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Physics: University of Birmingham

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Degree 
BSc
Address
Physics: University of Birmingham, Professor J M F Gunn, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Subject
Physics
Duration 
3 years, 4 years for MSci or programmes with International Study
Scholarship and Grants 

Our school offers a range of scholarships to students who perform particularly well in their A levels (or equivalent). University scholarships are also available for academic excellence, as well as for talented musicians and international students who firmly accept our offer. For further details please see http://www.ph.bham.ac.uk/prospective/und...

Telephone 
+44 (0)121 414 4564
Fax 
+44 (0)121 414 4644
E-mail 

phys...@bham.ac.uk

Website 
http://www.ph.bham.ac.uk



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Courses available

  • Physics BSc/MSci
    UCAS code: F300*/F302
  • Physics and Astrophysics BSc/MSci
    UCAS code: FF35*/FFH5
  • Physics and Space Research BSc/MSci
    UCAS code: F365*/F366
  • Physics with Particle Physics and Cosmology BSc/MSci
    UCAS code: F372*/F373
  • Physics with Business Management BSc/MSci
    UCAS code: F3N1*/F3NC
  • Theoretical Physics BSc/MSci
    UCAS code: F342*/F343
  • Physics (International Study) BSc/MSci
    UCAS code: F301/F303
  • Physics and Astrophysics (International Study) BSc
    UCAS code: FF3M
  • Physics with Nanoscale Physics MSci
    UCAS code: F392

*For these BSc programmes there is an option to take an intercalated year in Computer Science; use your chosen code and put ‘Computer’ in Section 3F of your UCAS application form.

Why are you sitting comfortably? The main component of you and your chair is empty space. With only one part in 1015 containing matter, it is remarkable that the chair and your body are distinguishable.

From quarks to the cosmos, the domain of the physicist reaches from the micro-world of the atomic nucleus to the very edges of the cosmos. Be it examining the debris of colliding particles in a high-energy accelerator or describing the very beginning of space and time in the Big Bang, physics abounds with exciting problems and intellectual challenges.

Our School of Physics and Astronomy is one of the largest in the country, with internationally recognised research groups working on all length scales from the smallest fundamental particles through nanotechnology to the astrophysics of the whole universe.

Our excellence in research and teaching, as determined by the Research Assessment Exercise and the Quality Assurance Agency, ensures that we can offer you a strong understanding of core physics combined with many opportunities to pursue specialist options. We offer a range of undergraduate programmes leading to a BSc or a Master in Science (MSci). Both the degrees are awarded with classified Honours.

Institute of Physics accreditation

All the degree programmes we offer in this prospectus have been accredited by the Institute of Physics (IoP). This accreditation is an independent, rigorous and valid assessment of our programmes, which has several advantages for our students. For example, holders of accredited degrees are eligible to follow a route to corporate membership of the Institute and to the CPhys professional qualification. There are also a number of IoP bursaries available (further information can be found at www.iop.org ).

The Physics programmes

When you graduate in Physics at Birmingham, you will have completed one of the most intellectually challenging programmes in Britain. Our BSc programmes produce graduates who are well trained in experimental techniques, with a sound knowledge of the basic concepts of physics, and the ability to apply them in a wide range of careers.

If you are aiming for a career as a professional physicist, the MSci gives a standard of professional training comparable with European qualifications. In particular, a third of your final year is spent on a major project based in one of our research groups.

Our programmes are flexible, in that they allow you considerable freedom to pursue those areas of physics that you find most interesting. Various alternative courses are available if you wish to inject more of your particular interests into your degree programme. Detailed descriptions of the degrees outlined here can be found in our subject booklet.

For those with an eye on the stars, our Physics and Astrophysics degree probes some of the most extreme environments in the universe, studying the behaviour of, for example, clusters of galaxies or super-massive black holes: an exciting ‘natural laboratory’ in which to explore physical principles and concepts.

This fascinating work would be impossible without reliable satellite observations. Our Physics and Space Research programme combines a good understanding of physics and astrophysics with the specialised engineering skills needed to pursue a career in space research or the aerospace industry.

Or, if looking out into space isn’t enough, why not look back in time as well? The Physics with Particle Physics and Cosmology degree conveys an understanding of the smallest particles, their fundamental interactions, and their role in how the universe began and how it may develop.

Of course, mathematics is the natural language with which to describe this strange world, so for those with strong mathematical ability the Theoretical Physics degree is an obvious choice. It conveys a profound understanding of theoretical physics, making sense of the bizarre domain of quantum phenomena and guiding you through the many exciting developments in our view of the world that have taken place as theory has evolved. In addition, the structure of the MSci degree allows you to replace all lab modules with physics and mathematics courses.

Nanotechnology is widely regarded both as a frontier of science and as a foundation for the new technologies of the 21st century. Our Physics with Nanoscale Physics degree exposes you to some of the cutting-edge research being done in this area by the Nanoscale Physics Research Laboratory, which was established in the School of Physics and Astronomy in 1994 to advance the frontiers of the science and technology of nanometre-scale structures. There are strong links here with the biosciences area, and understanding life processes at the molecular level is a major challenge for this millennium.

If you prefer your life forms to be silicon-based, your eye may be caught by Physics with an Intercalated Year in Computer Science. Designed to reflect the increasing importance of computing in all aspects of our society, the third year of this degree is spent entirely within the School of Computer Science, before you return to the School of Physics and Astronomy to complete the final year of your BSc.

Our innovative Physics with Business Management programme, run in collaboration with the University’s prestigious Business School, is designed to produce graduates with the knowledge and skills of the working physicist combined with a professional background in business.

If foreign, rather than business, affairs are of interest to you, then our Physics (International Study) or Physics and Astrophysics (International Study) programmes could be for you. These four-year degrees combine a sound training in physics with the opportunity to develop your language skills while living and studying at a foreign university during your third year.

Career opportunities

At the end of your degree, you will have interacted with top-level researchers, as well as other students in working groups, while developing your communication skills. All this gives you a good entry into many professions. You can opt to be a research physicist in a university, government or industrial laboratory, or pursue a career in computing and IT, electronic engineering or, with further training, financial work such as accounting and merchant banking.

Entry requirements

  • Number of A levels required: 3
  • Typical offer: AAB–ABB
  • Required subjects and grades: A level Mathematics and Physics required at grade AA or AB (grade B in either subject); basic proficiency in your chosen language of at least GCSE grade B for Physics (International Study) and Physics and Astrophysics (International Study)
  • General Studies: not accepted, but a good performance may be taken into account if you fail to meet the conditions of the offer
  • International Baccalaureate Diploma: 32–36 points including Mathematics and Physics at HL

Other qualifications are considered – see the entry requirements section for full details

Contact details

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