The International Office
Applying to Bath
Which Level of Study?
Foundation Year
The University of Bath offers a Foundation programme known as Year 0, aimed at students who wish to enter particular subject areas, Engineering, Science, Management and the Social Sciences, but who do not have the appropriate academic background or experience to allow them direct entry into a University of Bath degree programme.
Undergraduate
This is the first level of degree. We offer three-year degree courses leading to Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc) awards and four-year degree courses which include a 'sandwich' / placement involving one year in industry or abroad.
The University offers both single and combined honours degrees. Single honours concentrate on one discipline and Combined honours degrees allow you to work across two different subject areas, exploring the connections between them.
You can read more about our degrees in the relevant Department entries in the undergraduate prospectus.
Postgraduate
Postgraduate refers to the level of higher education that comes after first degrees. Sometimes, the term postgraduate study is referred to as 'masters' or 'graduate' study.
Postgraduate degree courses can be either taught or by research or they may contain elements of both, for example the MPhil.
Taught Masters Programmes
MA/MSc
The University offers an exciting range of taught programmes, most of which lead to the qualification of Master of Arts(MA) or Master of Science (MSc) . Full-time Masters' courses are taken over one year, or which you will spend approximately nine months attending taught courses, and the remaining three months researching and writing a dissertation.
MBA
MBA programmes provide a solid foundation in the key business disciplines and reflect the breadth of management issues that arise in the national and international context. All are general management programmes designed for mature and experienced individuals. The entire portfolio of Bath MBAs is accredited by the Association of MBAs.
Many of the courses build on work you will have done for your undergraduate qualification, but some, including two of the most popular Masters' degrees at Bath - the MSc in Management and the MSc in Computer Science - are 'conversion' courses which are designed specifically for candidates who have good undergraduate qualifications in subjects other than Management and Computing respectively. An important and exciting characteristic of several programmes is their interdisciplinary nature - for example, the MSc degrees in Science, Culture and Communication, Human Communication and Computing and Environmental Science, Policy and Planning.
Research degrees
Undertaking a research degree is an exciting, challenging and demanding commitment. It will place you at the forefront of knowledge in your chosen subject area and will allow you to develop skills in carrying out sustained research and writing.
MPhil
The MPhil (Master of Philosophy) is an extended Masters degree involving a longer research thesis. Some MPhil courses have a significant taught content in their first year and devote the second to research; others are purely by research. The vast majority of research students at Bath register initially for the degree of MPhil and then transfer from this to the degree of PhD. The MPhil/PhD degree is available in every Department of the University.
PhD
The PhD is a higher degree by research which usually lasts 3 years. It is now possible to apply for the New Route PhD in certain subject areas which combines taught Masters modules with traditional research. The New Route PhD lasts 4 years.
In order to be awarded an MPhil or a PhD, you will be expected to carry out supervised research at the leading edge of your chosen subject, which must then be written up as a substantial thesis.
MRes and 'New Route' PhD
The MRes (Masters in Research) is a relatively new qualification introduced at the University of Bath in 2002, designed to prepare students for doctoral research. This one-year full-time course is a valuable and exciting addition to PhD research programmes in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and in the Integrated PhD Programme in Postgenomic Biosciences in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry. It aims to provide students with an insight into a range of research activities, techniques and skills, enabling them to carry out their subsequent doctoral research as effectively as possible. It is also available as a 'stand-alone' qualification.
You can read more about all these programmes in the relevant Department entries in the postgraduate prospectus.