Natural Sciences
Natural sciences is a degree for students who want to study more than one scientific discipline without narrowing their focus prematurely. Rather than committing to a single subject from the outset, you study across two or more sciences, developing a genuinely interdisciplinary perspective that reflects the reality of how scientific knowledge is actually produced. Many of the most important contemporary research questions, in climate science, neuroscience, synthetic biology, materials science and beyond, sit at the boundaries of traditional disciplines, and graduates with the breadth of knowledge to work across them are increasingly sought after.
At the University of Durham, this three-year full-time programme is designed for high-achieving students and includes a sandwich placement year, a year abroad and a work placement, giving you substantial professional and international experience alongside the scientific depth of the degree. You will combine study in two or more sciences, choosing from options such as biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and earth sciences, developing expertise across disciplines and the integrative thinking that comes from understanding how different scientific approaches relate to and inform one another. The programme is academically demanding and well suited to students who are equally strong and curious across more than one science.
Graduates in natural sciences are valued across the scientific and technical sectors. Research and development in industry, government research laboratories, consultancy, environmental and earth sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, data science and academia all offer career paths that benefit from the breadth of a natural sciences degree. The combination of a demanding academic programme with substantial professional and international experience makes these graduates particularly attractive to employers in competitive sectors.
Postgraduate study, including PhDs in any of the constituent disciplines, is also a common and well-supported pathway.