PhD in Physics
- Programme length
- Full-time: 33-48 months , Part-time: 45-96 months
- Programme start date
- October, January, April, July
As a PhD student in the Department of Physics you will be working with supervisors who will define your research project with you, and help you learn the necessary experimental and computing skills. You will be working on our state-of-the-art experimental or computing facilities. Typically, you will meet your supervisor(s) at least once a week, usually more often at the beginning of your PhD. The PhD starts with an induction programme, includes some courses in the first year and typically lasts three-and-a-half to four years.
Entry Requirements
A First or Upper Second class degree in physical science or engineering, or an equivalent overseas qualification, or a Lower Second plus a good Masters degree (distinction normally required). Students are initially registered for a PhD with probationary status and, subject to satisfactory progress, subsequently confirmed as having PhD status.
English language requirements
IELTS minimum overall: 6.5
We offer intensive English language pre-sessional courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
Fees and Funding
Fees
| Study mode | UK/EU fees | Overseas fees |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | £3,900 | £15,160 |
| Part-time | £1,950 | £7,580 |
Funding
The Faculty has a number of fully funded PhD studentships for suitably qualified UK and EU nationals who can demonstrate the appropriate residency requirements. Other funding opportunities also exist within different research centres.
Physics at Surrey
The Department of Physics is home to 25 academics and around 80 PhD students, undertaking research projects from nuclear physics to semiconductor lasers. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), 45 per cent of this research was classified as ‘internationally excellent’, and 10 per cent as ‘world leading’. We pride ourselves on research excellence in a friendly atmosphere.
Research
The research in the Department ranges from fundamental nuclear physics to applied medical physics, and includes interdisciplinary areas such as photonics and biological physics.
Areas of current special interest are:
- Development of new types of nanomaterials, for example, using mixtures of carbon nanotubes and polymers
- Modelling soft matter, including elastomers and biological cells
- Studies of the electron energy levels in novel crystals and nanostructures, and the photon modes in novel microstructures
- Nuclear reactions as probes of exotic nuclei
- Studies of the structure of highly unstable nuclei
- The development of novel materials for measuring ionising radiation
- Studies of radiation in the environment
Research environment
The Department has first-class facilities, including state-of-the-art atomic force microscopy and femtosecond lasers. It also houses specialised facilities for radiation detector characterisation and radiation imaging. Staff and students work at international accelerator facilities for nuclear physics, including CERN (Switzerland), GSI (Germany) and TRIUMF (Canada). The research groups all have programmes of exciting and stimulating seminars given by leading scientists from the UK and Europe.
Contact us
For general enquiries
0800 980 3200 or +44 (0)1483 681 681
For admissions enquiries
+44 (0)1483 686128