Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Politics with Economics with Placement Year

at University of Bath United Kingdom

Direct your own learning with a broad-based training in the social sciences that is focused on cutting-edge issues of social change and justice.

This course draws on insights from several disciplines, including sociology, social policy as well as international development and criminology. You’ll be free to explore which issues or ideas in social science you find most interesting. You’ll study these from diverse perspectives and link them with relevant research skills. You’ll be supported in tailor-making your degree according to your interests.

Placement Year

The placement year will give you valuable practical experience and is an excellent opportunity to try different careers. It enables you to leave university with a strong CV and may set you apart from other graduates entering the job market. You can take placements in commercial, voluntary or government organizations, or in a research setting.

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.

Develop expertise and specialist practical skills in drug discovery science, from target identification through to getting a drug to market.

Developed in consultation with industry experts, this course is aimed at students with a background in chemistry, biosciences, pharmacy or pharmacology who are looking to move into the exciting field of drug development.

You will become familiar with a range of concepts and research techniques in drug discovery including target identification and validation, screening platforms, optimisation of small molecule drugs and biotherapeutics, and the importance of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

Depending on your undergraduate degree, you will also follow either a biology or chemistry training track alongside your drug discovery studies. This will enable you to gain a strong background in both disciplines, strengthening your subject-related and practical skills appropriate to your career aspirations.

Design, operate and build electronic systems for the space environment. Gain the engineering skills needed for a career in the space industry.

Our course takes you beyond the conventional engineering difficulties of designing equipment for use on Earth’s surface. Instead, you’ll develop the skills needed to design and build systems and platforms for the hostile environment of space.

Your first two years develop your understanding of electrical engineering science before specialising in electronics and communications technologies with elements of space and planetary science. Your learning will be supported by the latest theory and practice in spacecraft engineering, space electronics, Earth observation, the space environment and weather.

Placement Year

Going on placement gives you the chance to apply your theoretical knowledge to the workplace. Having professional experience can benefit the rest of your degree as well as improve your career prospects. It is also an opportunity to earn a salary during your degree.

Our students have worked at companies including Intel, Jaguar Land Rover, Thales, Renishaw, Nordic Semiconductor, Siemens, Ultra Electronics, Surrey Satellite Technology and McLaren.

Integrate mechanical, electrical and software skills to develop innovative products. You’ll be equipped for a career as a multidisciplinary design engineer.

Our course is for creative engineers who want to explore product development, machines and systems. You’ll investigate the relationship between engineering and design to produce new products that are both marketable and functional. We want to inspire you to make the world better by designing and building the products of the future.

In your first two years, you’ll develop a detailed understanding of mechanical engineering. You’ll use mathematics and computing to analyse engineering systems and study design and manufacturing processes. Specialist units encourage you to take a hands-on approach to engineering design. You’ll work with other students in studios, labs and workshops to experiment with design and production. ‘Design-make-test’ activities give you practical experience of designing, building and testing prototypes.

Gain the technical and professional skills to pursue a wide range of careers as a chemical engineer.

Our course introduces you to the core principles and practices of chemical engineering. It develops your professional skills in engineering, mathematics, science, information technology, research, design, communication and management.

Through lectures and practical lab sessions, you’ll learn how to gather and assess data to develop industrial strategies. You’ll explore new technologies and gain a comprehensive understanding of process design. Your studies will give you the confidence to critically apply scientific and engineering knowledge.

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.

Apply the full breadth of physics to a wide range of astrophysical phenomena from star formation to black hole growth and the expansion of the Universe.

Physics with Astrophysics at Bath will give you a strong grounding in physics, along with in-depth specialist knowledge of astrophysics. You’ll learn how to combine evidence from stellar and extragalactic astronomy to build consistent theoretical models of the evolution of galaxies.

Topics covered include exoplanets, galaxies, cosmology, stars and stellar evolution, general relativity and high energy astrophysics. There'll also be opportunities for you to carry out both observational and computational astrophysics projects alongside our astrophysics research group.

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.

You can choose from a wide range of roles to match your interests, from working in marketing to a lab-based role at a research institute. We have links with some of the industry’s leading companies. Recent placement employers include BAE Systems, CERN, Dyson, Morgan Stanley, Rolls-Royce and Samsung.

Equip yourself to work as a professional interpreter and/or translator on this highly respected master's, which can include a training opportunity.

Our MA Interpreting and Translating is designed to give you the practical skills and experience you need to work as an interpreter and translator at a high level.

You must have an excellent understanding of two languages. You can choose from one of two pathways:

• Path 1 allows you to work with two other languages (Chinese, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish) into English
• Path 2 allows you to work in both directions between Chinese/English or Russian/English

Our interpreting and translating master's have has been running for over 50 years and is highly respected internationally for the quality of the training provided. Many Bath graduates have gone on to work in organisations such as the EU and UN, as well as other language services around the world.

The course covers professional translation and simultaneous, consecutive and liaison interpreting in public service and commercial settings.

You'll have access to the latest digital interpreting labs, and you will participate in mini-conferences to put your skills into practice, holding debates on controversial topics and acting as both delegate and interpreter.

We seek to arrange external training opportunities for our students with the United Nations or independent agencies, giving you first-hand experience of the workplace and valuable contacts for building your career.

The course is taught by experienced tutors who have all worked as professional translators and interpreters themselves. Some have interpreted for heads of state and government ministers, and/or work for international organisations. They are therefore able to share this wealth of experience with you and provide useful advice on joining the profession.

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.

Placement Year

Going on placement gives you the chance to apply the skills you’ve developed at university to the workplace, and develop complementary skills and knowledge. You’ll gain insight into the construction industry and develop your confidence and standing as a professional engineer. Having professional experience can benefit the rest of your degree and improve your career prospects. Our students have worked at small and large internationally known companies including Arup, Atkins, Buro Happold and Laing O’Rourke.

Learn about the deep connections between mathematics and theoretical physics and develop your scientific computing and theoretical modelling skills to understand and solve complex physical problems.

This course is for you if you want to study a broad physics degree with less emphasis on experimental laboratories and a stronger focus on theoretical, mathematical and computational aspects of physics.

You'll study the cornerstones of theoretical physics while developing your understanding of their mathematical foundations. Our courses reflect our theoretical research expertise in condensed matter, photonics and astrophysics. The computational physics and programming aspects also reflect the more applied nature of our theoretical research.

The combination of theoretical and practical knowledge of physics and mathematics is highly sought-after by employers and also gives an excellent grounding for postgraduate or industrial research.