Natural Sciences (Physical)

Natural Sciences at Cambridge blurs the boundaries between the sciences with 16 departments contributing to one extraordinary and inspiring course. You’ll study widely before deciding on your scientific focus, whether purely Physical (covering Chemistry and Physics), combining Physical and Biological or choosing one of the exciting interdisciplinary options such as Earth Sciences, Materials, or Evolution and Behaviour.

Overview

Ucas code

BCF0

Campus code

X

Typical offers made per year

16

Typical Undergraduate cohort

51

Minimum offer level

A Levels: A*A*A*

IB: 42 points, with 776 at Higher Level

Other qualifications: check what other international qualifications are accepted at Cambridge

STEP (SIXTH TERM EXAMINATION PAPER)

COURSE DURATION

BA (Hons) or MSci 3 or 4 years, full-time

Essential subjects

A-level/IB Higher Level in Mathematics and at least 2 other science/mathematical subjects.

Desirable subjects

None

ADMISSIONS ASSESSMENT

Applicants for Natural Sciences will need to sit the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) in mid-October as part of the application to the University. Further information can be found here.

Why Choose St John's for Natural Sciences (Physical)?

St John's College has an exceptional and inspiring history in Physical Natural Sciences, with countless significant contributions at the frontier of these disciplines, and eight Nobel Prizes awarded to members of St John’s including nuclear scientist Sir John Cockcroft and Paul Dirac, pioneer of quantum mechanics.

You’ll be equally inspired by the outstanding academics at St John’s today. Some of them are leaders in their field for decades, shaping its direction, others just starting their research careers, full of new ideas. Their research output ranged from sunlight-powered production of sustainable fuels to quantum computing and finding materials to build 'scaffolds' for tissue repair.

This means that your College teaching comes from leaders in their field and researchers at the cutting edge. It’s also supported by their PhD students, who usually have been undergraduates at St John's themselves. This combination gives you incredible research insight and academic stretch, as well as invaluable advice on how best to study and select your courses.

We have a thriving student community in Natural Sciences – around 100 undergraduates and a similar number of postgraduates. This vibrant academic community means that, however you choose to specialise as you progress through the Tripos, it’s likely that several students at John's will have chosen the same track.

Our student-led Natural Sciences society, the Larmor Society, organises talks and social events – a great way of mixing with more experienced students and getting advice from them.

Watch this video to find out more about studying the Physical Natural Sciences at Cambridge.

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Our academics

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Virgil Andrei

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Rakesh Arul

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Mete Atatüre

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Serena Best

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Michael Boemo

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Susan Colwell

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Sir Richard Friend

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Dorian Gangloff

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Stephen F Gull

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Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Howard Hughes

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Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Tuomas Knowles

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Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Austen Lamacraft

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Ernest Laue

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr John A Leake

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Nicholas Manton

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Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Nick McCave

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Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Erwin Reisner

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Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Jason WA Robinson

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Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Benjamin Simons

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Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Ed Tipper

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Yan Wang

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Paul Wood

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Andrew W Woods

Fellow

Course structure and information

Find out more about the flexibilities of the course, with its immersion in both new and familiar sciences before you decide where to specialise. You'll find that the 'Biological' and 'Physical' division is in reality very flexible.

Find out more about the course structure and what to expect when studying at St John's College.

Learn more

Supporting your studies

Academic skills support

All St John's students have access to academic skills support throughout their studies. Academic skills workshops are offered throughout the academic year, and focus on a variety of topics including general study tips, essay-writing skills and revision strategies.

Some subjects hold compulsory academic skills workshops during the Michaelmas term. If you require individual support you can contact one of our Academic Skills Advisers, who each have a range of specialities, including essay writing tips, numeracy, presentation skills, prioritisation and revision skills. We have specialists in Arts and Humanities and in STEM, and in particular in Engineering.

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Summer Bursaries

Our generous Summer Bursary scheme enables St John's undergraduates to pursue their academic or educational interests or career-development opportunities for a period of up to eight weeks during the Long Vacation.

Any activity which would clearly add value to your career and personal development can be considered, and students have used their Summer Bursaries to fund a wide range of activities including research projects, summer courses at other institutions, intermediate and advanced language courses, unpaid work experience and volunteering work in the UK and overseas.

Members of St John's College Music Society performing

Music facilities

St John’s provides outstanding facilities for use by all students who are interested in contributing to the College’s rich musical culture, not just those studying music.

A wide range of practice and performance spaces are available, including individual practice rooms, a modern recording studio, atmospheric recital rooms, a fully equipped theatre/auditorium, and even the historic Chapel, where our world-famous Choir performs throughout the year and a variety of individual musicians and groups showcase their talents at the annual May Concert.

Our students have access to first-class instruments, including three Steinway grand pianos, three Boston grands, a harpsichord and a recently refurbished organ. Music undergraduates can borrow an electronic keyboard for use in their College room for the duration of their studies.

The College Music Society and the Master’s Concert series together ensure a full programme of evening concerts and lunchtime recitals including live music nights in the College bar. St John’s is also known for its jazz scene, thanks to the long-established Jazz @John’s, which hosts professional-standard student concerts, and the annual Reinstein Prize for Jazz.

Discover student life

meet our students

One of the greatest strengths of a Cambridge degree is how interdisciplinary it is, especially compared to many other universities

Keira, Natural Sciences (Physical), undergraduate

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One of the greatest strengths of a Cambridge degree is how interdisciplinary it is, especially compared to many other universities

Keira, Natural Sciences (Physical), undergraduate

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I’m one of those slightly weird people who always knew they wanted to go to Cambridge - since I was about nine years old - because it sounded absolutely wonderful. And it is.

The interview process was nerve-wracking, but the academics want you to do well, and the people I met were very kind and put me at ease. I liked Physics, so I applied for Natural Sciences, and it is a really strong degree choice because it gives us opportunities to explore what we really like. I did a module in Earth Sciences and loved it, so I have specialised in that.

Being in a research environment makes for a very different style of education - the academics can directly link what we are being taught to their work. We are learning about science as it happens.

When it came to choosing a College, once I’d done some research, St John’s was the obvious choice for me. I feel very at home here.

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It’s incredibly exciting to be taught by academics in both the College and the Department who are active researchers

Hanna-Riia, Natural Sciences (Physical), undergraduate

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It’s incredibly exciting to be taught by academics in both the College and the Department who are active researchers

Hanna-Riia, Natural Sciences (Physical), undergraduate

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I’m from Estonia, and hearing about other people from home who had studied at Cambridge encouraged me to apply. I chose Natural Sciences because the course is so varied - it allowed me to explore multiple subjects without having to specialise right away. I had never been to Cambridge before applying, so I did a lot of research online.

There are lots of extracurricular lecture series with guest speakers, and the student body is very active, so there’s always something happening in College. As an Earth scientist, I’ve had the opportunity to go on field trips to Canada and Iceland. St John’s supported me financially with Travel Grants, which made it possible for me to take part

I’ve taken part in the St John’s pantomime with the Lady Margaret Players and spent time practising piano in the music rooms - a fantastic on-site resource that all students can use.

For my dissertation, I went to Australia to do fieldwork. St John’s supported me financially, and the experience was life-changing

Rosa, Natural Sciences (Physical), undergraduate

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For my dissertation, I went to Australia to do fieldwork. St John’s supported me financially, and the experience was life-changing

Rosa, Natural Sciences (Physical), undergraduate

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In my second year, I specialised in Chemistry, Earth Sciences, and Quantitative Environmental Sciences - which is funny because I originally came here thinking I wanted to study Physics. Discovering a passion for Earth Sciences was completely unexpected.

St John’s has great facilities, like the Buttery and the Café, as well as beautiful grounds and spaces. The student community is fantastic, with plenty of fun social events. Getting involved in extracurriculars has been a great way to meet people from different years. I’ve been active in the College music society, playing in orchestral concerts, and I also play football and netball - it’s great to have the chance to try everything.

I love that St John’s is a large, central college. The continuous room licence has also been a big benefit for me, as I’m from Cornwall - quite far away - so I don’t have to move my things out during the holidays.

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Applying

Successful applicants normally have outstandingly good GCSE results. You don't need to have ten grade 9s but it will help. Grade 9 (preferably) or 8 in Mathematics is essential along with as many other Science subjects as possible.

Being good at Maths and being very comfortable using it as a language to describe scientific systems is also essential. This will almost always be indicated by taking Further Mathematics A level if your school teaches it. We will expect you to be predicted A* in A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics (and the equivalent in other comparable examination systems).

In your personal statement you should tell us how you’ve gone beyond your school curriculum in Sciences and Mathematics, for example, participation in subject Olympiads or the Senior Maths Challenge.

Tell us about the scientific books you've read and videos you've watched, any online lectures or science festivals that have excited your interest in new sciences you can’t study at school.

Watching or reading anything by Richard Feynman is great, as is using the Isaac Physics website (which covers Mathematics and Physics, and is also good preparation for the types of questions you may be asked if invited to an interview).

If you've had the chance to do any sort of scientific work experience, you should also include this – but don’t worry if you haven’t had the chance to do any, it won't harm your application.

If you are invited to interview, you will have two interviews, each of 25 minutes, with the Director of Studies and other teaching Fellows.

We conduct the interviews in a friendly and informal manner with the minimum amount of pressure, and we recognise that you will be nervous. We do not expect candidates to have detailed prior knowledge of topics outside the areas covered at school.

The interview is not a test of memory. We are concerned with exploring candidates’ ability to analyse and think through scientific problems. Questions often involve deriving a mathematical function and exploring its behaviour. No special preparation for the interview is necessary, but it might help to practice some of the more advanced problems on the Isaac Physics website for the subjects being studied; this is also useful preparation for the ESAT test.

Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT)

Applicants will need to sit the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) in mid-October as part of the application to the University

Learn more

Life after St John's

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Our societies

Larmor Society

Our society promotes Natural Science. We bring together natural scientists and psychologists of all year groups at St John’s and we are a close and supportive community.

Our social events include the chance to dine in other Colleges, an annual dinner and a garden party.

We organise talks by prominent speakers and support our members throughout their studies.

Every natural scientist and psychologist at St John’s is a member, though all are welcome to attend our academic events.

Find out more Visit society's website

Discover all societies

Notable alumni

Sir David King

1988

Professor, Scientist

Nobel Laureate

Royal Medal winner

Academy Award winner

Pulitzer Prize winner

Olympic Medal winner

Poet Laureate

As the Chief Scientific Adviser (2000-07), King raised awareness of the need for governments to act on climate change, and was then appointed Special Representative for Climate Change from 2013 to 2017. In 2015 he led the launch of Mission Innovation, a collaborative R&D programme between 22 countries to deliver post-fossil-fuel-era technologies. His recent work aims to alert nations to the dangers of the escalating climate crisis and the urgent need for a committed programme of 'climate repair'. He was a Fellow of St John's in 1988-95.

Sir John Cockcroft

1922

Nuclear Physicist

Nobel Laureate

Royal Medal winner

Academy Award winner

Pulitzer Prize winner

Olympic Medal winner

Poet Laureate

Cockcroft won the Nobel Prize in Physics with Ernest Walton for the pioneering 1932 experiment in which they transformed the nucleus of a lithium atom by bombarding it with high-energy particles. This feat, inaccurately dubbed “splitting” the atom, provided the basis for nuclear fission. He was also Junior Bursar at St John’s. In the Second World War he worked on army radar systems and later oversaw the construction of the first proton accelerator at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment. In 1959 he was the first Master of Churchill College.

Home of big ideas

Unlocking the secrets of life in the universe with opening of Cambridge’s Ray Dolby Centre

A state-of-the-art facility designed to push the boundaries of what is possible.

PhD student awarded 2025 Cavendish Prize for study that ‘rewrites a law of physics’

A PhD student from St John’s has won a 2025 Cavendish Annual Thesis Prize for his achievements in quantum physics that could advance display and solar technology.

Tiny copper ‘flowers’ bloom on artificial leaves for clean fuel production

Tiny copper ‘nano-flowers’ have been attached to an artificial leaf to produce clean fuels and chemicals that are the backbone of modern energy and manufacturing.

Spinning, twisted light could power next-generation electronics

"It’s like working with a Lego set with every kind of shape you can imagine, rather than just rectangular bricks"