Physics and Astronomy

The exciting study opportunities that we offer are built on our cutting-edge research.

Full entry requirements

Physics at Leicester

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester is a world-class centre for teaching and research.

We are a friendly, inclusive department of 42 research-active academic staff, admitting around 85 undergraduate students each year. This means an excellent staff-student ratio, a wide range of module choice and the opportunity to be taught by academics who are passionately engaged in advancing their fields.

We pride ourselves on our commitment to teaching and our comprehensive student support. Studying physics at Leicester will enhance your academic knowledge and problem solving ability, develop your confidence and communication skills, and provide excellent career opportunities.

Why Choose Physics at Leicester?

Places: 85
Applications: 500
National Student Survey: 88% of students studying Physics and Astronomy satisfied overall with their course.
Example Jobs: Copywriter; Finance Officer; General Teaching Assistant; Graduate Physicist; Graduate Satellite Design Technician; Graduate Signalling Engineer; Graduate Trainee – IT and project management; Management Consultancy; IT Analyst; Market Research; Sound Engineer; Technology Consultant; Work Flow Business Analyst.
Example Employers: Christian Research Consultancy; Delta Rail Ltd; EADS; Experian; KPMG; MDSL; Metropolis International; Nottingham City Council; PA Consulting Group; The Manor Preparatory School; The Musician; Weatherford International; Which?.
Example Postgraduate Courses: ACA; MSc Nuclear Engineering; MSc Planetary Science; MSc Remote Sensing and GIS; MSc Robotics; MSc Space Engineering; MSc Sustainable Development; MSc Sustainable Resources; PGCE (postgraduate teacher training) Science; PhD Astronomy; PhD Space Plasma Physics; Pilot Training.
Example jobs and employers information comes from the University’s ‘Where Did They Go?’ survey, and shows destinations of 2010/11 graduates six months after graduation.

Our course covers the Universe, from the quantum scale to the cosmological. The breadth of content and the quality of teaching in all of our degrees reflects the wide-ranging research excellence in the Department. So no matter where your interests lie, you will be taught by international experts.

The course is very flexible so you can choose to follow a broad physics course covering many topics or to specialise in astrophysics, nanotechnology, planetary science, or space science and technology. You can easily mix and match option courses from different specialities to suit your individual interests and career aspirations as they develop throughout your time at University.

Our course is designed to be very active, so you will not only learn about physics but will learn to do physics and, by the time you graduate, you will have all the skills needed to go onto a career as a professional physicist.

The Department has an outstanding track record of graduate employment. We have strong links with world leading companies in industry, business and scientific research, and you will have the opportunity to enhance your CV by working on an optional ten week research project with one of our industrial partners. You can also add to your experience and achievements by mentoring students in local schools, spending time abroad at one of our partner universities, or working on one of our student led projects outside of the curriculum.

Around one third of our students go on to study for a PhD, and as an undergraduate you will experience a real taste of the cutting-edge research in the Department as part of our third and fourth year student projects.

Physics and Astronomy Degree Courses

We offer interlinked honours programmes in Physics and Astronomy at both MPhys and BSc levels in: Physics, Physics with Astrophysics, Physics with Nanotechnology, Physics with Planetary Science, and Physics with Space Science and Technology. All of our degrees are accredited by the UK Institute of Physics.

The three-year BSc course is an excellent route to a very wide range of careers in industry and business. The four-year MPhys course is aimed at those who wish to train as research physicists. Transfer between MPhys and BSc degrees is possible anytime up to the end of the second year.

Core and Option course modules

All of our degree programmes are based around core and option modules. The core modules are common to all of our courses and these contain the essential physics and maths you need to progress into any physics-based career.

You will also have the opportunity to study from an extensive set of specialist option modules that explore a diverse range of topics in pure and applied physics, and within each specialist degree area (astrophysics, nanotechnology, planetary science, space science and technology). You are given the flexibility to choose options and even research projects from any speciality throughout the course.

Specialist option courses are available in all years. In the first and second years the emphasis is on core material, whilst in the third and fourth years the balance switches from core physics and maths to advanced specialist options and research projects. In the first and second years you choose four option courses. In the third and fourth years this increases to six. To qualify for a specialist degree you must take at least half of your option courses from within that specialism.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

We aim to create a challenging and exciting learning environment which will help you to get the most out of your degree. Because of our excellent staff/student ratio we are able to offer a large number of small-group activities in addition to traditional lectures. Together with our open door policy, this means that staff are always available and you can get the support you need.

Core Courses

Each core course starts with lectures. During the first and second year, core lectures are complemented with tutorials, problem solving workshops, seminars and laboratory classes.

Workshop classes compliment the core physics and mathematics courses. They provide an opportunity to work through exercises in small groups with teaching staff on hand to help you through problems.

Seminar classes are led by our research students. During these weekly small group classes (usually groups of eight to twelve) the research student will take you through the solutions to preset problems.

Experimental work is an essential aspect of physics education and research, and laboratory training is an integral part of our degree programme. You will explore a range of experiments covering the main areas of physics in our dedicated, modern teaching laboratories, under the guidance of our expert research and teaching staff.

Computing is a vital component of both experimental and theoretical physics, and also a highly transferable skill. Training in scientific computation and programming, using our dedicated computing facilities, is built into our degree programme.

Small group tutorials

You will be assigned an academic tutor who will keep track of your progression throughout your degree. Tutorials are a very important part of our first and second year: each week you will meet with your tutor and the rest of you tutorial group (usually four students per group) to discuss areas of the course or study skills, cover more advanced topics, or look into exciting new developments in physics research. Tutorials are optional for third and fourth year students but tutors are always on hand to offer advice on the course and future careers.

Student research projects

Project work starts in the very first term of the first year. Initially this is in the form of short research projects, in which groups of around four to eight students tackle open ended problems that involve some aspect of both experimentation and theory. By the third and fourth years, project work has developed to the stage where you will experience a genuine taste of research at the cutting edge: either working two-to-one with a member of academic staff in the third year, or one-to-one in the fourth year. In the third year you will also have the option of a project set by one of our colleagues in industry: working on a time-critical problem with industrial significance, reporting directly to the company involved.

Feedback and Assessment

Our course is designed to provide comprehensive and targeted feedback, especially as part of workshops, seminars, tutorials and projects. You will be assessed by a variety of methods, including formal examinations and course work (including workshop and seminar problem classes). Laboratory work is primarily assessed in real time and project work is assessed through written reports and oral presentations. In the core courses in the first year, the split is 30% continual assessment, 70% exam.

During the first year you will have around 15 hours of contact time per week. Lectures, workshops, seminar classes and tutorials generally take place in the mornings, and you will spend around two afternoons per week in laboratory classes or working on group projects. Assessment takes place through a combination of written examinations and continuous assessment.

Skills Gained

You will gain experience and confidence in problem solving, experimentation, analysis, computer programming and independent thinking. Group projects in the first, second and third years develop communication, presentation and team working skills, while research projects in the third and fourth years help to nurture the skills required of a successful scientific researcher.

Resources and Facilities

You will have access to the Department’s outstanding facilities, including our supercomputer, cleanrooms, a nano-microscopy centre, undergraduate observatories and state-of-the-art undergraduate laboratories.

The Department contains computer suites and quiet study areas (120 computers in total) that are dedicated for physics and astronomy students. There is wireless connectivity throughout the department. We also have a common room that is open to all physics and astronomy students and staff, and this helps foster our friendly and vibrant atmosphere.

The Department is equipped with two computerised telescopes: a 20-inch PlaneWave with CCD camera, and a 12-inch Meade. These are available to all physics and astronomy students via a booking system. Our undergraduates also have remote access to a 17-inch PlaneWave telescope on Mallorca.

Course Opportunities

Physics Challenge and Journal of Physics Special Topics

These innovative courses are unique to Leicester. They can be a great deal of fun, but also serve a serious educational purpose.

In the bi-weekly, third year Physics Challenge, students work in teams to solve tricky, real world problems involving some imagination, estimation or approximation. Like many problems in industry, there are often no right answers but the teams compete to find and present the best answers.

In the fourth year, students write short research articles in the Department’s own Journal of Physics Special Topics. This provides a crucial insight into the world of scientific publishing and peer review, as well as experience in communicating the results of scientific research. Highlights of the annual journal are available online at go.le.ac.uk/physics-pst

Broaden your horizons

During your third year you can choose to spend a semester (MPhys) or the whole year (BSc) studying physics at one of our partner universities in Europe. We also offer semester-long exchange schemes with universities in the USA, Canada and Australia. Many businesses and organisations have an international scope so knowledge of a foreign language and a global outlook can give you an additional advantage in the graduate jobs market.

Develop links to industry

As part of your third year you can opt to work directly with one of our industrial partners on a ten week project. This will give you the opportunity to build links with businesses and develop workplace skills, directly enhancing your employability. You can participate in the undergraduate ambassadors to schools scheme as part of your course, or use vacation employment at an approved industrial post to count towards your degree. You can also opt to spend your third year on an industrial placement.

Experience cutting-edge research

We encourage our students to get involved with the research in the Department: as part of third and fourth year research projects, through a number of 4-8 week paid summer work placements, via internships at the space research centre, or on extracurricular student led projects.

Skills Gained

You will gain experience and confidence in problem solving, experimentation, analysis, computer programming and independent thinking. Group projects in the first, second and third years develop communication, presentation and team working skills, while research projects in the third and fourth years help to nurture the skills required of a successful scientific researcher.

Graduate/Career Opportunities

The skills and knowledge gained by our graduates make them highly prized by a wide range of employers. The vast majority of our graduates secure good jobs or start postgraduate training within one year of graduation. They can be found as scientists in a wide variety of fields from the space industry, to medical physics, to renewable energy research, or in areas such as finance, the media, the civil service, IT, teaching or management. Around one third go on to study for a PhD or similar advanced qualification.

The Department offers PhD opportunities in Condensed Matter Physics, Nanotechnology, Radio and Space Plasma Physics, Theoretical Astrophysics, Space Research and Observational Astronomy.

Full entry requirements

Opportunities to Visit and Further Information

Choosing where and what to study at university is an important decision for you. We believe it is important to give you the opportunity to talk to our admissions team, so you can find out whether our programmes are the right choice for you.

For further information or course enquiries please contact:

Senior Admissions Tutor - Dr Mervyn Roy

0116 252 3575
physics@le.ac.uk
www.le.ac.uk/physics

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