The Student Room Group

Natural Scienctists and Engineers

Hi, I am applying to 2009 University entry and I am having a very hard time deciding between natural sciences and engineering (most likely civil). If you do one of these subjects could you tell me what you have enjoyed? I am concerned with natural sciences about finding a job afterwards, is this justified? I mean engineering leads to a specific career whereas i am not sure about natural sciences. Help would be much appreciated. Thanks
Reply 1
Natural sciences is a broad course which encompasses all the sciences and you specialise in later years. The likelihood of being unemployable after doing natural sciences is very low. Career paths include science (obviously), management, finance, law (with a conversion course) and all sorts of stuff like that. Engineering is the same. Just because you're doing engineering, doesn't mean you'll become an engineer, it opens doors for all manner of careers, provided you do well enough in your degree.

As for what's most enjoyable, with natural sciences it's nice to be given the flexibility to choose later on when you have an idea of what sciences are like past A level. Things change a lot and people's opinions of where they want to go change.
Reply 2
Thanks, I dont mean to sound vain but I would like to go to a prestigious university, to hopefully improve my career prospects. Do you think I am more likely to be accepted on an engineering course?
Reply 3
Things might have changed since i was applying but back then the only real natural sciences course was Cambridge's. At Cambridge you specialise after your first year anway and the work is easily equivalent to a specialist science course. Other uni's do them but they're far less prestigious than doing an individual science course like chemistry or physics.

So based on that unless you can get into Cambridge, job prospects-wise you're probably better off doing engineering.

As i said, things have probably changed.
Reply 4
Can anyone qualify what Frodz has just said because i was thinking more about Durham
Reply 5
Anonymous1783
Can anyone qualify what Frodz has just said because i was thinking more about Durham


Have you seen the faculty handbook?

http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/faculty.handbook/degrees/frameworks/cfg0.pdf

I'm not studying natural sciences, so maybe I shouldn't comment, but I don't think that non-Cambridge degrees are less prestigious. As you can see in the faculty handbook you study at least two subjects each year, so there's no opportunity to fully specialise in one subject. But it seems a very flexible and broad degree. Studying, say, three subjects can be quite appealing from an employers point of view. You can get the subject specific knowledge of a science or two (say chemistry and physics) but can also gain transferable skills from a more arts-based subject like philosophy.

But yes, engineering is certainly a solid degree and can lead to a career, can you see yourself working as an engineer?
Reply 6
Its strange I can see myself as an engineer but i cant see myself doing the degree. I dont know what that means