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BSc (Hons) Combined Studies

Key information

UCAS code
CFG0
Level
Undergraduate
Delivery type
Full Time
Degree qualification
BSc (Hons)
Mode of delivery
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Location
Edinburgh
Start date
September

The BSc (Hons) Combined Studies provides you the unique opportunity to design your own bespoke degree, depending on your specific interests and career aspirations. The programme provides flexibility and a fully customisable experience, allowing you to create a bespoke, academically ambitious degree based upon your individual interests, strengths, and career ambitions.  

You will have the opportunity to work closely with the director of studies to plan your learning accordingly and pick the right set of subjects to meet your individual learning goals. You will be able to study a whole range of subjects, or focus in on a specialist programme mixing two disparate subjects which relate to your career ambitions.

The multidisciplinary approach of the programme means that you’ll gain a flexible and versatile skillset of transferable and practical skills and knowledge, to set you up for life after graduation. Due to the breadth of learning, students studying combined studies outperformed students on the discipline-specific undergraduate degrees on pass rate, graduate outcomes, and level of degree classification.

You will gain the foundational knowledge across science and engineering, which you can build upon and tailor to your specific interests. By tailoring your learning to the specific needs of industry (in the field you are interested in working in) will make you highly employable upon graduation, as you can evidence the career-focused nature of the programme and course choice.

Programme selection

Please indicate in section 3(f) of the UCAS application form the two main areas of study. You are not 'held' to your initial selection but it is useful in providing a starting point for the first year of your course. The subject areas indicated are within the Schools of the University and therefore further information on the course content can be found within the relevant sections throughout this online prospectus.

Subject area abbreviations

  • AF- Accountancy and Finance
  • AS - Actuarial Science
  • BS - Biological Sciences
  • Build - Building Engineering
  • CE - Chemical Engineering
  • C - Chemistry
  • CivE - Civil Engineering
  • CS Computer Science
  • E - Economics
  • EEE - Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • IS - Information Systems
  • L - Languages
  • Man - Management
  • M - Mathematics
  • ME - Mechanical Engineering
  • P - Physics
  • S - Statistics

Your student experience

Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active scientists, engineers, and academics. You’ll be taught by passionate and engaging experts who will provide you with cutting-edge insight into key areas of your subject interests, by relating taught material to their own research. 

The School of Engineering and Physical Sciences is recognised as an international leader in education, research, and the application of knowledge to benefit society globally, committed to excellence with a purpose. Our academic staff drive research activity in five research institutes: 

  • Institute of Chemical Sciences

  • Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences

  • Institute of Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering

  • Institute of Sensors, Signals and Systems

  • Institute of Biological Chemistry, Biophysics and Bioengineering  

Heriot-Watt is ranked number 1st in the UK for Physics research according to REF2021 which classed 97% of research as ‘world leading’. We were also ranked 1st in Scotland and 3rd in the UK for engineering research through a joint submission with the University of Edinburgh, in which 96% of our research was classed as world leading. 

Go Global

There are currently no Go Global opportunities for this particular programme. However, other Go Global opportunities may be available. Please contact studywithus@hw.ac.uk for more information.

Fees and funding

intake tuition fees
StatusFee
ScotlandPaid by SAAS
England / Wales / N Ireland / Rep of Ireland£9,250
International£25,008
  • Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
  • International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).

Scholarships and bursaries

Bursaries for students from England, Northern Ireland or Wales

In addition to government loans and grants towards the costs of fees and living costs, we are offering generous financial support to attract and support eligible undergraduate students from England, Northern Ireland or Wales:

  • Heriot-Watt University Bursary (up to £3,100 per year)
View details

Entry requirements

We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.

Standard entry requirements

  • Highers AABB (including one science at A and Mathematics at B)
  • A-Levels BBC (including Mathematics and one relevant science)
  • Int. Baccalaureate 31 points (including a relevant science and Mathematics at Higher Level 5)
  • BTEC DDM (in a relevant subject)
  • HNC A in graded unit (in a relevant HNC)

Minimum entry requirements*

  • Highers BBBC (including one relevant science at B and Mathematics at B)
  • A-Levels BCC (including one relevant science at B and Mathematics at C).

* Minimum: under our Fair Access Policy, we will relax our standard entry requirements for some Scottish students depending on their circumstances. Our minimum requirements will apply if you:

  • live in an area within the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation lowest 20% (SIMD20), or
  • are care experienced.

We can also make exceptions for some Scottish students with grades above minimum but below standard. Read more about our Minimum and standard entry requirements

Why Heriot-Watt

We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.

We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.

Employability

Work and study

This is what our BSc (Hons) Combined Studies students are doing 15 months after graduating:
60%
are working
35%
are studying
5%
are studying and working

Salary

£25500
The average salary of students 15 months after graduating
£26500
The average UK salary of students 15 months after graduating from a similar course

Potential career paths

  • Natural and social science professionals
  • Science, engineering and technology associate professionals
  • Business and public service associate professionals

Student life

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