Physics Degree (with Foundation year) at Aberystwyth

Physics Degree (with Foundation year) - 4 years BSc Hons Degree (F301)

Physics Degree (with Foundation Year)

This Physics with Foundation Year honours degree scheme is designed to provide a route into higher education in Physics or Astrophysics for students who:

    are qualified to enter higher education but lack adequate qualifications in physics and maths

    OR

    have a non-traditional background for entry into higher education

    OR

    have not yet achieved their full academic potential.

What will I study?

Students on the Physics with Foundation Year degree scheme start with a foundation year that is taught by staff within the Institute of Mathematics and Physics with Foundation Year on the main Penglais campus. It consists of a fully integrated programme of lectures, practicals, seminars and tutorials in physics, maths, computing, laboratory techniques and study skills. This combination provides students with a wide range of knowledge and fundamental skills in physics and related science. Classes usually consist of about 20 students, so there is ample opportunity for individual attention from staff.

On successful completion of the foundation year, students register for any one of the three year degree schemes offered by the Institute (please see list below). They are also able to follow approved degree programmes in other departments.

Detailed Course Structure

Key features

    4 year, full time course.

    Broad training in Physics.

    Successful completion of the foundation year is followed by transfer to one of our named BSc (Hons.) programmes (please see full list opposite).

    Development of technical and transferable skills.

    Varied but balanced assessment load throughout the year.

    Enthusiastic and supportive staff.

    Located in one of Wales’s largest centres for physics research.

    Stunning natural location and unspoilt coastal environment.

Entry Requirements

Entry to Physics with Foundation Year is decided on an individual basis following interview with our admissions tutors.

How will I be assessed?

Assessment is through examination and term time assessments, which can include essays, lab reports, seminars, literature reviews, debates and problems to solve.

Is this the right course for me?

Students on Physics with Foundation Year come from a wide range of backgrounds. Participants including mature students with a wide range of previous experience and overseas students. The course may recruit students who have under-achieved in A-level studies that include Physics and Mathematics, but only where there is reason to expect improved performance.

Experience shows that students who start with the Physics with Foundation Year can achieve the highest level of attainment in their chosen degree scheme. Some have gone on to develop careers in scientific research.

Schemes available after successful completion of the Foundation Year

Physics - MPhys (F303), BSc (F300)

Physics with Planetary and Space Physics - MPhys (F366), BSc (F364)

Astrophysics - MPhys (F511), BSc (F510)

Space Science and Robotics - MPhys (FH5P), BSc (FH56)

Mathematical and Theoretical Physics - MMath (F341), BSc (F340)

Other approved schemes may be available.

Physics Foundation Year: Year 1

The Physics Foundation Year lays the groundwork of the essential topics for the study of Physics at University level:

• Physical Forces;
• Physics of Matter;
• Laboratory Physics;
• Mathematical Methods for Physicists;
• Oscillations and Waves, Electricity and Magnetism.

BSc Physics Honours Degree (including Foundation Year): Years 2-4

In Years 2-4 the Degree moves on to:

• Algebra and Calculus;
• Dynamics and Relativity;
• The Quantum Universe;
• Computational And Experimental Physics;
• Physics of Light.

Together with a range of excellent Option Modules for you to develop your own interest as the course moves on. Together Core  and Option Module lay the grounding for your Individual Project, which is central to the final Year and is the higlight of the degree for many students. At the end of Year 4, the option of a fifth year and an MPhys qualification is available

Career and Study Opportunities after your Degree

Aberystwyth Physics graduates move on to careers in Commerce, Education, and many other tehcnical and Physics-related posts in public and private sector. They take with them an excellent grounding in basic Physics, a record of personal project work and problem-solving, and the experience of having worked in an environment of ground-breaking excellence.