Physics BSc (Hons) or MPhys (Hons)

What you'll study

Programme overview

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 to 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.

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.

After your degree, 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.

Year 1 (FHEQ Level 4)

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.Modules include:

• Atoms, Molecules and Quanta
• Employability Skills and Communication
• Mathematical and Computational Physics
• Oscillations and Waves
• The Universe

Year 2 (FHEQ Level 5)

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. Modules include:

• Electromagnetic Waves
• Energy and Entropy
• Nuclear and Particle Physics

Specialist and optional modules include: 

• Modern Optics and Applications
• Space Science

Professional Training placement (optional)

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 (FHEQ Level 6)

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. Modules include:

• General Relativity and Cosmology
• Light and Matter
• Medical Imaging
• Nuclear Astrophysics
• Photonics and Nanotechnology
• Quantum Physics

Year 4 (MPhys only, FHEQ Level 7)

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.Modules include:

• MPhys Research Year (project in one of the world’s top laboratories)
• Non-Linear Physics
• Topics in Theoretical Physics

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.

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 in 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.

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.

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.

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.

• Come to an Open Day
• Build your own prospectus

Come to one of our Open Days, when you can tour the campus, speak to students and academic staff, see our student accommodation and ask as many questions as you like. In the meantime, order a personal prospectus – tailored to only include the subjects that interest you.