Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Natural Sciences 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.

Master the logic, rigour and proof of mathematics alongside the universal principles of physics to prepare you for a wide range of careers.

This course is for you if you enjoy and excel at pure mathematics and want to apply that to the study of physics from subatomic particles to the formation of new galaxies. You’ll get to understand the rigour and application of mathematics and how it underpins our study of the physical world.

Critically explore how young children and adolescents learn and develop. You’ll focus on contemporary society, both globally and in the UK.

Education with Psychology is a social science degree that bridges the disciplines of education, psychology and sociology. You’ll be offered a blend of social science units that relate to the study of children and young people.

You’ll study in-depth the social and developmental contexts of childhood and youth. You’ll explore government priorities relating to children’s lives and wellbeing, and the role of education. You’ll also develop skills in evaluating policy and practice, from both an academic and work-practice perspective.

In your first year you’ll study core introductory units in education, psychology and research methods. You’ll examine philosophical, sociological or psychological perspectives of education, learning, policy, families, social justice and deviance.

In your second year you'll continue to study research methods and advanced topics in education and psychology. You’ll examine contemporary issues and challenges that affect children, families and young people.

In your final year you'll learn about contemporary issues in childhood and youth, educational psychology, and developmental psychopathology. You can specialise according to your interests by writing a dissertation on a topic of your choice.

Learn the essential skills and techniques needed to develop robotics, autonomous systems, and embedded artificial intelligence.

Our course will help you take your career forward in a progressive area of engineering. It balances advanced theory with technical skills so that you can learn to develop complete operational robots and autonomous systems.

You’ll explore robotics engineering and software, autonomous systems technologies, processes and products throughout the industry value chain. Other areas you'll cover include computational intelligence, machine learning, embedded systems and sensors.

Your studies will focus on tackling engineering challenges using whole-systems approaches. We’ll give you the tools to analyse and evaluate the impact of resources, processes and products. You’ll consider stakeholder needs and factors such as technical, economic, environmental and social considerations. The focus on practical learning ensures you have the skills to design and build robotic platforms and autonomous systems, using the same systems as those used in industry.

Explore the mechanisms of policymaking to understand the key dilemmas and challenges around social rights, equality and the distribution of resources.

On this course, you’ll learn about the social and political underpinnings of key policies affecting our lives. Understand the implications social policy has for questions of identity, political organisation, social justice and human rights.

You'll learn about the origins and transformations of the institution of the state and how it interacts with the economy and third sector in the UK and beyond. You'll relate these changes to societal, technological and economic developments in Britain and around the world.

Your first year will introduce you to social policy, sociology, and research methods, where you'll explore how social issues become constructed as policy problems. You'll learn about the major social, political and economic factors shaping equality and welfare in 21st century Britain. Through tutorials focused on developing key academic skills in these areas, you’ll also learn how to evaluate data and information to develop your own arguments tailored to different audiences.

In your second year you'll focus on key policy areas such as the family, poverty, social inequality and analysis of the policy process. You'll be able to choose from a range of social science options and explore international perspectives on social policy including European perspectives and examples from further afield. This will help you locate social policy debates critically within global policy challenges.

In your final year you’ll carry out a year-long, supervised dissertation in social policy, explore policy evaluation and study social protection and welfare reform, alongside options that allow you to undertake advanced analysis of specific policy areas.

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.

Develop practical and technical skills to design and engineer the built environment. Use integrated and creative solutions to engineer a sustainable future.

Our course is for students who want to ask difficult questions about the future of civil engineering. You’ll push the boundaries of design and construction to generate new ideas for our infrastructure and cities. Your knowledge will enable you to integrate energy, sustainability and environmental design.

In your first two years, you will learn the foundations of materials, geotechnics, structures and digital design. You will develop the fundamental engineering design skills and attributes, including ingenuity and communication skills, that are essential for exploring aspects of infrastructure and the built environment in later years.

Our courses draw on the strengths of a joint department with architecture, offering a different experience from most universities. Cross-disciplinary group work mirrors the professional relationships you'll experience in your career, and you’ll develop the imaginative approaches and skills needed to tackle a wide range of civil engineering projects.

Gain specialist knowledge in pure and applied mathematics with a particular focus on statistics.

Mathematics enables us to reason logically, to understand structure and formulate scientific principles. Statistics is the collection, analysis and interpretation of data central to everything from scientific progress to medical research and the work of government.

This course is for you if you would like to study statistics and have a significant interest in mathematics. You’ll be trained how to analyse problems and interpret patterns in data to make careful predictions about the future.

Placement Year

Going on placement gives you the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge to a year working professionally. 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 BAE Systems, EY, Office of National Statistics, JP Morgan and Deloitte.

Mathematics enables us to reason logically, to understand structure and to formulate scientific principles, whether from the physical, life or social sciences.

Choose this course to gain specialist knowledge in pure mathematics, applied mathematics and/or statistics.

Tailor to your interests

At the start of the course, you’ll gain a broad education in pure and applied mathematics, including programming and statistics. You’ll have the freedom to study a broader mathematical pathway or specialise in your favourite subject areas, enhancing your analytical thinking and appreciation of the beauty of mathematics.

All of our courses are flexible and allow for a wide choice of units after year one. You may be able to switch courses during the first year.

Placement Year

Going on placement gives you the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge to a year working professionally. 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 BAE Systems, EY, Office of National Statistics, JP Morgan and Deloitte.

Learn about global development from a heterodox economics perspective, and gain the skills to work in economic and development policy and practice.

This course addresses the contemporary challenges of global development, utilising core economic concepts, theories and methods. Rooted in real-world practical and policy challenges, the course is founded on Bath’s longstanding engagement in international development and applied economic analysis. It uses innovative learning approaches to promote in-depth investigation of cases and issues, drawing links across global, regional, national and local scales. We offer you the opportunity of a placement-based research project, providing hands-on experience to complement campus-based learning.