Course Overview

Students on the Natural Sciences course design their own program, so depending on their choices they learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical classes, fieldwork, informal but scheduled one-on-one support, and self-directed learning, such as research, reading, and writing. All of these are supported by a virtual learning environment, Durham University Online (DUO). Tutorials, seminars, workshops, and practical classes are much smaller groups than lectures, small enough to allow one-to-one interaction with a member of staff. Practicals also allow hands-on experience of the work of professionals in the disciplines studied on the course. The same is true of fieldwork and consists of engaging in, for example, geological, biological, geographical, or anthropological work in the field with members of academic staff. This emphasis on small-group and practical teaching reflects a conscious choice to enhance the quality of the learning experience rather than the number of formal sessions. The degrees in Natural Sciences are designed to feature fewer formal sessions and more independent research as students move from their first to their final year. Small-group teaching and one-to-one attention from the personal academic advisor (provided for all students when they enter the course) are part of the learning experience throughout, but by the final year classroom time gives way, to some extent, to independent research, including a major project. In this way, the degree systematically transforms the student from a consumer of knowledge in the classroom to a generator of knowledge, ready for professional or postgraduate life. These formal teaching arrangements are supported by €œdrop-in€ surgeries with teaching staff and induction sessions that begin the week before the start of the program and continue at key times throughout each year of the degree. Students can also attend an extensive program of research-focused seminars where staff and visiting scholars in various academic departments present their cutting-edge research.

General Eligibility

A level offer €“ A*AA

Part Time Work Details

Language Requirement

• IELTS: 6.5 (no component under 6.0)_x000D_ _x000D_ TOEFL iBT (internet-based test) and TOEFL iBT Home Edition: 92 (no component under 23)