Physics
Factfile
| Typical Entry Requirements | MPhys programmes: A level grades AAB (340 points) |
|---|---|
| Required Subjects | MPhys programmes: Mathematics and Physics required to A level (or equivalent). |
| English Language Requirements | An IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent for non-native-English-speaking applicants. |
| Other Suitable Qualifications | Higher grades refer to MPhys programmes BTEC National Diploma - DDD-DDM (in an appropriate subject) A wide range of other qualifications will be considered on an individual basis such as HND, Irish Leaving Certificate, Scottish qualifications, Access Diplomas and Foundation courses. |
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| Selection Process | Offers are normally made in terms of grades. We do not include General Studies in our offers. 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. |
| Professional Recognition | All of our programmes are accredited by the UK’s Institute of Physics and can lead to the award of MInstP (Member of the Institute of Physics) and Chartered Physicist (CPhys) after appropriate career experience. |
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Physics underpins today’s scientific advances. Space exploration, fibre-optic communication and even the human genome project could not have happened without physics. People with physics qualifications are 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.
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.
Further information
Degree Programmes
BSc (Hons) Degrees
| Degree | UCAS code | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| * Programme includes a professional training year | ||
| BSc (Hons) Physics | F300 | 3/4* years |
| BSc (Hons) Physics with Nuclear Astrophysics | F3F5 | 3/4* years |
| BSc (Hons) Physics with Satellite Technology | F361 | 3/4* years |
| BSc (Hons) Physics with Finance | F3N3 | 3/4* years |
MPhys (Hons) Degrees
| Degree | UCAS code | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MPhys (Hons) Physics | F303 | 4 years |
| MPhys (Hons) Physics with Nuclear Astrophysics | F3FM | 4 years |
| MPhys (Hons) Physics with Satellite Technology | F362 | 4 years |
| MPhys (Hons) Physics with Finance | F3NH | 4 years |
Our Degrees
Our Physics degree programmes reflect the huge diversity of modern physics, with modules ranging from General Relativity to Medical Imaging to Spacecraft Dynamics. 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 12 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.
MPhys/BSc Physics
Everybody knows physicists study atoms and black holes, but at the University of Surrey we do much more than this. We try to understand all aspects of the natural world, including how our bodies work, and to support this aim our programmes are designed to be varied and flexible. A particularly attractive aspect of our modular structure is the ability to select optional modules to complement the core subjects.
The MPhys and BSc Physics programmes provide the greatest flexibility, giving you a thorough grounding in all the basics of the subject, but allowing you the largest choice of optional modules.
Our unique MPhys programmes will interest you if you are considering a career in research. You will take the curriculum to a greater depth by studying additional core modules and cover a wider breadth of physics by including a research year, a problem-solving module and additional options.
The BSc programmes will give you a highly regarded qualification that covers all the fundamental aspects of physics. Integral to it is an extremely popular professional training year option. Opportunities range from research to engineering or computing, with placements in small and large organisations, in national laboratories, in hospitals and in government agencies.
MPhys/BSc Physics with Nuclear Astrophysics
Almost everything you see when you look up into the night sky is the result of nuclear reactions. Nuclear astrophysics plays a vital role in helping us to understand the cosmos.
The special blend of physics you will be taught as a Physics with Nuclear Astrophysics student reflects the outstanding nuclear physics research we undertake at Surrey.
We have the largest research group of its kind in the UK. Laboratory experiments and final-year projects draw upon our wide range of radiation detectors, electronics and specialised computing resources. The Surrey Ion Beam Facility, our own particle accelerator, is available for experimental projects.
The academic staff have close research links with nuclear and particle facilities, including CERN, and these links lead to fantastic placements for our students.
The programme covers core physics principles and then explores our current knowledge of the physical origins of the universe, as well as the sun and its planets. It also includes detection and measurement in astronomy, and experimental nuclear physics.
In the final year, your modules cover the life cycle of a star, general relativity and cosmology. You will understand just what Einstein meant by curved space-time and learn about cosmological models of the Big Bang and the expansion of the universe.
MPhys/BSc Physics with Satellite Technology
In today’s rapidly changing world, the range of satellite applications is huge, encompassing weather monitoring, communications, space exploration, in-orbit technology demonstrations, earth observation and remote sensing – even reading home gas meters! At the forefront of this technological revolution is the Surrey Space Centre, which is the only academic centre in the UK to design and build micro-satellites.
Physics with Satellite Technology is ideal for you if you enjoy physics and have an interest in space technology. You will learn what satellites do, how they communicate, and how they are designed and controlled.
Many of these specialist topics are taught by staff at the Surrey Space Centre. These same people have built satellites that are orbiting above us right now. You will be well placed to pursue careers in the space, telecommunications and semiconductor industries.
Satellites are a growth area with approximately 6500 people employed in the UK space sector. One of the fastest growing areas within the sector is that of micro-satellites, which is the speciality at Surrey.
MPhys/BSc Physics with Finance
Financial institutions (banks, consultancy firms, financial regulatory bodies) are employing more and more people with a rigorous training in physics. This is because understanding the stock market is just like doing a physics experiment, and the flow of money through the economy is like the flow of electric current.
This specialist understanding means that physicists are in demand as the so-called ‘rocket scientists in the City’. Physicists working in other fields will also require a range of financial and management skills as they climb up the career ladder.
You will take all of the Physics core modules. Experts from the Department of Economics and the School of Management teach modules in Accounting, Finance and Business Control, while experts within the Department of Physics will teach you about financial derivatives.
As you progress through the degree, you will see that the way physicists use mathematics to solve physics problems can be applied to problems in quantitative finance.
Unique MPhys Research Year
During the research year, you will be paid as a research assistant in a UK national laboratory, or an overseas or industrial laboratory. Alternatively, you may choose to work in a University research group here at Surrey. The research year provides superb training for those aiming for careers as researchers.
Most students produce results that will go on to be published in the world’s top scientific journals, and will gain experience of international conferences. Previous placements have included CERN, TRIUMF (Vancouver), the Institute of Cancer Research, Yale University, LogicaCMG, the Mullard Space Centre, the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, USA), the University of Texas at Dallas, Florida State University, GSI-Darmstadt (Germany), the Nuclear Department at HMS Sultan and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
No other UK university offers the range and quality of MPhys research placements that we do. This is because of the close links between our world-class Physics research groups and our international colleagues. Placements are found via a network of personal contacts, which means you are placed in a known environment with a high level of support from the University. A lecturer from the Physics Department will visit you in your placement laboratory three times in the year to talk to you and your supervisor and to monitor progress.
Programme Overview
Our BSc programmes are three-year programmes with an optional (but highly recommended) professional training year between Levels 2 and 3.
Our MPhys programmes are four-year programmes with an integrated research year that is unique in the UK.
Corresponding BSc and MPhys programmes share the same modules at Level 1 and 2. This gives you the flexibility to transfer between the BSc and MPhys up until the end of your second year.
Level 1 gives you the core physics and mathematics you need plus a choice of one of the modules from any of our specialist Physics programmes.
In Level 2, up to four of the modules studied are a result of your choice of option. BSc students can choose to undertake a professional training year after Level 2. You will be a full-time employee of a company, returning to complete your studies in your fourth year (Level 3). If you decide not to do the professional training year, you proceed directly to Level 3 to complete your taught modules and graduate in your third year.
At Level 3, you will be able to specialise and concentrate on your personal interests. BSc students undertake an extended research project in their final semester and can currently choose up to six optional modules. 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 Level 3 taught modules, at the end of the Autumn semester.
Programme Structure
Level 1
Modules include:
- Principles of Physics
- Waves in Physics
- Atoms, Molecules and Quanta
- Mathematics
Specialist and optional modules include:
- Space, Time and Relativity
- Financial Accounting
- Introduction to Astrodynamics and Space Science
- Electronics
Level 2
Modules include:
- Electromagnetism
- Thermal Physics
- Solid State Physics
- Mathematics and Quantum Physics
Specialist and optional modules include:
- Additional Mechanics
- Radiation Detection and Measurement
- Exploring the Solar System
- Modelling Complex Systems
- Galaxies and Large-scale Structures
Level P (BSc only)
- Optional professional training year
Level 3 (BSc/MPhys)
Modules include:
- Quantum Physics
- High Energy Physics
- Light and Matter
- Medical Imaging
- Photonics and Nanotechnology
- Nuclear Astrophysics
Level 3/Level M (MPhys)
Modules include:
- Mathematical Methods
- Nonlinear Physics
- MPhys Research Year
(project in one of the world’s top laboratories)
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 Level 2. The Department looks closely at your CV and helps you with all aspects of applying to potential employers. Every October, the Department organises a professional training conference, where the previous year’s students tell you first hand what they did on their placement and what it was like. The Department will then help you to apply to companies in our extensive database.
The professional training year provides an excellent opportunity to broaden your experience, and over the years we have placed our students with many companies and laboratories. Here is just a small selection: Armagh Observatory (Northern Ireland), BAe Systems, BT, HMS Sultan, INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Instituto de Carboquimica (Spain), Jaguar Cars, Mitsubishi, National Instruments, the National Physical Laboratory, the National Radiological Protection Board, the Home Office Scientific Development Branch, Royal Surrey County Hospital, the Science Museum and Southampton Oceanography Centre.
Ten reasons to study Physics at Surrey
- The unique MPhys research year allows you to work with the world’s top scientists
- BSc programmes offer a salaried professional training year to further enhance your employability
- Excellent teaching; 97 per cent of our students found our courses intellectually stimulating
- A friendly department that enjoys a good staff-to-student ratio
- Flexible and varied degree programmes with specialist programmes covering Nuclear Astrophysics, Satellite Technology and Finance
- Superb experimental facilities for student projects
- More than half of research rated internationally excellent or world-leading by the latest Research Assessment Exercise
- Benefit from being taught by academics at the forefront of their fields
- All MPhys students receive an extended programme bursary of at least £1500 in their final year
- Our students have won the National Student of the Year Award twice in the last six years
Top for Jobs
Graduates over the last few years entered employment in roles such as:
- Astrium - Graduate Engineer
- Cascade Technologies - Consultant
DSTL - Researcher
- Kondor - Trading Derivatives Trader
- Hampshire Education Authority - Teacher
- Detica PLC - Consultant
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. 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 small enterprises (such as Surrey Medical Imaging Systems and private consultancies). Starting salaries are in the region of £20,000 per annum.
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. Our students report that their lecturers are friendly and accessible. 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 Physics Department. In the last Research Assessment Exercise more than half of the Department’s research was rated internationally excellent or world-leading. The Department has also benefited from a £3.5million refurbishment of its research laboratories. Each year these labs host our undergraduate students as they carry out their final-year research projects.
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 Level 2 modules, 30 per cent for the research year and associated dissertation and 40 per cent for the Level 3 modules. For the BSc degrees, 35 per cent of the degree mark is awarded for the Level 2 modules with 65 per cent awarded at Level 3. Coursework accounts for about 30 per cent of the overall degree mark.
Contact Details
T: 0800 980 3200 or +44 (0)1483 681681
What our students say
Graduate Profile: Amy Bartlett
MPhys Physics with Nuclear Astrophysics PhD
I chose the University of Surrey for my undergraduate degree because it offers the unique opportunity to spend a research year abroad. I had always wanted to go to America and so I spent a year researching nuclear astrophysics at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana (USA). My work involved calculating how quickly nuclei react with each other in supernovae explosions, where the temperatures are either too high or the nuclei too exotic to perform experiments. At the end of the year, I presented my results at a conference in Tucson, Arizona and even had my work published in a respected journal. The research year was a fantastic experience on both a professional and personal level.
Having had a taste of what real physics research was like, I decided I wanted to continue the work I started during my year away. Surrey has the largest group of theoretical nuclear physicists in the country, so it was the ideal place to continue my work. During my PhD, I have presented my work at the House of Commons and at international physics conferences. I have also attended workshops in Germany, Italy and the USA. I even spent a week in a school talking to pupils about my work.
In total I have spent seven (eight if you count my year abroad!) years studying physics at Surrey and I wouldn’t have stayed so long if it hadn’t been so much fun! I am currently working as a technical consultant for a large multinational software consultancy, illustrating that studying physics develops knowledge and skills that are valued in a surprisingly wide range of professions.
Student Profile: Mark Boyce
BSc Physics Level 3
When I came for my interview, I had the opportunity to meet the academic staff. What struck me immediately was how friendly and approachable they seemed, so I knew I would be at ease if ever I needed to ask for help.
The main buildings on campus are all very close together, so you know you can get everywhere within ten minutes – very handy when you are living on campus and have 9am lectures!
As for my programme, I particularly enjoy the weekly practical sessions. They are a large step up from the simple experiments that I used to do during my A levels. It is very satisfying to conduct an experiment really carefully, and then obtain the results you expected.
In my spare time I am an active member of two societies. I enjoy ‘performance lighting’ which I get to do as a member of the Students’ Union Stage Crew. I am also the Vice-Chair of St John Ambulance Surrey LINKS. I really enjoy the social side of the society, as well as the good work that we do for both the Students’ Union and the wider community.
After I graduate I plan to go into the field of research. I am still not entirely certain which specific area of physics I will specialise in, but then the degree I am doing covers most areas of physics, allowing me to make an informed choice later on in life.
