What qualifications are needed?

Question: What qualifications are needed?
- Keywords:
  qualifications
Asked by storz001 to Christine, Edd, Jess, Nicolas, Zara on 14 Jun 2011.
- Jessica Chu answered on 13 Jun 2011:
  
  Hi storz001,
  
  Do you mind explaining your questions a bit more?
  So if you do the science GCSEs in school then you can pick some of the Science A-Levels.
  Different universities have different entry requirements for different science degree courses- so if you have a uni you want to go to.. google their name and check out what grades they want!
  
  So if you want to do science at uni, the route might look like this (I will try make this like a flow chart):
  
  A-Level science –> BSc (Bachelor of Science) degree, 3 years —> PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) research (3 years)
  OR
  A-Level science –> BSc degree, 3 years —> Master’s degree, 1 or 2 year –>PhD research (3 years)
  
  You can choose to stop at any stage after a degree 🙂
- Nicolas Biber answered on 13 Jun 2011:
  
  Hey storz001
  
  Sorry I can’t really answer that question. I did my first two degrees in Switzerland, so I don’t really know about qualifications in the UK.
- Edward Codling answered on 13 Jun 2011:
  
  I guess this depends on what you want to do.
  
  I think everyone has to do GCSE science of some sort – you should obviously try to do as well as you can in this whatever you want to do afterwards.
  
  For A-levels, if you are interested in science but don’t really want a career in science, then it is still useful to do A-level science subjects (physics, chemistry, biology) as well as maths. All these subjects give you useful skills that would be relevant in any job and employers look for these. Also, you may well find out more about the world around you so that you can make better decisions in your everyday life (e.g. which chemicals may be dangerous, how to reduce energy use etc).
  
  If you want to do a science degree then you will need good A-level grades (ideally B or above, but C or lower might be okay depending where you want to go to study). Universities would expect you to have done at least 2 of physics, chemistry and biology, and maths is always useful to have as well.
  
  To do science research and go on to a PhD you would need at least a 2:2 and probably a 2:1 in your degree (this is roughly equivalent to a B grade although it is not quite the same type of grading system).
  
  Once you’re doing research then no further qualifications are needed – you just need to produce good work and write it up in papers!
- Zara Gladman answered on 13 Jun 2011:
  
  If you want to do science, like everyone has said, you should choose at least two science subjects (e.g. biology, chemistry, physics) at school. After that, you can apply to study science at university. Different universities ask for different grades… for example, if you want to study zoology at Glasgow University, then you need to have studied biology and chemistry and got grades of ABB for your A levels. Some universities let you skip a year if you do really well at school (e.g. if you get AAA at A level). If you’re thinking about going to university, you should check out the website of the uni you’re interested in and see what grades they want for the course you’re interested in. There’s a guide to universities with a profile on every one in the UK here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/universityguide If you have any questions about life as a student, please ask me! I’ve been one for almost 7 years now 😉
  
  A science degree usually lasts three years in England/Wales/Northern Ireland and four years in Scotland. For your degree, you will either be awarded a first class degree (the top grade), a 2:1, a 2:2 or a third. If you want to do more science then you can go on to do a Masters degree (which is another year of uni, usually of research) or a PhD (three or four years of research). To do a PhD you usually need at least a 2:1 for your degree. After you’ve passed your PhD, you’re awarded the title of ‘doctor’ and will be a fully fledged scientist!
- Christine Switzer answered on 14 Jun 2011:
  
  You have lots of great advice here already about what to study. I don’t have a lot to add there. I have PhD scholarships on offer every year and get lots of applications from people who are interested to get into research. Deciding who wins the scholarship is really tough. I talk to each applicant individually about their interests and what they would like to do with the project topic on offer. The person who wins is usually the one who has the clearest vision of what they want to do. Background is relevant (they need a university degree) but it is not the only thing. Often, the candidate’s first degree isn’t the strongest thing either. Each of my current students has a different background and none is similar to mine. Their first degrees are geology, zoology and modern languages. Mine is engineering. There is no perfect background to get into ecology or environmental science.

Question: What qualifications are needed?

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