Q. What are your typical offers?

A. AAB for the MPhys and ABB for the BSc. Including Physics and Maths A-levels with an A in either Physics or Mathematics.

Q. How many undergraduates do you take on each year?

A. About 80.

Q. Roughly how many people apply?

A. We receive approximately 500 UCAS applications.

Q. How long has the department been open?

A. The University was opened in 1921 and granted a Royal Charter in 1957. The department has been in existence for over 50 years.

Q. What bursaries and other sources of funding are available?

A. Please take a look at the scholarships & bursaries page.

Q. What's the difference between the MPhys and the BSc?

A. An extra year! The MPhys is designed for those wishing to train as professional physicists, whilst the BSc provides an excellent route to a wide range of careers in industry, commerce, journalism and the public sector.

Q. I can't decide whether to apply for the MPhys or BSc. What should I do?

A. If you are confident of obtaining the required grades then apply for the MPhys: it's easier to swap from MPhys to BSc than vice versa, although both are possible. If you apply for the MPhys but narrowly miss the entrance grades we will usually consider you for entry on the BSc, but this will obviously depend on the competition for places and whether or not we have filled all the places on the course.

Q. Do I have to be good at maths to do one of your degrees?

A. Our degrees are physics degrees, training physicists not mathematicians, however, physics is a subject for which you should be 'comfortable' with maths. We can give you lots of help in understanding the maths you have done already and introducing you to the new mathematical techniques you will need for your physics. We teach Mathematics via a variable paced scheme so (within reason) you can go through the material as quickly or slowly as you are comfortable with.

Q. I haven't done any computer programming - is that a problem?

A. No. We will supply all the teaching and practice necessary to master the scientific computer programming you will need for your degree studies. We teach all our students the C programming language with optional courses in C++, IDL, R and others. If you have done some programming before, you will just pick things up that little bit quicker!

Q. I don't know which degree 'flavour' I'm most interested in. Can I mix and match courses from the different degrees?

A. Yes! All of the flavour degrees (nanotechnology, space science and technology, astrophysics and planetary science) build on the same core physics modules and all are flexible. You can pick and choose option courses, and even projects, from different degree streams.

Q. Tell me more about the 'flavours' of degree?

A. Each of the degree flavours (nanotechnology, space science and technology, astrophysics and planetary science) has been built on the basis of many years of world leading research in the department in these areas.

Q. Are there any opportunities for field trips / travel?

Yes. The department helps organise an optional field trip which is open to all our undergraduates: to lake Bogoria in Kenya to study sustainability and the environment. There are also a few departmental bursaries available which have been used to help fund trips to student conferences or summer schools.

Q. Would I be able to study abroad?

A. Yes. Please take a look at the brief information on our study abroad degrees or contact us at physics_admissions@le.ac.uk

Q. Will I be able to spend time in industry?

Q. Are there opportunities to work in schools as part of the degree course?

A. Yes. The department is part of the undergraduate ambassador scheme in schools.

Q. What do Leicester graduates go on to do?

A. A variety of things. From further research in Universities to posts with NASA or ESA. From high finance or management to physics based jobs with companies like Qinetiq, Astrium or AWE. Have a look at the profiles of some of our recent graduates.

Q. Do Leicester graduates find it easy to get a job?

A. Yes. Leicester physicists graduate with a set of skills that is very much in demand. The vast majority of our students are in graduate employment or further study (usually for a PhD) within 6 months of graduating. Take a look at a few of our graduate's profiles.

Q. How many postgraduate studentships do you get each year?

A. The department has very roughly 10 PhD places per year with many different projects in different research areas available. We also routinely obtain extra studentships through EU funding etc.

Q. What are the links between the University and the National Space Science Centre?

A. We have strong links with the NSSC. A panel of our senior professors contribute to the NSSC management, plus many of our current and ex students work there.

Q. What are the links between the University and the diamond light source?

A. Many! Professor Binns, the head of nanoscience at Leicester is chair of the nanoscience beamline at diamond. The I06 beamline is headed by Prof. Dhesi, a visiting professor at Leicester, and the principal beamline scientists on both the I07 and BLADE beamlines are Leicester physics graduates.

Q. What opportunities for summer employment are there in the department?

A. Every year a few students are offered summer employment as researchers in the department. The department also runs the SURE program open to any undergraduate physics student in the EU.

Q. What links do you have with industry?

A. Over the years we have developed many strong links to industry through collaborative research projects, consultancy work, or on the basis of Leicester graduates employed there. Some of the companies with strong links to Leicester are: Astrium, Qinetiq, TDK, Weatherford International, Lockheed Martin UK, Oxford instruments, SciSys and many more.

We are currently offering optional 4 week third year research projects in which students will work directly with one of our industrial partners on real world problems.

Q. How many hours of lectures are there a week?

A. There are roughly 17 contact hours per week in the first year. This includes formal lectures, small group tutorials, laboratory sessions, taught seminars, workshop classes and project work.

Q. Will I be expected to buy lots of books for my course?

A. We get you off to a good start by supplying you with a Physics compendium text which contains all the material you will need for all your first year physics core courses. In the second year each core course has its own text book but we have been careful to choose books which are reasonably priced and good value. The University Library is well stocked with multiple copies of these books! For many of your specialised option courses there will be no entirely suitable text books and here you will be relying on hand-out material, library books and (increasingly) the internet.

Q. Are there any options in the first year?

A. Yes. Option courses run throughout the 4 years of the degree. Students can mix and match between option courses in each of the different 'flavours' of degree.

Q. Is there any project work in the first year?

A. Yes. Students begin small group project work as early as the first term. By their final year, students will be involved in research grade projects.

Q. Will I get the chance to use nanoscience equipment/ supercomputers/ telescopes on projects?

A. Yes, definitely! Take a look at the full list of last years projects.

Q. What 3rd/4th year projects can I do?

A. A variety are offered by members of the department in their particular research areas and current 'hot' topics. This means the projects change every year, but there is plenty of choice for everyone. Recently, project students were: developing equipment to produce silicon nanoparticles, investigating at the theory of spinning black holes, searching for extrasolar planets with WASP, looking at the effect of nanoscale pollutants on lung cells, and studying Jupiters Ionosphere. Take a look at the full list of last years projects.

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