For Undergraduates

None

Faculty of Biology

The Faculty Board of Biology is responsible for the undergraduate teaching of biological sciences in the Natural Sciences Tripos through the Biological Sciences Committee, for the Medical and Veterinary Sciences Triposes through the MVST Part I Committee and for the Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Tripos through the PBS Management Committee.

 

Medical and Veterinary Science Triposes

In Years 1 and 2, in the Medical Sciences Tripos (MedST) and the Veterinary Sciences Tripos (VetST), you study the clinically-relevant core scientific knowledge and skills that you will need as a professional. Taught by some of the world’s top academic scientists, we provide you with the scientific basis that will allow you to develop your career to the full, whether your aim is to deliver outstanding patient care or whether you wish to contribute to clinical academic medicine / veterinary medicine, combining research and teaching with clinical duties to push forward the boundaries of health care.

In Year 3, you specialise in one of a wide range of other subjects offered by the University (sometimes known elsewhere as intercalation) to qualify for the BA degree. Options include:

• a single Part II Natural Sciences subject
• a subject less obviously related to medicine / veterinary medicine, such as Anthropology, Management Studies or Philosophy
 
 

Natural Sciences Tripos

Natural Sciences (NST) offers a wide range of physical and biological science subjects from 14 departments in a unique and demanding course. A broad first year is combined with increasing specialisation in the second year, and the possibility of total specialisation from the third year. The breadth of the course reflects the blurring of boundaries between the different sciences and before committing yourself to one department you study a variety of subjects, some of which may be new to you. This means you can change your mind about which subject to specialise in.

 

Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Tripos

Psychology is very diverse – overlapping with and contributing to many other disciplines such as anthropology, archaeology, computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, and sociology. Psychological and Behavioural Sciences (PBS) at Cambridge gives you the opportunity to study cognitive, social, developmental and biological psychology within the broader context of the behavioural sciences. The course covers, for example, cognitive psychology, psychopathology, language, brain mechanisms, gender, family relationships and influences, personality, and group social behaviour. Research projects and a dissertation also enable you to study the topics that interest you most in greater depth.