Science with Foundation Year

A broad science degree with a foundation year is designed for students who want to study science at university level but need an additional year of preparation before moving into the full degree. Whether you are returning to education, developing your mathematical and scientific foundations, or simply wanting a more gradual introduction to university-level study, the foundation year provides a well-supported entry point into a rigorous and flexible science programme.

At the University of Nottingham this five-year, full-time programme includes the foundation year followed by a broad science curriculum that develops your understanding of the natural world across scientific disciplines. Nottingham is one of the UK's leading research universities, and the science programme benefits from that research culture, connecting your studies to the work of active scientists across biology, chemistry, physics, and related fields. A sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement opportunities are all built into the course, giving you professional and international experience alongside your academic formation.

The programme is open to home applicants only.

Because this is a broad science degree, the specific career paths it leads to depend partly on the direction you develop through your choices during the programme. Science graduates broadly go on to careers in research, the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, environmental science, public health, education, science communication, and a wide range of roles in the technology and innovation economy. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in a specific scientific discipline, using the foundation year and broad science programme as the platform for deeper specialisation.

The combination of scientific knowledge, analytical skills, and the professional and international experience gained through placement and year abroad makes graduates genuinely versatile and competitive across a range of sectors.