Congratulations on your offer. We hope to see you at one of our offer holder events. Take a look at some course info below and hear from our students.
Our in-person and online events are a great way to find out more about your course, the community you'll be studying in, and they are an opportunity to meet staff and students, and experience subject taster sessions. Natural Sciences student Ella talks about her experiences and hopes that you can make it!
When you receive your personal email invitation, you can register for our exclusive offer holder event to find out about your Natural Sciences degree and the many pathways you can choose from. We’ll cover the different modules available to you; how you can choose to spend a year studying abroad; and how we prepare you for your career with the option of taking a placement year.
You can also chat with our students and academics to get a feel for the community you’ll become a part of.
Look out for your personal letter with a booking link and more information.
A Natural Sciences degree allows you to choose up to 3 different Pathways from the subject areas below. Each subject area can contain more than one Pathway. Each of these Pathways then offers a mix of core modules, and optional modules, allowing you to create a truly unique degree programme that best suits your interests and talents.
Fundamental biological mechanisms are related to the environmental challenges of the 21st century, such as food security, environmental pollution, ecosystem functioning, sustainable resource management and biodiversity conservation. You will be trained in the scientific study of interactions between organisms and the environment, and how these are modified by human activities.
Cellular biochemistry examines the macromolecular structure and the relationship of cellular organisation to the central pathways of intermediary metabolism and the physical processes underlying cellular functions. Cell biology covers the interactions within and between cells which allow them to perform their function in the whole organism. Genetics examines the mechanisms of heredity, moving through Mendelian genetics and its extensions to molecular genetics.
Interactions between organisms, the environment and humanity are often complex. You will receive a thorough grounding in ecological theory and how these biological principles relate to the conservation of wildlife and ecological habitats. The pathway also concerns the practice of ecology and has a strong fieldwork component designed to encourage you to develop your practical skills.
This pathway contains a balanced mixture of biochemistry, microbiology and physiology. It attempts to demonstrate the relevance of microbiology to human affairs, whether the connection is direct, e.g. diseases of humans, or indirect, e.g. the control of diseases of food crops. Although some lectures deal specifically with one group of microbes, i.e. bacteria, fungi or protozoa, entire modules emphasise ecological and functional relationships between different groups of microbes.
Chemical theory and analysis relates to the measurement, rationalisation, and prediction of the chemical and physical properties of individual molecules and bulk materials. This pathway covers the theory and practical application of techniques in physical, analytical, and computational chemistry. It also prepares you for potential research projects in physical and computational chemistry in your final year.
Chemical synthesis concerns the creation of new molecules. Key to this is understanding molecular reactivity and mechanism techniques to design and synthesise molecules, and how we can characterise and measure their properties. This pathway develops knowledge and practical skills across all of synthetic chemistry and prepares you for potential research projects in chemical synthesis in your final year.
Environmental chemistry specifically relates to the chemistry of the aqueous, atmospheric and terrestrial environments. This Pathway is designed to give a thorough grounding in chemistry whilst covering the techniques and methodology of environmental chemical analysis, together with an introduction to environmental planning and assessment.
Due to the complexity of this subject and the background knowledge it requires in later years, this Pathway is double weighted. As such you can only take one other Pathway with this option.
The School of Computing and Communications offers an extensive portfolio of high-quality programmes for undergraduate and postgraduate study, taught by a team of acknowledged world experts in their field. This Pathway covers practical storage and usage of data and digital media and its applications.
Chemical Engineering influences numerous areas of technology. These Pathways will help you to develop the skills needed to conceive and design processes for the production, transformation and transportation of materials.
Due to the complexity of this subject and the background knowledge it requires in later years, this Pathway is double weighted. As such you can only take one other Pathway with this option.
This Pathway will help you develop a sound foundation in all aspects of Electronic and Electrical Engineering that is crucial to the design and manufacture of future systems in the medical, environmental, energy, transport and ICT markets. You will also have the opportunity to specialise in areas including wireless communications, silicon chip design, nanotechnology, green technologies and power generation.
Due to the complexity of this subject and the background knowledge it requires in later years, this Pathway is double weighted. As such you can only take one other Pathway with this option.
Mechanical Engineering is a field covering any industry that uses moving parts, from construction to transport; medicine to manufacturing; renewable energy to consumer technology. Our programme gives you the skills necessary for the subject, with an applied focus on mechanical system designs.
Due to the complexity of this subject and the background knowledge it requires in later years, this Pathway is double weighted. As such you can only take one other Pathway with this option.
The solid rocks that comprise Earth’s upper crust contain a record of change driven by processes originating from the core to the atmosphere over a period exceeding 2 billion years. This Pathway provides the basic skills needed to read this record and understand how Earth has evolved over both long and short periods of time. You will have the opportunity to take a number of field-based modules in both the UK and abroad.
This Pathway aims to train you in those areas of natural science (including chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, geology, physical geography) that are used to understand natural and anthropogenic processes on the surface of the Earth, rivers, lakes, oceans and the atmosphere, as well as Earth’s internal processes, against the backdrop of environmental change.
This Pathway provides you with an understanding of society, culture, development and issues of globalisation within a framework of environmental issues in the 21st century.
You will learn about the main components of our ‘Earth-system’, how environments have changed in the past, what controls the dynamics of environments in the present, and how we can predict changes in the future. All this is studied in the context of an interconnected planet.
This Pathway allows you to continue your study of maths at degree level in a top-ranking department. You’ll focus on both pure mathematics and statistics with an emphasis on solving practical mathematical problems.
If you prefer to focus your studies on maths, we also offer a double-weighted Pathway that allows you to study the subject in greater detail. This incorporates the maths modules listed above and gives you the opportunity to concentrate on theoretical problems. As a double-weighted Pathway, you can only take one other Pathway with this option.
If you are interested in science and physical education, this Pathway provides a solid foundation in application and performance modules. These will help to increase your understanding of the functions and regulations of the human body and physiological integration of the systems.
You will gain a working knowledge and understanding of the physics of fluids and solids, especially their thermal and electrical properties, with an emphasis also on computing, classical mechanics and quantum physics.
This Pathway requires a set of first-year maths-based modules, either through the Physics Department or the Mathematics and Statistics Department (under the Pathway Single Mathematics, on the previous page). As such, students taking Physics can only take one other Pathway in addition to either of the supporting Maths Pathways.
This Pathway develops your range of knowledge and skills in order to continue your study of psychology at degree level.
This double-weighted Pathway allows you to study psychology and receive accreditation from the British Psychological Society. It can only be taken alongside one other Pathway and cannot be taken by BSc students intending to study abroad due to the accreditation regulations.
Studying Natural Sciences at Lancaster University was the best decision I could have made when picking my course. While at school, I always considered myself as a future scientist rather than say an organic chemist or geneticist, and Natural Sciences at Lancaster has allowed me to do just that. The breadth of knowledge I built in my first two years helped me learn what my biggest interests are, and I have been able to tailor my degree to focus on these in my last two years with a level of flexibility that not many other universities offer. The Natural Sciences departmental staff have been so helpful and supportive, and I feel like advice is readily available whenever I ask for it.
My favourite thing about studying in Lancaster is the diversity of students. Having moved from London, I was not sure whether I would still be surrounded by as great a diversity of people, but my flat in first year had people from 5 different continents! It's been so interesting being able to share foods and languages and it really does feel like I am part of an international community.
By auditing modules in other departments, while formally studying sciences I am still able to engage myself in other subjects I enjoy such as English Literature so as to not diminish my involvement in them. I can access the same material as someone formally studying it and pick up many transferable skills along the way. Attending career talks organised within Uni have made me start thinking about combining these and pursuing scientific communications, a field I did not realise existed before.
Trudy Tucker, BSc Hons Natural Sciences
