Stage 2, 45 credits in Stage 3 and 60 credits in Stage 4, as long as you have obtained the explicit permission of the Programme Director, any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.

URLs for further information:

Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook.

Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook. 

The Natural Sciences Programme provides every student meetings each term with a personal tutor. The role of tutors is both to instil in you a sense of academic rigour and thinking and to provide you with advice and support for the duration of the programme. This includes working with you to decide the appropriate elective module choices, and research project areas, and extends to providing you with details of how to obtain support and guidance on personal difficulties such as accommodation, financial difficulties and sickness. In year 1, and some modules in subsequent years, you will also be provided with additional academic support through small group tutorials and you can also make an appointment to see individual teaching staff. The Natural Sciences website includes the student handbook. You have access to computers and printers within the University. You can expect reasonable access to all teaching staff through appointments. The Natural Sciences Student/Staff Liaison Committee enables students and staff to jointly participate in the management and review of the teaching and learning provision.

Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.

The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.

(http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/staff/qualityassuranceandmonitoring/tqamanual/fullcontents/)

This programme is accredited as meeting the requirements of the Society of Natural Sciences.