The Department of Applied Sciences offers high quality courses across a broad range of study options from undergraduate, through to Masters and Doctoral degrees in applied chemical and biological disciplines to drive your career as a professional scientist.

Employability

You will attain a rich blend of subject knowledge, academic, practical, professional and transferable skills that should allow you to realise your potential and secure that rewarding career in science. 
We are committed to consulting employers when we design our courses to ensure that our graduates should be their future employees!  Most programmes can be followed in sandwich mode allowing you take up placements to gain authentic workplace experience.

Both the undergraduate degrees in Applied Sciences and at Northumbria are meticulously designed to boost the employability of graduates by providing a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical skills that are directly applicable to real-world challenges.

Leading Research

Our staff carry out research and business consultancy. Our scientists make academic contributions through: investigating mechanisms of disease; developing therapeutics and diagnostics; synthesising novel industrial materials; using computational and physical methods to understand fundamental biological and chemical processes; improving food processing; promoting well-being through diet and conditioning; promoting well-being through environmental analyses; exploring the ecology of microorganisms in health and the environment; describing and exploiting novel microorganisms and microbial enzymes and promoting justice and validating works of art through forensic analyses.

If you're intrigued by the world around you, the composition and properties of the materials you use, or by Life and how it works then studying science at University could be for you!  If you’d like to develop a deeper knowledge of scientific principles and apply these to solving real world problems in health, well-being, industrial productivity, environmental protection or delivering justice then a career as a practicing scientist should prove very rewarding. Come and see our modern and well–equipped labs, meet our team of expert lecturers and consider training for a stimulating career with us here at Northumbria!

You can be sure of developing all the skills and knowledge you need to make an immediate impact, whatever your career aspirations. Employers tell us that our graduates are really ready to go in the workplace. We work closely with a range of employers in the food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries as well as professionals from the NHS and in Forensic Science when we design and evaluate our programmes to ensure they prepare you well for the workplace or that next phase of study if you’re planning on climbing all the way to the top!  You’ll see that many of our programmes are accredited by professional bodies; this confirms that each element of your Northumbria journey is designed and delivered well to maximise your prospects.

To ensure you understand the discovery process well, we include discussions of our own and other research in the course.  We involve you in project work at undergraduate and Master’s levels and develop bespoke individual studies for doctoral candidates.

You’ll spend a lot of your time here in our various laboratories consolidating and contextualising your learning, seeing theory in action and strategically developing critical skills and competencies you’ll need to sustain your career through your working life. The opportunity to take a sandwich year in a professional placement will really enhance your prospects on graduation.

Our research programmes are varied and applied; you’ll experience these in lectures when we explain cutting edge developments and you’ll contribute through your project work at undergraduate and Master’s levels.

If you're interested in joining one of our PhD research degree programmes, you’ll find more information about these opportunities at the Graduate School and via our research pages.