BSc (Honours) Natural Sciences: pathway

Stage 1

You’ll begin your studies with the compulsory 60-credit introductory module Exploring science (S104)Exploring science::This key introductory Level 1 course is an ideal starting point for studying the natural sciences – astronomy and planetary science; biology; chemistry, earth and environmental science; and physics. Using a blend of text and online study materials, this wide-ranging course investigates the major scientific issues affecting human society in the twenty-first century. You will explore the fundamentals of modern science and develop important scientific concepts and skills to give you a solid foundation for studying science at a higher level. You should have some basic mathematical skills and knowledge of basic science concepts before you begin.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,S104,,1. You’ll develop your study skills while engaging with a broad and absorbing introduction to a range of science subject areas including:

• biology and health sciences
• chemistry and analytical science
• Earth and environmental sciences
• physics
• astronomy and planetary science.

Using a blend of text and online study materials, this wide-ranging module investigates the major scientific issues affecting contemporary society. You’ll explore the fundamentals of modern science, and develop important scientific concepts and skills to give you a solid basis for higher level study.

You’ll be introduced to practical science through the compulsory 30-credit module Investigative and mathematical skills in science (S141)Investigative and mathematical skills in science::Designed to follow our key introductory course in science – Exploring science (S104) – this course focuses on developing your experimental, investigative and mathematical skills. You’ll gain confidence in using mathematics as a scientific tool by working through questions in a study book with worked examples. You’ll investigate weather patterns and events around the world, and develop your observational skills by studying your local weather to make your own short-term forecast. And you’ll learn key scientific skills by doing experiments at home, and working online with a small group to discuss experimental design, collect data and compare results.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,S141,,1. You’ll also choose one of four 30-credit modules according to your particular scientific interest:

• Introducing health sciences: a case study approach (SDK125)Introducing health sciences: a case study approach::This introductory Level 1 course explores the scientific and social aspects of disease and disability in a global context through seven case studies: water and health in an overcrowded world; pain; alcohol; screening for breast cancer; chronic lung disease; trauma and accidents; and visual impairment. Each case study integrates the biological, chemical, and physical sciences with psychology, health statistics, and social studies to illuminate underlying causes and personal and societal consequences. You’ll develop skills in: evaluating evidence; understanding and using key scientific terms and concepts; handling numbers; and interpreting graphs and tables. You’ll also learn to study using ICT – including interactive DVDs, internet and online resources.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,SDK125,,1
• Topics in science (S142)Topics in science::In this course you will study three exciting topics in contemporary science which will provide you with a broad understanding of Level 1 science. These topics include Human genetics and health issues, which deals with our genes – an area at the forefront of medical science and Empire of the microbes, which explores the intriguing world of bacteria, viruses, yeast and other microscopic organisms. To allow some specialisation between studying health sciences or environmental sciences you will have a choice between Molecules, medicines and drugs, which explores drug development, infection and disease and The frozen planet, which explains the science behind the polar regions.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,S142,,1
• Topics in health sciences (SK143)Topics in health sciences::This course gives an overview of two medical conditions that present a major global health problem; cardiovascular disease and cancer. Many of us will encounter these medical conditions either through professional involvement in health, or through affected family members or friends. Your study of cardiovascular diseases will develop your understanding of heart and circulatory diseases, and the anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system. Cancers result from defects in cell proliferation, so you’ll study the properties of cells, how they divide and how tumours are formed and spread. Both topics consider risk factors and methods of detection, treatment and prevention worldwide.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,SK143,,1
• Using mathematics (MST121)Using mathematics::This broad, enjoyable introduction to university-level mathematics assumes some prior knowledge, as described on our MathsChoices website. The course shows how mathematics can be applied to answer some key questions from science, technology, and everyday life. You will study a range of fundamental techniques, including calculus, recurrence relations, matrices and vectors and statistics, and use integrated specialist mathematical software to solve problems. The skills of communicating results and defining problems are also developed. This is not a course for beginners – at the MathsChoices website (mathschoices.open.ac.uk) there are quizzes, sample material and advice to help you determine if this course is right for you.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,MST121,,1  or from February 2014 Essential mathematics 1 (MST124)Essential mathematics 1::This key introductory course provides a broad and enjoyable foundation for university-level mathematics, but you do require some prior knowledge. It teaches you the essential ideas and techniques that underpin university-level study in mathematics and mathematical subjects such as physics, engineering and economics. You’ll study a range of fundamental topics – including calculus, vectors, matrices and complex numbers – and use mathematical software to solve problems. You’ll also develop your skills in communicating results and defining problems. This is not a course for beginners. Our MathsChoices website (mathschoices.open.ac.uk) contains quizzes, sample material and advice to help you decide if this is the right course for you.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,MST124,,1. 

Alternatively, you could choose 30 credits from a non-science module if you prefer.

Stage 2

The first part of Stage 2 consists of two 30-credit compulsory modules.

In Human biology (SK277)Human biology::This course presents human biology in a way that connects it directly with health and disease. It starts with the concept of a healthy body and explores the mechanisms that enable it to maintain its integrity. Although you’ll deal with the physiology of each body system separately, the overall emphasis is on interaction and coordination. You’ll acquire sufficient background to appreciate how systems can fail and which medical interventions can be successful. The course will suit science students – especially those with a biology background; anyone interested in health; or people working in health and social care or other professions allied to medicine.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,SK277,,1 you'll explore the mechanisms that maintain a healthy body, the interaction and coordination between body systems, and their responses to some of life’s challenges – including sleep, stress, ageing and reproduction.

You’ll also consider the huge diversity among organisms arising from the same simple molecular building blocks Cell biology (S294)Cell biology::Cell biology explores the fascinating and diverse world of cells, from single-celled micro-organisms to the specialised cells that form complex tissues in plants and animals. It develops the key aspects of cell and molecular biology introduced in Exploring science (S104) and Introducing health sciences: a case study approach (SDK125). The origins of cells and the generation of cell diversity, as well as the common features of cellular structure and function – how they obtain energy, synthesise new molecules, communicate, proliferate and survive – are explored. There is an emphasis on the fundamental importance of cell biology in modern science, particularly in relation to cell technologies and health.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,S294,,1. You’ll study the structure and function of cells, including microbes and the more complex cells of plants and animals; and investigate the importance of cell biology in human health and technology.

You can then choose from a number of 30-credit modules including The science of the mind: investigating mental health (SDK228)The science of the mind: investigating mental health::To what extent can we understand mental wellbeing and treat mental health conditions such as depression and dementia by focusing on the brain and its functioning? This course presents and challenges the medical model of mental health with its reliance on drug treatment, contrasting it with ideas in the field of health psychology. You will learn from case reports of those who have a mental health condition and those who care for them, as well as from relevant research studies. The course has an emphasis on understanding different approaches within psychology, as well as the nature of evidence for and against these approaches.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,SDK228,,1 to gain an understanding of the different approaches within psychology for treating mental health conditions such as depression and dementia; Analytical science: health, heritage and environments (S240)Analytical science: health, heritage and environments::Have you ever wondered … How are sport drug cheats caught? How many calories are there in a burger? How do pregnancy testing kits work? How old is the Earth? How do X-rays work? How are antiquities dated? How do we know our water is safe to drink? How are diseases diagnosed? This course explains how analytical scientists know the answers to these and other fascinating questions, and introduces the major concepts in analytical science. Using examples from medicine, science and the arts you will learn about the major biological, chemical and physical techniques employed in improving the quality of our lives.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,S240,,1 which investigates questions like how diseases are diagnosed, how sport drug cheats are caught, how pregnancy test kits work, how old the Earth is, how antiquities are dated and how we know our water is safe to drink; or Science in context (S250)Science in context::This course covers a range of interesting, contemporary issues with a scientific dimension: BSE/vCJD; near-Earth objects; water and wellbeing; climate change; genetic manipulation and nanotechnology. It deals with the underlying science and its ‘real world’ relevance. The topics are analysed in terms of four themes: communication; risk; ethical issues; and decision-making. The course will equip you to examine critically similar issues that might arise in future. You are assumed to have studied a range of scientific disciplines at Level 1 and to have an interest in science in its broad social context.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,S250,,1, looking at the role of science in society, including science communication, risk, ethical issues and decision making.

Your final study at Stage 2 will be Practical science: biology and health (SXHL288)Practical science: biology and health::The activities in this practical science course explore a range of topics in biology and health science, from fundamental human and animal behaviour to the vital themes of biochemistry and water quality. Online – from the comfort of your own home – you’ll conduct observations in various laboratories, in combinations of observation and experiment. The course ends with an exciting team project, where you will work with students from other courses in this Practical science series.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,SXHL288,,1 to develop the practical skills you need to complement these modules.

Stage 3

You will start Stage 3 with two compulsory 30-credit modules:

• Molecular and cell biology (S377)Molecular and cell biology::Cells are the basic units of life. Cell biology seeks to understand not just the processes that are common to all life forms, but also the ways in which cells control their division and differentiate to form specialised tissues. This course builds from a foundation of molecular biology, with emphasis on animal cell biology. It explores how cells function and considers processes such as cell differentiation, ageing and tumorigenesis. It also develops skills in reading and understanding scientific literature and the handling of experimental data.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,S377,,1 – examines the processes common to all life forms, with emphasis on animal cells and looks in depth at molecular cell biology and cell processes, including differentiation, ageing and tumorigenesis
• Signals and perception: the science of the senses (SD329)Signals and perception: the science of the senses::This sensory neuroscience course uses fundamental concepts from biology, chemistry, physics and psychology to explain how we interact with our environment through the senses and is therefore an opportunity for you to study an interdisciplinary topic. For each of the senses, you’ll investigate how sensation begins with a stimulus that is converted into an electrical impulse; how that is transmitted to the brain; and how the brain combines these messages – to arrive at a ‘perception of the stimulus’. The course is designed to be accessible to students pursuing a wide variety of degree studies.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,SD329,,1 – is a multidisciplinary study of how we interact with our environment through the five senses (hearing, sight, smell, taste and the somatic sensory system, which includes touch and pain).

Then, depending on your interests, you can choose one of the following 30-credit modules:

• Infectious disease and public health (SK320)Infectious disease and public health::Infectious disease affects all our lives to varying degrees, often making front-page news: ‘New resistant strain of TB’, ‘Will bird flu cross over to humans?’ ‘Hospital infections reach epidemic proportions’, etc. This course approaches infectious disease from several perspectives – exploring the underlying biology, epidemiology, ecology and evolution of pathogens in relation to the extraordinary immune defences of their human hosts. You will learn how infections are diagnosed, how to study changes in the incidence of diseases and investigate strategies for treatment and control through detailed case studies. You will also have the chance to study a disease or disease-related topic in detail.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,SK320,,1 – approaches infectious disease from several perspectives and explores the underlying biology, epidemiology, ecology and evolution of pathogens in relation to the extraordinary immune defences of their human hosts
• Evolution (S366)Evolution::This wide-ranging course explains the key concepts of evolutionary science and investigates how these account for the characteristics of living organisms and the history of life on Earth. Using information from the living world and from fossil records, you'll learn how natural selection and other evolutionary processes produce changes in genes and populations over different timescales; how new species originate; and how large-scale evolutionary patterns are generated. Other topics include the reconstruction of evolutionary relationships and the ways in which humans influence the evolution of other species.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,S366,,1 – investigates evolutionary science's key concepts, including natural selection, and how these account for the characteristics of living organisms and the history of life on Earth.

Your final study will be a 30-credit project module, Researching biology and health science (SXL390)Researching biology and health science::In this project course you will undertake individual investigations within a range of defined topics: stem cells, emerging infectious disease, the human senses and coevolution. You’ll need access to scientific literature, probably from electronic library sources. The study materials provide a guide to planning and conducting project work; help with searching and using the literature; and writing a report, but ultimately this is a chance for you to plan and execute a piece of work for yourself. You should study this project course as the final module of your degree as you will need to apply knowledge and skills from your prior studies.undergraduate.qualification.pathways.Q64-2,module,SXL390,,1 in which you’ll undertake an individual investigation on a topic chosen from a range of defined areas related to biology and health:

• stem cells
• the human senses
• emerging infectious disease
• coevolution.