BSc Physics
Cardiff, United Kingdom
BSc
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 28,200 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for overseas | for home year two and three: £9,250 / year one: £9,000
Key Summary
Why Study this Course
The BSc Physics degree is designed to give you a broad physics education and, in addition, supply you with a wide range of mathematical and computational skills.
Designed for those with an inquiring mind, this degree provides a wide-ranging education in how theoretical and experimental physics can be used to describe the universe. It also provides an insight into the impact of physics on modern technologies.
Accredited by the Institute of Physics (IOP), this course aims to prepare you for a career in industrial or academic research and development, education or other sectors which require a practical, numerate and analytical approach to problem-solving, such as business, finance and government.
You will be part of a friendly and welcoming department currently housed in the Queen’s Building complex, which contains a wide variety of purpose-built laboratories, lecture theatres and computing facilities.
Distinctive Features
- You will benefit from the involvement of research-active staff in course design and delivery
- You will have frequent opportunities to conduct practical work in the School’s laboratory facilities
- You will receive solid scientific training based on our world-leading research
- You will develop the key transferable skills that employers require
- There is an emphasis on independent learning
- We provide effective course monitoring and opportunities for student feedback
The course contains all the core content required for the degree to be accredited by the Institute of Physics (IOP).
Loans and Grants
Financial support information for students.
Bursaries
We wish to ensure that financial circumstances are not a barrier to your undergraduate study opportunities.
Scholarships
We wish to recruit the very best students and to help us achieve this, we offer a number of scholarships.
Part-time Undergraduate Funding
Information about funding for part-time students.
Financial Support for Asylum Seekers
Information for asylum seekers about the financial support we offer undergraduates and options for funding from outside the University.
This is a three-year full-time degree. The course includes a carefully chosen balance of core modules, along with some optional modules. Modules are typically worth 10 or 20 credits and you need to earn 120 credits a year.
Year One
The range of modules in year one is designed to stimulate your interest in physics while giving you a sound foundation upon which to build in later years. At the end of the first year, you may continue with your original degree choice or choose another of our physics and astronomy degrees.
You will study core modules worth 110 credits and one optional 10-credit module.
In the Spring Semester, you can choose between optional modules, such as Introduction to Astrophysics, How the Human Body Works or Communicating Science.
Core Modules for Year One
- Mathematical Methods for Physicists 1
- Mechanics and Matter
- Planet Earth
- Experimental Physics
- Electricity, Magnetism and Waves
- Computational Skills for Problem Solving
- Mathematical Methods for Physicists 2
Optional Modules for Year One
- Introduction to Astrophysics
- Introduction to Medical Physics
Year Two
Year two of the course continues to build on the core physics material and offers a choice for your one optional module.
Core Modules for Year Two
- The Physics of Fields and Flows
- Introductory Quantum Mechanics
- Structured Programming
- Intermediate Practical Physics
- Thermal and Statistical Physics
- Optics
- Introduction to Condensed Matter Physics
- Physics in Action: Real-World Problem Solving
Optional Modules for Year Two
- The Stars and their Planets
- Pathways to Success in the Physics Workplace
- Biophysics
Year Three
The final year of the course allows you to specialise and study selected topics in depth. A 20-credit physics-related research project gives you the opportunity to apply your physics learning and to develop skills in independent research, making presentations, report writing and information management.
Core Modules for Year Three
- Atomic and Nuclear Physics
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Particle Physics and Special Relativity
- Physics Project
Optional Modules for Year Three
- Computational Physics
- Environmental Physics
- Introduction to Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Theoretical Physics
- Science Communication
- Radiation Protection and Diagnostic Radiology Physics
- Semiconductor Devices and Applications
- Laser Physics and Non-Linear Optics
- Statistical Mechanics
- Commercialising Innovation
- Cosmology
- Non-Ionising Radiation in Medicine
- Radiotherapy
How Will I Be Assessed?
There are a wide variety of assessment methods. Some modules are assessed purely by an end-of-semester exam, some combine continuous assessment with an exam and others are all continuous assessment.
Continuous assessment (exercises and laboratory work) typically makes up 40% of your marks in year one.
At first, the nature and methods of experiments are clearly defined for you, but by your final year, you are expected to tackle more open-ended investigations.
What Skills Will I Practise and Develop?
Studying this course will enable you to acquire and develop a range of valuable skills, both discipline-specific and more generic ‘employability skills’. You will:
- Use laboratory classes to develop your experimental, analytical and investigative skills
- Learn how to design experimental equipment, electronic circuitry or computer data acquisition or data reduction algorithms
- Use precise calculations or order-of-magnitude calculations in appropriate situations
- Use computer packages and/or write software
- Conduct independent research using source materials such as textbooks, scientific journals and electronic databases
- Develop your communication skills, both orally and in writing
- Enhance your teamwork skills and ability to critically appraise your own work and the work of others
- Develop your ability to undertake independent learning and effectively manage your time
We provide a range of support to help our students find the career opportunities that suit them best, such as a Careers Adviser who is partially located in the School, on-site careers fairs and employer visits. We also aim to prepare our students by providing them with the skills they need to succeed in obtaining jobs and feeling confident in their chosen workplace.
Employers include UK and international universities plus organisations such as Rolls Royce, European Space Agency, Tata Steel, Lockheed Martin, National Instruments and Barclays.
Graduate Careers
- Research scientist
- Statistician
- Airline pilot
- Data Analyst
- Science communicator
- Teacher
- Software engineer