Natural Science

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 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 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.

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:

1. To provide you with knowledge and understanding of the natural sciences from the fundamentals to the frontiers of the subject.

2. 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.

3. To develop your analytical and problem-solving skills.

4. To enable you to experience a supportive learning environment that fosters your academic and personal development.

The BSc (Hons) Natural Sciences programme is a three year full-time programme of study at National Qualification Framework (NQF) level 6 (as confirmed against the FHEQ). This programme is divided into three Stages. Each Stage is normally equivalent to an academic year.

The programme is also 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 Stage 2, 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. Descriptions of the individual modules are given in full on the University websites:

http://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/emps/subjects/naturalsciences/modulespecification/

http://biosciences.exeter.ac.uk/current/modules/ugstreatham/

http://newton.ex.ac.uk/handbook/PHY/modules/index.html

http://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/emps/subjects/mathematics/modules/

http://geography.exeter.ac.uk/currentstudents/undergraduate/modules_streatham/

http://psychology.exeter.ac.uk/currentstudents/modules/ug/

You may take elective modules up to 30 credits outside of the programme's core and optional modules in Stage 2 and 45 credits in Stage 3, 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.  

Credit

The programme consists of 360 credits with 120 credits taken at each stage. In Years 2 and 3, we would normally advise you to take an even balance of 60 credits in each term; exceptionally you may be permitted to take credits in an asymmetric pattern (45 in one term and 75 in the other term). In total, students take no more than 150 credits at level 4, and must take at least 90 credits at level 6.

The pass mark for award of credit in an individual module is 40%.

Progression

You can progress to the next stage (or in the final year, proceed to the award of an honours degree) once at least 90 credits have been passed in a stage, and provided that an average of at least 40% has been achieved over the 120 credits of assessment for that stage, including the marks for any failed and condoned modules.

Condonement is the process that allows you to pass a ‘stage’ should you fail to achieve the required number of credits in any stage.

You will not be allowed reassessment in the condoned credit.  Up to 30 credits of failure can be condoned in a stage. However, you must pass the modules marked with a 'Yes' in the 'non-condonable' column in the tables above.  

Assessment and Awards

Assessment at Stage 1 does not contribute to the summative classification of the award. The award will normally be based on the degree mark formed from the credit weighted average marks for Stages 2 and 3 combined in the ratio 1:2, respectively.

Classification

The marking of modules and the classification of awards broadly corresponds to the following percentage marks:

Class I    70% +

Class II   Division I 60-69%

Class II   Division II 50-59%

Class III  40-49%

Full details of assessment regulations for UG programmes can be found in the Teaching Quality Assurance Manual (TQA) on the University of Exeter website.  Generic marking criteria are also published here.

Please see the Teaching and Quality Assurance Manual for further guidance.

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.

All modules will have ELE pages. ELE is the University of Exeter's online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It provides an online set of integrated tools to support e-Learning activities and enables you to access course materials and use tools such as Discussion Forums and Quizzes to interact online.

All applications are considered individually on merit. The University is committed to an equal opportunities policy with respect to gender, age, race, sexual orientation and/or disability when dealing with applications. It is also committed to widening access to higher education to students from a diverse range of backgrounds and experience.

Candidates must satisfy the general admissions requirements of the University of Exeter.

Candidates must satisfy the general admissions requirements of the University and of Natural Sciences. Offers are made on the basis of the UCAS form; interviews are usually only for mature and non-A-Level applicants. Natural Sciences provides an Open Day for interested applicants, and Offer Holder Visit Days to all applicants who have been made an offer.

Complete and up-to-date information on entry requirements for Natural Sciences is found on the University of Exeter Undergraduate Study website http://emps.exeter.ac.uk/natural-sciences/.

For further information about the “typical offer” please refer to the University of Exeter Undergraduate Applications website: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/undergraduate/applications/offer/

Natural Sciences will consider sensitively and sympathetically any application from disabled or widening participation applicants. All teaching and examination materials (including the University of Exeter virtual learning environment ELE) will be prepared according current university guidelines to facilitate accessibility.

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.

This programme is not currently accredited by an external agency.