What subjects go well with science?

Check upcoming open days and book your place

Maths

Yes, it’s pretty hard-core, but if you’re opting for something like physics, you’re not likely to be easily psyched out now, are you? STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) are a solid choice for students: they’re extremely in-demand and well thought of by employers.

Combining your science study with maths gives you the benefits of developing essential skills in logic and data analysis, which you can put into practice in a wide-range of situations in physics.

Sarah Macartan studied maths and physics at the University of Birmingham. She says, "Maths is essentially the framework for theoretical physics. Having a grounding in maths gave me the fundamental tools – and the confidence – to study physics."

Modern languages

As well as the linguistic skills you’ll gain communicating with people speaking another language, you’ll discover new ways of seeing the world from being immersed in another culture. Studying a foreign language will enhance your critical thinking skills, which will complement your scientific studies.

Adding another language to your degree is also a must if you want to open the doors to travel in your career, so pick a language that fits with your future life and career aspirations.

Learning the languages used in developing markets such as China and South America can be an excellent choice and you’ll often get the chance to learn technical language specific to your field – as you’re likely to be working in a relevant study area during your year abroad.

Computer science

It’s official: coding is now cool. Those guys who used to sit at their screen all night in their Star Wars tees are taking over the world. There is an acknowledged skills shortage in this area meaning qualified candidates can earn big bucks right from the word go as developers, programmers and analysts.

Fergal Byrne studies chemistry at the University of York. He thinks computer science is a good choice for a joint honours, “There’s a lot of work going on in modelling chemical processes and properties using computers recently and it’s a very interesting area to go into.”

Geography

Combining a pure science with a social science like geography will arm you with intellectual and technical skills that can be applied to a wide range of roles. The field and laboratory work that both parts of your degree will bring will equip you with strong project management and teamwork skills as well as the ability to analyse and interpret data.

Working as an environmental scientist or consultant is a popular choice for graduates, who go on to assess the environmental impact of human activity. Recycling, surveying and toxicology analysis are all future career options too.

Business

These days, science is not just about research – you need to display a strong sense of the Alan Sugars in order to get that job. Developing a sound knowledge of business principles allows you to focus your work on areas that are in demand, while developing skills which make you more appealing when you leave university.

Being able to write a business plan, understand how to market a product or present to a new client are all skills you’ll develop with a business course, which will open up doors should you decide to go for a science-relevant role in a corporation.

Another science

You already love science, right? Studying another vertical in the family means you can add some variety to your degree in terms of learning methods and lab work, which will complement your first choice.

Elizabeth Teltham studied physics and biology at Durham University. She says, “I think it helped my career by opening up more options, providing a wider range of industries or research that I could go into. The only drawback I can think of is that I might not have had as much depth of knowledge as I would from studying a single subject.”

NEXT:

Don’t know where you want to study science? Compare universities and find out where your predicted grades could take you…