Natural Sciences
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Natural Sciences Summer Courses
Explore the connections between different areas of science with Atlas Summer Courses. Our two-week Natural Sciences summer courses, available for students aged 13–15 and 16–17, give you the opportunity to investigate scientific questions that cross traditional subject boundaries.
Drawing on disciplines such as biology, chemistry and physics, you'll explore how different branches of science can work together to explain the natural world while developing your ability to analyse evidence, solve problems and think scientifically.
What's Included?
Your residential Natural Sciences summer course includes academic teaching, accommodation, meals, a certificate on completion, airport transfer from Heathrow and insurance.
Choose from Plus, Superior and Premier packages, with accommodation and additional benefits varying by package.
What Are Natural Sciences?
Natural Sciences brings together different scientific disciplines to investigate the physical and biological world.
Rather than treating biology, chemistry and physics as completely separate subjects, Natural Sciences encourages you to consider how ideas from different fields can be combined. Understanding a biological process, for example, may require knowledge of chemistry, while explaining the behaviour of matter can draw on both chemistry and physics.
Studying the sciences in this way helps you see connections between different areas of knowledge and consider complex questions from more than one scientific perspective.
A Natural Sciences summer course gives you the opportunity to explore those connections beyond your usual school curriculum and discover which areas of science interest you most.
What Will You Study on a Natural Sciences Summer Course?
There is no prescribed syllabus that every student follows. Atlas Summer Courses tutors create their own syllabi, drawing on their expertise while taking the interests, abilities and learning needs of their students into account.
Depending on your course and age group, you could explore topics across biology, chemistry and physics, as well as questions that connect more than one scientific discipline.
You might consider questions such as:
- How can different sciences help us understand the same problem?
- What happens when we examine living systems at a molecular level?
- How do the properties of matter influence the natural world?
- How can scientific models help us explain what we observe?
- What can experiments and evidence tell us about competing explanations?
- How do discoveries in one scientific field influence another?
The depth and approach will reflect the age group you're studying with. Tutors can also develop the course around their own areas of expertise and the interests of their students.
Any syllabus shown on our website is an example from a previous course rather than a guarantee of the exact topics you'll study.
How You'll Learn on a Natural Sciences Summer Course
How you'll study Natural Sciences depends on your age group, with each programme designed to provide an appropriate level of academic challenge and independence.
Ages 13–15
24 hours of small-group seminars
You'll take part in eight seminars where you'll explore scientific ideas through interactive discussion, case studies and activities. You'll be encouraged to ask questions, work through problems, examine evidence and develop your own explanations.
12 hours of private study
Between seminars, you'll complete independent work that might involve reading, solving scientific problems, researching a topic or preparing a presentation.
Ages 16–17
18 hours of small-group seminars
You'll take part in six three-hour seminars, exploring scientific ideas through discussion, case studies and activities.
2 hours of tutorials
You'll have one tutorial each week, providing a focused environment in which to discuss an essay or problem sheet you've been working on and receive detailed feedback.
Around 20 hours of private study
You'll complete reading in preparation for seminars and work independently on an essay or problem sheet for each tutorial.
Across both age groups, you'll be encouraged to participate actively, approach unfamiliar problems independently and explain the reasoning behind your ideas.
Who Are Our Natural Sciences Summer Courses For?
Our Natural Sciences summer courses are designed for students who enjoy science but don't necessarily want to explore just one discipline.
You may particularly enjoy the course if you're curious about biology, chemistry and physics, like finding connections between different ideas or want to explore your scientific interests before deciding which subjects to pursue further.
You don't need to know which branch of science interests you most before joining. Natural Sciences can be particularly useful if you enjoy several STEM subjects and want to experience a broader, interdisciplinary approach to scientific study.
Throughout the course, you'll develop skills including scientific reasoning, problem-solving, analysing evidence, independent study and communicating complex ideas clearly.
Learn from Expert Tutors
Atlas Summer Courses tutors are experienced educators and subject specialists active across academia, industry and education.
They bring their own academic expertise and interests into their teaching and have the freedom to shape their syllabus around both their specialism and the students in their group. This allows each Natural Sciences summer course to explore different scientific questions and connections while maintaining an appropriate level of academic challenge.
Tutors are confirmed closer to the summer, so profiles on our website are examples of tutors who have previously taught with us rather than confirmation of who will teach your course.
Where Can Natural Sciences Take You?
Natural Sciences can provide a foundation for further study across a wide range of scientific disciplines.
Students may go on to study Natural Sciences itself or specialise in areas such as biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry, biomedical sciences, earth sciences or other STEM subjects.
The analytical, scientific and problem-solving skills developed through Natural Sciences can also support future paths across scientific research, healthcare, engineering, technology, environmental science and other science-based fields.
A Natural Sciences summer course gives you the opportunity to explore several disciplines before making longer-term academic decisions and discover which areas of science you find most engaging.
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FAQs about Our Summer Courses
No. You don't usually need to have studied your chosen subject before joining an Atlas Summer Courses summer course. Courses are designed for the relevant age group, and tutors can adapt their approach to the abilities, interests and experience of the students in their group.
There is no fixed curriculum that every student follows. Our tutors create their own syllabi based on their academic expertise and the interests and learning needs of their students.
This means the exact topics can vary between courses and years. Any syllabus or topics shown on our website are examples from previous courses and shouldn't be taken as a guarantee of exactly what you'll study.
Teaching depends on your age group. Students aged 9–12 and Scholars aged 12–14 learn through structured, interactive small-group classes. Students aged 13–15 combine small-group seminars with private study, while students aged 16–17 and 18–24 experience seminars, tutorials and independent study.
Across our programmes, teaching is designed to encourage active participation, questioning and independent thinking rather than simply listening to lectures.
Your course includes your academic programme, accommodation, meals and a certificate on completion, alongside the activities and experiences included within your programme.
What's included can vary depending on the programme, age group and package you choose, so we recommend checking the individual course details for the full inclusions before applying.
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Choose from over 40 subjects taught through flexible, age-appropriate programmes. Our tutors adapt their teaching methodologies to different age groups and shape course content around students’ interests, rather than following a fixed curriculum.
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