Human Sciences
University of Exeter
UCAS Code: BCL0 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Excluding General Studies
Access to HE Diploma
Pass the Access to the HE Diploma with 24 L3 credits at Distinction Grade and 21 L3 credits at Merit Grade. Please also see GCSE requirements
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Applicants will be considered with IB 34-32 OR 665 or 655 in three Higher Level subjects.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Advanced Higher
Scottish Higher
A,A,B,B,B-A,A,A,B,B
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Who and what are human beings?
Why are individuals and society the way they are?
What problems do human societies face now and in the future, and how can we address them?
Our BA/BSc Human Sciences degree is designed to enable you to answer these questions through examining the past and present of humans from the perspectives of both social and biological sciences.
This unique, interdisciplinary programme covers a broad range of topics, from human evolution and genetics, to the development of human cultures and cultural diversity, all the way through to sustainability and the interactions between human societies and their environments. It is designed for those interested in human biology, the environment, social policy, politics, economics and society.
The study of human behaviours – culture and society – is often set apart from the natural world. Yet humans, like other animals, have an evolutionary history and evolutionary forces continue to shape behaviour and culture, affecting the way we live today. Important insights can therefore come from studying humans in the same way as we study other animals. Also, many of the problems we currently face, such as the biodiversity crisis, climate change, or the conflicts which occur within or between countries, relate to how humans create, shape and interact with their natural and social environments. Solutions to these problems will come from insights generated from a number of different disciplines.
Bridging the gap between the natural and social sciences, our BA/BSc Human Sciences programme allows you to combine exciting disciplines to make connections between biological processes, political and environmental issues and social patterns. It will enable you to understand relationships between science and policy and show how you may be able to facilitate decision-making in this context. The degree will encourage your curiosity about the human environment and how it functions. Modules are delivered by world leading academics in Biosciences and Geography plus you have the opportunity to select from a range of relevant modules in other disciplines such as Law and Politics.
Cornwall is an exceptional place in which to study issues related to human culture, the environment and sustainability. The county has a unique cultural heritage with creative and resilient communities, and is a perfect living laboratory which offers a diverse range of marine and terrestrial habitats, and a wealth of natural resources. Throughout your studies, you will engage in field work and laboratory research exploring the social and natural science behind the complexity of human evolution, behaviour and social organisation.
Studying at the intimate and welcoming environment of our Penryn Campus, you will benefit from excellent student to staff ratios, small tutorial groups and friendly, accessible and supportive staff. Research undertaken at the Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) on the Penryn Campus – a £30 million centre leading cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research into solutions to problems of environmental change and enhancing people’s lives by improving their relationship with the environment – inspires our teaching.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Exeter Penryn Campus, Cornwall
Biosciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Human geography
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Biology (non-specific)
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Human & social geography
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Biology
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
The recession was tough on biology graduates, and although the jobs market has improved for them - a lot - it's still not back to where it was a few years ago. If you want a career in biology research — and a lot of biology students do - you'll need to take a doctorate, so give some thought as to where you might do it and how you might fund it (the government still funds doctorates for good students). A lot of graduates also take 1 year Masters courses to specialise in this wide and deep subject - most students take a standard biology course for their first degree and then specialise in subjects like ecology, conservation or marine biology later. Hospitals, universities, biotech firms, zoos and nature reserves and clinical and scientific testing are common industries of employment for biology graduates.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Geography, earth and environmental studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£28k
£33k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Biosciences
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£17k
£22k
£25k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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