Natural Sciences with International Study MSci

The course is accredited by the Society for Natural Sciences. The accreditation recognises the strength of the degree to students in interdisciplinary science education.

This means the programme has achieved the standards set out in the society’s accreditation framework. It provides students with excellent learning opportunities and skills development to prepare them for future careers in research, education, business or industry.

International study 

On this course, subject to you meeting the relevant requirements, your third academic year will be spent studying abroad at one of our partner institutions. Destinations could include:   

•  Australia 
• Hong Kong (teaching is in English) 
• Ireland 
• Japan (teaching is in English)Netherlands (teaching is in English) 
• New Zealand 
• Singapore (teaching is in English) South Korea (teaching is in English) 
• Sweden (teaching is in English) 
• Switzerland (teaching is in English) 
• USA 

Benefits of studying abroad 

• Explore a new culture 
• Study areas of subjects not available at Nottingham including marine conservation, desert biology and plasma physics 
• A reduced tuition fee for the time you are abroad 
• Improve your communication skills, confidence and independence 

This is an additional year between the second and third years of your course on a pass/fail basis where the marks obtained do not count towards your final mark.

Please note: In order to undertake a compulsory year abroad, you will need to achieve the relevant academic requirements as set by the university (60% average in Y1 – 65% for some partners) and meet the selection criteria of both the university and the partner institution. The partner institution is under no obligation to accept you even if you do meet the relevant criteria.

If you do not secure a year abroad opportunity, you will be transferred to the version of the course without the compulsory year abroad element, and you will complete all years of study at University of Nottingham, UK.  

Opportunities may change at any time for a number of reasons, including curriculum developments, changes to arrangements with partner universities, travel restrictions or other circumstances outside of the university’s control. Every effort will be made to update information as quickly as possible should a change occur. 

Costs 

You will need to consider the travel and living costs associated with your country of choice. This may include visa costs and medical insurance. 

Alternative opportunities 

Placement year

Natural Sciences students have the option to transfer to a named ‘Natural Sciences with Placement Year’ programme in their second year.

A placement provides a unique opportunity to put theory into practice, gain practical experience and build further skills and competencies that will put you a step ahead on the graduate career ladder.

Students looking for placements are provided with support through the Careers and Employability Service and a few specialist teams in specific subject areas. The University continues to support students while they are on their placement and they will be visited by a placement tutor during the year.

Previous students have spent time working for companies including:

• KPMG
• RSPB
• Rolls Royce
• GSK
• Johnson & Johnson

Students who successfully complete their placement and reflective report are awarded the degree MSci Natural Sciences with Placement Year. It will be a five-year programme with the placement in your penultimate year.

Year in computer science

You can also add an intercalated year in Computer Sciences to your degree. This is an additional year between your second and third year of study designed to provide you with training in software development and computing skills to enhance your studies and career options.

Students request to transfer into this programme during the second year. The year is completed on a pass/fail basis and successful students will graduate with a named degree MSci Natural Sciences with a Year in Computer Science.

We recommend that students considering either the Placement Year or the Year in Computer Science programmes apply for the International Study programme as this matches the duration of the programme you will study. 

Tuition fees 2026/27 (UK undergraduate students) 

This is the UK undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 25/26. It may increase for the academic year 26/27 and we will update our information once we have received confirmation of the fee from the UK Government.

Additional costs

All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice.

As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses.

Printing

Due to our commitment to sustainability, we don’t print lecture notes but these are available digitally. 

Books

You will be able to access all of the books you’ll need through our libraries, but you may wish to purchase your own copies of books you use a lot. If you do most books cost around £20-£50.

Equipment

If your subject stream requires you to work in the laboratory (eg Biology and Chemistry), your tuition fees will cover the cost of a protective lab coat and safety goggles. If you lose these you are responsible for the cost of replacing them (around £25).

While the calculator you used for your former study is usually sufficient some students will choose to purchase a new calculator which will cost around £10.

Students may want to purchase a Molecular Model Kit to help with visualising molecules in Chemistry these cost £20.

Personal laptops are not compulsory as we have computer labs that are open 24 hours a day but you may want to consider one if you wish to work at home. Find out more about IT equipment. 

Field trips

Depending on which subjects you choose there are optional field modules in Earth Science and Ecosystems and Environment which may incur a cost. These range from £30-50 for UK-based day trips to as much as £400 for overseas residential trips. A full list of approximate expected prices for is available at the start of each year.

Other costs

Students will be responsible for the cost of hire of their gown for graduation (around £50) and may need to pay for additional guest tickets.

In addition there may be costs issued by the university for replacement student ID cards, additional transcripts or certification letters, reassessments and library fines.

Scholarships and bursaries

Home students*

Over one third of our UK students receive our means-tested core bursary, worth up to £1,000 a year. Full details can be found on our financial support pages.

* A 'home' student is one who meets certain UK residence criteria. These are the same criteria as apply to eligibility for home funding from Student Finance.