Physics Degrees 2013
Physics underpins today’s scientific advances. Space exploration, fibre-optic communication and even the Human Genome Project could not have happened without physics. A Physics degree will put you at the heart of the technological developments that drive our society forwards. But they also turn up in surprising places such as improving the environment, treating cancer and predicting stock markets.
Degree programmes
Entry requirements
Minimum entry requirements
For all programmes apart from Mathematics and Physics:
- MPhys: A-level grades AAB
- BSc: A-level grades ABB
For Mathematics and Physics:
- MPhys/MMath: A-level grades AAA (or AAB if A-level Further Mathematics is included)
- BSc: A-level grades AAB (A grade in Mathematics required)
We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.
Conditional offers from Surrey will be made in grades or marks, and not listed in points from the UCAS tariff.
Required subjects
GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade C or above (or equivalent).
For all programmes: Mathematics and Physics required to A-level (or equivalent).
English language requirements
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).
Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.
Other suitable qualifications
Higher grades refer to MPhys programmes.
Cambridge Pre-U
D3, D3, M1; M1, M1, M1; M1, M1, M2
European Baccalaureate
76 – 74%
International Baccalaureate
37 – 34 points
BTEC (QCF Level 3) Extended Diploma
DDD – DDM (in an appropriate subject, with a supporting A-level in Mathematics)
In addition, we accept a wide range of qualifications, including other Level 3 QCF Level 3 qualifications, Scottish qualifications, the Irish Leaving Certificate, Access Diplomas and foundation courses. Other qualifications will be considered on an individual basis.
It is important to check whether the qualifications you are taking are suitable for your chosen degree. If you are uncertain whether your qualification meets our entry requirements, please contact us.
If you are an international student and you don’t meet the entry requirements to this degree, we offer the International Foundation Year.
Selection process
Offers are normally made in terms of grades. Suitable candidates will be invited for an interview. During the visit to the University, the candidate can find out more about the programme and meet staff and students. Candidates unable to visit the University will be considered based on their UCAS application.
Tuition fees
UK/EU students
Tuition fees are currently set at £9,000 per year for UK/EU undergraduates starting in 2012.
The tuition charge will be accompanied by a generous financial support package, underlining our continued commitment to widening access for those students who come from low income households.
Overseas students
The fee for students classed as overseas for fees purposes is £15,160.
The University will assess your fee status. If you are unsure whether you are likely to be considered a home, EU or overseas student for fees purposes, the UKCISA website offers more information.
Professional Training Year Fees
Programmes marked with an asterisk (*) in the table above include a professional training year.
Currently fees of £1,050 (based on an inflation assumption of 2.5%) are charged for the Professional Training Year. Fees will not have to be paid up front for those students who decide to take up the Government’s loan for higher education fees. The Professional Training year is a key factor in the high employability rates achieved by students with Surrey degrees.
MPhys Research Year
The University currently charges a significantly reduced tuition fee of £1,050 for the MPhys Research Year. As an MPhys student at Surrey, you only pay three full years of tuition fees for this four-year programme. When combined with the salary received during the Research Year, this makes the Surrey MPhys a uniquely attractive four-year programme.
Our degrees
As a physicist, you are driven by curiosity about the universe, you are a problem solver and you have imagination. You might decide to become a professional scientist, but physics opens other doors too. Your skills will be valued by a wide range of employers in areas such as journalism, law, IT, education and finance.
Our Physics degree programmes reflect the huge diversity of modern physics, with modules ranging from General Relativity to Nuclear Astrophysics to Medical Imaging. We prize our flexibility, which allows you to switch between any of the specialist Physics degrees during your first year and even change between some programmes as late as the second year. A particularly attractive aspect of these modular programmes is that you can select options in all years to complement the core subjects.
In addition to our excellent taught modules, the unique research year within our MPhys programmes and the Professional Training year on our BSc programmes allow you to do a full twelve months of salaried work in a world-leading research laboratory or top company, either in the UK or abroad. As an integral part of your degree, you are paid to apply the physics you have learnt and to acquire new physics knowledge and skills as you work or perform research.
Many universities offer the chance of a ‘sandwich’ year, but the University of Surrey knows more about it than most. We have been placing students with companies for more than 40 years. Placement employers are often so impressed with the student’s performance that they offer them a permanent job when the student graduates.
What do our students think of Physics at Surrey? In the 2011 National Student Survey our students rated us 98 per cent for overall satisfaction, placing us third nationally amongst all UK physics departments. Our students think Surrey is a great place to study physics – we’re sure that you will think the same.
Programme content
Programme overview
Our BSc degrees are three-year programmes with an optional and highly recommended Professional Training year between years 2 and 3. Professional Training allows you to experience a year in industry or research, before returning to Surrey for your final year.
Corresponding BSc and MPhys programmes share the same modules at years 1 and 2. This gives you the flexibility to transfer between the BSc and MPhys up until the end of your second year.
Year 1 gives you the core physics and mathematics you need. You will get to grips with the fundamental principles of physics and be introduced to modern physics, from quantum mechanics to relativity. Building on these principles, you will explore the breadth of the world of physics, looking at atoms, star formation, cosmology, the Schrödinger equation, and even measure the speed of light. You will also be introduced to the theories developed to deal with physical processes beyond the normal speeds and sizes of everyday life. See our world through Schrödinger’s eyes.
In year 2, you will continue to expand your understanding of and experience with both classical and modern physical theories and concepts. In addition, you will be able to choose the areas that you want to specialise in and tailor your degree pathway to suit your interests by selecting from a choice of optional modules.
Taking a Professional Training year can add real value to your experience and will allow you to make your theoretical understanding come alive in the world outside university. This experience will not only be important when you graduate but will also help you get the most from the final year of your undergraduate degree. If you decide not to do the Professional Training year, you proceed directly to year 3 to complete your taught modules and graduate in your third year.
Year 3 will see you specialise in your chosen field and deliver your final-year project. Through your work on this final-year project, you will develop your scientific writing skills, as well as your communication and presentation style. BSc students undertake an extended research project in their final semester and can currently choose up to six optional modules.
Our MPhys programmes are four-year programmes with an integrated research year that is unique in the UK. MPhys students undertake a problem-solving module and choose up to five optional modules. The range of modules available may vary from year to year, but your freedom to choose which options to study remains our priority. The unique research year begins after you have completed half of your year 3 taught modules, at the end of the Autumn semester.
Programme structure
Year 1 (FHEQ Level 4)
Modules include:
- Atoms, Molecules and Quanta
- Oscillations and Waves
- Mathematical and Computational Physics
- The Universe
- Employability Skills and Communication
Year 2 (FHEQ Level 5)
Modules include:
- Electromagnetic Waves
- Energy and Entropy
- Nuclear and Particle Physics
Specialist and optional modules include:
- Space Science
- Modern Optics and Applications
Professional Training year (BSc only)
- Optional Professional Training year
Year 3 (FHEQ Level 6) (BSc/MPhys)
Modules include:
- Quantum Physics
- General Relativity and Cosmology
- Light and Matter
- Medical Imaging
- Photonics and Nanotechnology
- Nuclear Astrophysics
Professional Training year (MPhys only)
Modules include:
- MPhys Research Year (project in one of the world’s top laboratories)
- Non-linear Physics
- Topics in Theoretical Physics
Professional training
If you are studying a BSc programme, you will discuss your particular interests and abilities with your personal tutor and the Professional Training tutor during year 2.
The Department looks closely at your CV and helps you with all aspects of applying to potential employers. Every October, a Professional Training conference allows the previous year’s students to tell you about their experience first-hand. The Department will help you to apply to companies in our extensive database.
Over the years we have placed our students with many companies and laboratories. Here is just a small selection: BAE Systems, BT, HMS Sultan, INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Instituto de Carboquimica (Spain), Jaguar Cars, the National Physical Laboratory, the National Radiological Protection Board, Royal Surrey County Hospital, the Science Museum and Southampton Oceanography Centre. Our students gain a huge experience of a wide range of employment skills during their placement year, giving them a significant advantage when applying for jobs after graduation.
Career opportunities
Graduate prospects
Graduates have entered employment in roles such as research physicists, consultants, engineers, teachers and bankers in companies such as the BBC, BAE Systems and Astrium. Many have gone on to take Masters degrees in a range of subjects such as geophysics, nanotechnology, meteorology, quantum field theory, education management and science communication, while others have gone on to study for PhDs in astrophysics, semiconductors or photonics.
Career opportunities
Physicists are highly sought after in industry, research, education, management, medicine, law and business, because of their broad practical skills and knowledge of fundamental theory. Our degrees will provide you with the analytical, experimental and computational skills valued in a wide range of career opportunities.
All Surrey Physics students learn a range of employability skills during their studies. These include a dedicated year 1 module, Scientific Investigation Skills, which covers key communication skills, group work and presentations, problem solving in the laboratory environment, plus sessions on interview techniques, CV preparation and job applications. Students who take either the Professional Training or research year placements also get invaluable employment experience at their host institution.
Many of our graduates, particularly those with an MPhys degree, go on to postgraduate degrees in order to become researchers. Other graduates have launched careers with multinational companies (such as Shell International Petroleum, 3M, GEC Marconi Research, Nokia and BT), with public bodies (such as the National Physical Laboratory, the BBC, the NHS and the Defence Research Agency), and with small enterprises (such as Surrey Medical Imaging Systems and private consultancies). Starting salaries are in the region of £20,000 per annum.
Additional information
Teaching
You will have a stimulating mixture of lectures, laboratory work, tutorials, practical exercises and computational classes. There will be assigned coursework, problem solving and projects. Computers are used extensively, as teaching aids via self-learning packages, in the laboratory for experimental control and data analysis, in modelling of physical problems and for effective communication.
Eight practical laboratory half-modules are designed to introduce particular elements of physics, experimental design, data analysis, background research and technical writing. A ninth module introduces computational modelling, the topic of which can be based upon your personal interests.
Facilities
We can boast extensive facilities within the Department of Physics. The undergraduate teaching laboratories were recently extensively refurbished.
The Department has also benefited from a £3.5 million refurbishment of its research laboratories. Each year these labs host our undergraduate students as they carry out their final-year research projects. In the last Research Assessment Exercise, more than half of the Department’s research was rated internationally excellent or world-leading.
Assessment
All modules are assessed by written examination, coursework or, most commonly, a combination of the two.
For the MPhys degrees, 30 per cent of the degree is awarded for the year 2 modules, 30 per cent for the research year and associated dissertation, and 40 per cent for the year 3 modules.
For the BSc degrees, 35 per cent of the degree mark is awarded for the year 2 modules with 65 per cent awarded at year 3. If however, students choose the four-year BSc, including a Professional Training year, then the marks are distributed as follows: 25 per cent for year 2, 10 per cent for the Professional Training year, and 65 per cent for year 3.
Coursework accounts for about 30 per cent of the overall degree mark.
Why Surrey?
Physics degrees 2013 at Surrey
- Ranked in the top twenty departments in the country by The Complete University Guide 2013
- The unique MPhys research year allows you to work with the world’s top scientists. Not only do you receive a salary, but you only pay three years’ full tuition fee, making ours the most cost-effective four-year degree among the UK’s top universities.
- Flexible and varied degree programmes, with specialisms covering nuclear astrophysics, satellite technology, finance and mathematical physics
- Superb experimental facilities for student projects
- More than half of our research is rated internationally excellent or world leading by the latest Research Assessment Exercise
- Since 2003, two of our students have won the National Student of the Year Award and a further two have been runners-up
- In the most recent National Student Survey (2011), our Physics Department achieved a satisfaction rating of 98 per cent, ranking us third in the UK out of 46 universities
Among the staff there are numerous well-known and well-respected physicists and the course itself has lots of module choices...
Holly Rivers
BSc Physics with Nuclear Astrophysics
The Department of Physics has some amazing facilities and provides students with a wide variety of opportunities. Among the staff there are numerous well-known and well-respected physicists and the course itself has lots of module choices in Levels 2 and 3, enabling students to focus on the areas of physics they enjoy the most.
The Department is full of variety, with lectures, lab classes, small group tutorials and one-on-one meetings with a personal tutor. There is something to suit every style of learning and all of the key ideas are constantly reinforced throughout the year. Many of the practicals are arranged to go alongside the lectures, so that you will study a concept and then see it applied. I would definitely recommend Surrey to anyone interested in studying physics.
I received a lot of support and guidance when choosing my current placement and I found the dedicated Professional Training year staff very helpful when writing applications and attending interviews. I am currently enjoying placement at a top IT consultancy company in Guildford, where I am visited by a University tutor to check my progress.
The campus was one of Surrey’s big selling points when I was looking around on Open Days. There are flats to suit every budget and need, and a large number of shops, bars and restaurants on campus. Being in Surrey means you are only a short train ride from London, but you are far enough away to escape city living.
What really distinguishes the University from others is the friendly, almost family-like atmosphere in the Department.
Ruth Smithers
BSc Physics
The University’s Professional Training year, the well-established and highly regarded Physics Department and the impressive graduate employment results were all factors in making my decision to come to Surrey. I also fell in love with the campus as soon as I visited!
The course is excellent and provides the fundamental knowledge required for any career in physics, as well as a comprehensive course in computer programming, which is useful in so many areas of science and technology. The curriculum is a great mixture of lectures, tutorials and laboratory and programming sessions; there are ample opportunities to apply the knowledge taught in lectures.
What really distinguishes the University from others is the friendly, almost family-like atmosphere in the Department. I have always been able to see a lecturer for help with assignments or advice on exam techniques.
For my Professional Training year I am going to the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, USA. Half of my time will be spent undertaking a research project in the physics department, whilst the other half will be spent in lectures with other students. Professional Training years are a great opportunity to add something different to your CV to set yourself apart from other applicants later in life, and for me this was not an opportunity I could pass up.
I am very active within Physics Society and I put on as many events as possible. I am also a writer for the science and technology section of The Stag, the University’s student-run newspaper.
Professional recognition
All of our programmes are accredited by the UK’s Institute of Physics and can lead to the award of Member of the Institute of Physics (MInstP) and Chartered Physicist (CPhys) after appropriate career experience.
Physics at Surrey
What makes studying Physics at the University of Surrey special?
