Thinking of studying physics?

For more information on our undergraduate programmes, including:

• undergraduate programmes
• entry requirements
• professional placements
• careers

please see our Study web pages:

• Physics
• Mathematics and Physics

Studying Physics at Bath

Studying Physics at Bath will not only teach you about the structure of physical law, but it will allow you to take part in its discovery. Along the way you will learn to "think like a physicist" - a hard-to-describe skill combining practiced intuition, the scientific method, and a knack for approximation - and you will develop powerful, broadly-applicable problem-solving skills.

Physics students are prepared not only for a career in physics, but many other fields as well. The Physics Department has made a concerted effort to diversify the teaching it offers, allowing a greater variety of programmes of study that satisfy requirements for the acquisition of a wider range of skills. For example, there are opportunities to follow interests in Physics Education, Nanoscience, Photonics, and Management.

Undergraduate Degrees

Physics

Physics is concerned with the study of matter, energy and the interactions between them, and it involves the search for the universal principles underlying many, very diverse natural phenomena. It is important, not only as a subject in its own right, but also as an essential element in all other natural sciences, engineering and technology. There is also a great deal of enjoyment and satisfaction to be derived from an understanding of the most recent developments in Physics research.

Our graduates combine sound mathematical and experimental expertise with the ability to grasp new concepts, and are able to apply their expertise to a wide range of familiar and unfamiliar challenges.

Physics with Computing

Computing plays a rapidly increasing role in the work of the profession scientist, and there continues to be an insatiable demand for graduates throughout the information technology employment sector. This course combines the opportunity to study Physics with the ability to develop computing skills. There is an emphasis on the use of computers to solve real physical problems and on the ways in which these are translated into tasks that can be performed by a computer. Students can additionally study computer science topics such as advanced computer graphics, operating systems and music and digital signal processing.

Mathematics and Physics

Joint degrees in Mathematics and Physics at Bath are genuinely joint degree programmes in the separate disciplines, with each having an approximately equal weighting. The aim is for students to understand the rigour and generality which form the foundations of a University education in Mathematics, while at the same time appreciating the role of Physics in providing an understanding of the physical world. Students will see the ways in which teachers from the two disciplines treat the material, and tutorials are used to explore the similarities and differences of approach, and the connections between the two.

Optional Placement year

For students on our BSc degrees a paid, fully-supported, year-long placement in their 3rd year is possible. MPhys students can undertake a six-month research-based placement in their final year. For more information please see our Physics placements and Mathematics & Physics placements pages.