B.Sc. Syllabus: Subjects and Books

A B.Sc. or Bachelor of Science is a 3-year undergraduate degree after 10+2 level, focused on the study of hardcore science subjects, like Physics, Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, Mathematics, or Statistics. Some subjects like economics, which are otherwise studied in B.A. programmes are also offered as B.Sc. specialisations by certain universities. A BSc 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. 

Post a BSc, many students opt for a rewarding career in research or teaching. Some go on to pursue higher degrees like MSc to strengthen their understanding of the field, or an MBA to bolster their job prospects in science-based industries like pharmaceuticals. Some others may land an opportunity in such industries with their BSc as well, and hence begin working right after.

Overall, a BSc degree is highly recommended for those who are intrigued by the sheer depth of human understanding of science . BSc syllabus, subjects, and books depend upon the area of specialisation of the BSc student. Here in this blog, we will explore these for the most popular BSc specialisations. Each institution provides its curriculum with , commonalities and general structure.

BSc: Syllabus, Subjects & Books

Generally, a BSc programme is 6-semester spread over three years, though some institutions provide an annual scheme of examinations as well. Some of the best BSc universities and colleges in India include 

• Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
• Delhi University
• Loyola College
• Madras Christian College
• IITs
• Christ University
• St. Xavier’s College
• Stella Maris College
• Banaras Hindu University (BHU)
• Presidency University 

Most colleges allow for direct admission on the basis of merit, while some conduct entrance exams or accept scores of other exams like CUCET, JET, BHU UET and NPAT.

As stated previously, the purpose of a BSc degree is to provide the students with a complete basic to intermediate understanding of their chosen scientific area. Most commonly studied and taught BSc specialisations include Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Mathematics and Computer Science. Given below is a brief overview of these subject streams followed by the year-wise syllabus for common specialisations.

BSc Specialisation Subjects

BSc Physics

Physics is the branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy. Some subjects included in BSc Physics are as follows.

Classical Mechanics	Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics	Electromagnetism and Photonics
Relativistic Mechanics	Optics and Acoustics	Quantum Mechanics
Thermal Physics	Condensed Matter Physics	Waves and Optics
Solid state Physics	Mathematical Physics	Nuclear and Particle Physics

BSc Chemistry

The branch of science concerned with the substances of which matter is composed, the investigation of their properties and reactions, and the use of such reactions to form new substances, is Chemistry. Subjects studied under BSc Chemistry include -

Organic Chemistry	Inorganic Chemistry	Industrial Chemistry
Green Chemistry	Energy and Fuel Cells	Material Science
Nanotechnology	Polymer Chemistry	Biochemistry

BSc Botany

Botany is the scientific study of a selected class of living organisms: plants, algae and fungi. Core subjects studied under BSc Botany are as follows -

Biodiversity- Mycology and Phytopathology	Plant Development and Anatomy	Plant Resource Utilisation
Cell Biology	Molecular Biology	Anatomy of Algae and Fungi

BSc Zoology

BSc Zoology graduates undertake scientific study of animals and their biological processes. Mandatory subjects studied by them are as follows -

Cell Biology	Molecular Biology	Animal Biology
Microbiology	Biotechnology	Genetics and Genomics
Immunology	Evolution	Biosphere

BSc Mathematics

Those looking to make a career in Mathematics almost always begin with a BSc Mathematics. Following are some subjects that all BSc Mathematics students study.

Calculus	Algebra	Real Analysis
Differential Equations	Trigonometry	Analytical Geometry
Vector Analysis	Group Theory	Mechanics
Probability & Mathematical Statistics	Complex Analysis	Metric Spaces

BSc Computer Science

A BSc in Computer Science helps build a strong foundation for a career or higher studies in the domain of IT and Digital Tools. Some core subjects studied include -

Introduction to Computers	Programming Concepts	Functions and Arrays
Computer Organisation Skills	Database Management Systems	Introduction to Embedded Systems
Number Systems and Codes	Data Mining	Computer Networks
Control Structures	Mathematical Foundation for Computer Science	Operating System Softwares

Other BSc Subjects

Other popular subjects in which a Bachelor in Science (BSc) degree can be earned are -

• Biotechnology
• Agriculture
• IT
• Forensic Science
• Nursing
• Horticulture Science
• Aquaculture
• Food Technology
• Fashion Technology
• Microbiology
• Psychology
• Physiology
• Economics
• Statistics
• Home Science

BSc 1st Year Syllabus

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

BSc 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

BSc Chemistry First Year Syllabus

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

BSc Botany First Year Syllabus

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

BSc Zoology First Year Syllabus

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

BSc Mathematics First Year Syllabus

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

BSc 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

BSc 2nd Year Syllabus

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

BSc 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

BSc Chemistry Second Year Syllabus

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

BSc 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

BSc Zoology Second Year Syllabus

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

BSc 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

BSc Computer Science Second Year Syllabus

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

BSc 3rd Year Syllabus

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

BSc 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

BSc Chemistry Third Year Syllabus

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

BSc 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

BSc 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

BSc Mathematics Third Year Syllabus

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

BSc 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 Bsc

BSc 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

BSc 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

BSc 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

BSc 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

BSc 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 P K

BSc 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

To conclude, BSc is a great way to kickstart your career in science; the avenues ahead are very lucrative and during the time of study, useful and practical insights are offered. Hope this blog was helpful for understanding BSc syllabus, subjects and books. All the best!