How to kickstart your career in science with a B.Sc degree?

B.Sc i.e. Bachelor of Science offers a myriad of opportunities to explore during undergraduate for students with a science background in their 12th standard. Spanning three to four years, this course consists of multiple subject alternatives. It comprises both theoretical and practical understanding based on the specialisation of the subject matters. Here, we will have a look at what are those specific subjects available within the umbrella course of B.Sc, the yearly syllabus of most of them, and the best books for the respective subjects.

B.Sc Subjects

As mentioned above, a B.Sc degree is a mixture of theories and practical understanding with a focus on experimentation and research. A B.Sc programme is best for those who wish to make a career in academia, as a researcher or as a professor, or in applied research in the industry. The degree provides students with a deep dive into a scientific sub-stream of their choice. 

B.Sc has several specialisations like- Maths, Zoology, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Botany, Statistics, Psychology, Nutrition, Forestry, Computer Science, Home Science, Microbiology, Genetics, Agriculture etc.

Let us look at the popular subjects and their syllabus.

B.Sc Syllabus of the Top 5 Popular Courses - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years

B.Sc Computer Science

In today's digital world and future metaverse, demand for people knowledgeable and skilled in the field of Computer Science is skyrocketing. So, it's quite obvious that the majority of the students dream to enrol themselves in the top educational institutions providing this course. 

Following are the syllabi of this course you will come across, depending upon the course structure set by the respective institutes:

Introduction to Digital Electronics	Front Office Management
Basics of Computer Science	Discrete Mathematics
Environmental Sciences	Computer Organisation
Foundational Course in Mathematics	Fundamentals of Open Source Software-LINUX
Object-Oriented Programming using C++	Database Management Systems
Functional English-I	Value and Ethics
Technical Writing	System Analysis and Design
Analytical Skill Development-I	Analytical Skill Development-II
Introduction to Data Structures	Numerical Analysis
Operating Systems Concepts	Introduction to Computer Network
System Software	System Programming
Python Programming	Introduction to Web Technology
Introduction to Software Engineering	Project Work

B.Sc Physics

B.Sc Physics is yet another course that has an interesting list of subjects that cover topics pertaining to matter and energy.

The subjects that students study in this course are as follows:

Mathematical Physics	Electricity and Magnetism
Mechanics	Solid State Physics
Analog Systems and Applications	Statistical Mechanics
Elements of Modern Physics	Electromagnetic Theory
Kinetic Theory and Thermodynamics	Electronic Devices
Mechanics and Wave Motion	Atomic and Molecular Physics
Nuclear & Particle Physics	Quantum Mechanics and Applications
Waves and Optics	Numerical Analysis
Optics	Mathematical Analysis & Statistics
Mathematics	Microprocessors & Computer Programming
Thermal Physics	Digital Electronics
Digital Systems and Applications	Chemistry
Oscillations & Waves	Technical Writing & Communication in English

B.Sc Mathematics

One of the most practical course options among B.Sc specialisations. Apart from enhancing your analytical reasoning, this course will also equip you with knowledge pertaining to various mathematical theories and their applications.

One would get their hands on the following syllabus if pursuing B.Sc Mathematics: 

Calculus	Algebra
Basic Statistics & Probability	Probability Theory
Vector Analysis	Numerical Analysis
Linear Programming & Its Applications	Ring Theory and Linear Algebra
Discrete Mathematics	Theory of Real Functions
Complex Analysis	Linear Programming
Abstract Algebra	Mechanics
Matrices	Data Structures and Operating Systems
Sequences & Series of Real Numbers	Differential Equations
Real Analysis	Analytical Solid Geometry

B.Sc Chemistry

This branch of science deals with substances, chemicals, elements and understanding their reactions. It is indeed a complex yet beautiful area of study.

The course of B.Sc Chemistry has an impressive list of subjects as well:

Inorganic Chemistry
Atomic Structure	Periodic Properties
Chemical Bonding	Chemistry of Noble Gases
s-Block Elements	p-Block Elements
Organic Chemistry
Structure and Bonding	Mechanism of Organic Reactions
Alkanes and Cycloalkanes	Stereochemistry of Organic Compounds
Alkenes, Cycloalkenes, Dienes, and Alkynes	Arenes and Aromaticity
Alkyl and Aryl Halides
Physical Chemistry
Mathematical Concepts	Computers
Gaseous States	Liquid State
Colloidal States	Chemical Kinetics and Catalysis
Solid States	-

B.Sc Biology

This course deals with studying biological aspects of living organisms and their behaviour in and around the environment. You will study the following subjects if you take up B.Sc Biology:

Biophysics	Biochemical Techniques
Biomaterials	Biodiversity
Plant Biochemistry	Microbiology
Endocrinology	Animal Behaviour and Chrono-Biology
Natural Resource Management	Stress Biology
Genetics	Growth and Reproduction
Analytical Techniques in Plant Sciences	Public Health and Management
Systems Physiology	Recombinant DNA Technology
Metabolism and Integration	Protein and Enzymes
Medical Botany	Cell Biology
Ecology	Molecular Biology

B.Sc 1st Year Syllabus

B.Sc 1st year subjects and syllabus are such that they lay a strong foundation and introduce the students to the fundamentals of their chosen field.

Physics First Year Syllabus

Mechanics and Properties of Matter	Semiconductor Devices
Waves and Optics I	Computer Programming
Organic Chemistry	Thermodynamics
Physical Chemistry	Classical Mechanics and Relativity
Physics Lab Practicals	Chemistry Lab Practicals

Chemistry First Year Syllabus

Organic Chemistry	Inorganic Chemistry
Physical Chemistry	Computer Applications of Chemistry
Practical and Project	Modelling and Drug Design

Botany First Year Syllabus

Introduction to Biology	Mycology and Phytopathology
Archegoniate	Algae and Microbiology
Biochemistry	Chemistry I and II

Zoology First Year Syllabus

Ecology	Microbiology
Cell and Molecular Biology	Wildlife Forensics
Biochemistry and Cellular Basis of Life	Evolution and Genetics
Microbial Diversity	Biosphere

Mathematics First Year Syllabus

Elementary Algebra and Trigonometry	Differential and Integral Calculus
Analytical Geometry and Vector Analysis	Group Theory
Real Analysis	Differential Equations

Computer Science First Year Syllabus

Introduction to Digital Electronics	Basics of Computer Science
Introduction to Windows	Foundational Mathematics
Principles of Computer Organisation	Database Management Systems
Introduction to Programming	Fundamentals of Open Source Software

B.Sc 2nd Year Syllabus

After gaining insights into the fundamentals of their chosen science sub-stream, B.Sc students in their second-year attempt to gain an understanding of higher and advanced concepts.

Physics Second Year Syllabus

Electricity Magnetism and Electromagnetic Theory	Nuclear Physics
Atomic and Molecular Physics	Basic and Digital Electronics
Biophysics and Radiation Science	Statistical Physics
Inorganic Chemistry	Physics Lab Practical
Quantum and Laser Physics	Waves and Optics II

Chemistry Second Year Syllabus

Chemionfications	Basic Analytical Chemistry
Chemical Technology and Society	Chemical Biochemistry
Industrial Chemistry	Polymer Chemistry
IT Skills in Chemistry	Practical

Botany Second Year Syllabus

Plant Resource Utilisation	Cell Biology I and II
Molecular Biology I and II	Ecology and Phytogeography
Plant Development and Anatomy	Biomathematics and Statistics

Zoology Second Year Syllabus

Biology of Vertebrates	Biology of Invertebrates
Entomology	Wildlife Conservation
Organismal and Population Biology	Animal Behaviour
Ethology	Zoo Science

Mathematics Second Year Syllabus

Theory of Real Functions	Multivariate Calculus
Riemann Integration and Series of Functions	Partial Differential Equations
Vector Spaces and Matrices	Advanced Algebra

Computer Science Second Year Syllabus

Introduction to Embedded Systems	System Analysis and Design
Fundamentals of PHP	Object-Oriented Programming (C++)
Fundamentals of Java	Arrays

B.Sc 3rd Year Syllabus

After two years of studying fundamentals and certain advanced concepts, B.Sc 3rd year students are exposed to some more heavy-lifting and application-based understanding.

B.Sc Physics Third Year Syllabus

Applied Optics	Renewable Energy
Oscillations and Waves	Quantum Mechanics
Solid-State and Nano Physics	Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy
Waves and Optics III	Statistical Mechanics
Physics Lab Practical	Numerical Analysis

B.Sc Chemistry Third Year Syllabus

Inorganic Chemistry II	Organometallic Chemistry
Nuclear Chemistry	Physical Chemistry II
Inorganic and Organic Chemistry Practical	Physical Chemistry Practical

B.Sc Botany Third Year Syllabus

Plant Physiology	Environmental Management
Plant Systematics and Evolution	Bioinformatics
Genetics and Genomics I and II	Reproductive Biology of Angiosperms
Plant Metabolism	Plant Biotechnology

B.Sc Zoology Third Year Syllabus

Marine Ecology	Oncology and Immunology
Behavioural Physiology	Parasitology
Community and Population Ecology	Anthropogenic Threats to Biosphere
Behaviour of Domesticated Animals	Wildlife Conservation

B.Sc Mathematics Third Year Syllabus

Complex Analysis	Mathematical Statistics
Ring Theory and Linear Algebra	Functions of Several Variables
Numerical Methods	Group Theory

B.Sc Computer Science Third Year Syllabus

Operating Systems Concepts	Fundamentals of Python
System Softwares	Computer Networks
Number Systems and Codes	Numerical Analysis
Data Structures	Introduction to Software Engineering

Best Books for B.Sc Courses

Tons of books, research papers, thesis, and whatnot have been published in the field of science, that can especially assist the students of B.Sc in their pursuit of knowledge in the respective areas of specialisation. Therefore, recommending a few of them is a tough task. But yes, one can definitely point out the best among the rest for developing the foundational proficiency of B.Sc. Following is the list of such amazing books that you can refer to in order to begin the journey of never-ending learning process:

BOOK	AUTHOR
Thermal Physics	BK Agarwal
Textbook of Tensor Calculus and Differential Geometry	Nayak PK
Solid-state and Electronics	BL Theraja
Cell Biology and Genetics	PK Gupta
Inorganic Chemistry	Shriver and Atkins
Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry	David L Nelson
Understanding Solid State Physics	Sharon Ann Holgate
Advanced Inorganic Chemistry	Cotton and Wilkinson
Fundamentals of Applied Statistics	SC Gupta & VK Kapoor
Optics, Principles, and Applications	KK Sharma
Mathematical Methods for Physicists	Arfken
Electromagnetic Theory	U A Bakshi and A V Bakshi
Fundamental Concepts of Inorganic Chemistry	Asim K Das
A Text-Book of Vector Analysis	Narayan Shanti and Mittal P
Contemporary Abstract Algebra	Joseph A Gallia

Best Books for B.Sc

B.Sc Physics Best Books

Book Title	Book Author
Modern Physics	John R. Taylor, Chris D. Zafiratos
Optics	G. Kaur and G.R. Pickrell
Waves and Oscillations	N K Bajaj
Quantum Physics	E.H. Wichman
Concepts of Modern Physics	Arthur Beiser

B.Sc Chemistry Best Books

Book Title	Book Author
Inorganic Chemistry	Shriver and Atkins
Organic Chemistry	IL Filner
A Guidebook to Mechanism in Organic Chemistry	Peter Sykes
Physical Chemistry	P Atkins and J De Paula
Advanced Problems in Physical Chemistry	Neeraj Kumar

B.Sc Botany Best Books

Book Title	Book Author
Plant Physiology	Taiz and Zeiger
Cell - A Molecular Approach	Cooper and Hausmann
The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms	Micheal Hickey and Clive King
Concise Encyclopaedia of Plant Pathology	P. Vidhyasekaran
Principles of Biochemistry	Lehninger

B.Sc Zoology Best Books

Book Title	Book Author
Ecology	PD Sharma
Animal Behaviour	VK Aggarwal
Physiology: Principles of Anatomy and Physiology	Tortora
Genetics: Concept of Genetics	Klug and Cummings

B.Sc Mathematics Best Books

Book Title	Book Author
Contemporary Abstract Algebra	Joseph A Gallian
Introduction to Algorithms	Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, Stein
Calculus - Single and Multi-Variable	Hughes-Hallett
A Text-Book of Vector Analysis	Narayan Shanti and Mittal PK

B.Sc Computer Science Best Books

Book Title	Book Author
Theory of Computer Science	K. L. P. Mishra and N. Chandrasekaran
Mathematical structures for Computer Science	Judith L. Gersting
Fundamentals of Database Systems	Ramez Elmasri
Data Structures with Java	J. R Hubbard
Practical Data Acquisition For Instrumentation and Control Systems	John Park and Steve MacKay