Natural Sciences (Cambridge)

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The University of Cambridge has an undergraduate degree programme in natural sciences, termed the Natural Sciences Tripos (NST or NatSci) that differs from most other universities, in that a student cannot read only one 'science', but must study several different broad bases of the sciences in their first year, called part IA. Teaching is carried out by 16 different departments. Subjects offered in part IA in 2006 are Biology of Cells, Chemistry, Elementary Mathematics for Biologists, Evolution and Behaviour, Geology, Materials and Mineral Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Physiology of Organisms & Quantitative Biology; students must take three experimental subjects & mathematics. Students specialise further in the second year of their Tripos, taking three subjects from a choice of twenty, and completely in their third year (part II) in, for example, genetics or astrophysics, although general third year courses do exist - Biomedical and Biological Sciences for biologists and Physical Sciences for chemists, physicists, etc.

Whilst other British universities offer degrees known as "natural sciences", such as the University of Birmingham and the Durham University, these are much more specialised science degrees.

The University of Cambridge believes that their course's generalisation then specialisation gives their students an advantage. First, it allows students to experience subjects at university level before specialising. Second, many modern sciences exist at the boundaries of traditional disciplines, for example, applying methods from a different discipline. Third, this structure allows other scientific subjects, such as Computer Sciences, Mathematics (traditionally a very strong subject at Cambridge), Medicine and the History & Philosophy of Science, to link with the Natural Sciences tripos so that once, say, the two-year Part I of the Medical Sciences tripos has been completed, one can specialise in another biological science in Part II during one's third year, and still come out with a science degree specialised enough to move into postgraduate studies, such as a PhD.

As is traditional at Cambridge, the degree awarded after Part II is a B.A. An M.Sci. is available to those postgraduates who then take the optional Part III course, available in some subjects such as Biochemistry, Physics, Chemistry and Geology.

As a result of this structure, the Natural Sciences Tripos has by far the largest number of students of any Tripos. Students are broadly categorised as physical or biological ('bio') NatScis, with the split about 50:50, but a significant gender bias, with males tending towards physical and females biological. This is only a general categorisation and many students take both physical and biological options.

In 2004, 583 students were accepted to the Natural Sciences Tripos.