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Physics with a Foundation Year at Swansea University - UCAS

Course summary

Physics is an exciting subject which seeks answers to the biggest questions, covering everything in our universe, from the building blocks of matter to the vastness of the cosmos. Employers seeking physics graduates include academic institutions, government research organisations and industry, including aerospace and defence, education, energy, engineering, instrumentation, manufacturing, oil and gas, science, communication, space exploration and telecommunications. Many physics graduates pursue a career outside physics, for instance in consultancy, IT, the environmental industry, financial services, the legal sector, transport and utilities. Based at our superb seafront campus close to the magnificent Gower Peninsula, you will have the opportunity to study an exciting and flexible range of modules which could include astronomy and cosmology, electromagnetism, atomic physics, the frontiers of nuclear physics, the quantum world and climate physics. In your Foundation year, you will study introductory modules in optics and wave motion, electricity and magnetism, atoms and nuclei and bulk and thermal physics alongside mathematics modules in fundamental calculus and algebra. You may also follow some modules in complementary subjects such as introductory computer programming and environmental and natural sciences. Students are assigned a personal tutor within the physics department and will participate in small-group tutorial sessions throughout the programme. Following their successful completion of the foundation year, students may then follow any pathway through the BSc or MPhys courses, with all options available to them. Across all teaching, after this point there is no differentiation between an F301 student and any other. Our facilities include: IT and teaching rooms, scanning probe microscopy (SPM) systems; scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) systems; laser spectroscopy systems based upon fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy; atomic force microscopes (AFM); and Beowulf computer cluster, with 130 CPU cores connected by a low-latency infiniband network. As a physics student, you will also benefit from exceptional project supervision, small group teaching, and opportunities for summer studentships and projects at the CERN Particle Physics Laboratory. Our notable Physics alumni include Professor Lyn Evans, leader of the Large Hadron Collider project at CERN, while Professor Peter Higgs, Swansea University Honorary Fellow and Physics Nobel Prize winner, proposed the Boson particle, and has strong links with the department. “The Physics staff were always very supportive; the lecturers enthusiastic and are good at explaining difficult concepts eloquently. There was a real sense that they thoroughly enjoyed teaching us. Through my degree, I was able to successfully apply to the NHS Scientist Training Programme, a highly competitive graduate scheme through which I will eventually become a fully qualified Medical Physicist.” - Guy Drabble, Physics graduate

Modules

In the Foundation year, Year 0, you will be introduced to topics that will prepare you for the degree course. Modules may include Introduction to Programming; Fundamental Calculus; Fundamental Complex Numbers; Fundamental Mathematics; Introductory Physics; Introduction to Electricity; Magnetism and Waves; Introduction to Atoms and Nuclei; Introduction to Bulk Physics and Thermal Physics; Introduction to Optics and Wave Motion. In Year 1 your modules may include Dynamics, Oscillations and Waves; Astronomy and Cosmology; Physics of Fields and Matter; Essential Skills for Physicists; the Quantum World; Mathematics for Physicists; and Laboratory Physics, which can be studied in English or Welsh. In Year 2, modules may include Statistical Physics; Physics Simulation; Quantum Mechanics; Mathematical Methods in Physics; Condensed Matter Physics; Electromagneticism and Special Relativity; Particle Physics; and further Laboratory Physics, which can be studied in English or Welsh. In Year 3, you will study modules covering Quantum Mechanics; Atomic Physics; Condensed Matter Physics; Quantum Optics; Particle Physics; Nuclear Physics; and Climate Physics; as well as research skills and a project in English or Welsh. There are also optional modules, such as General Relativity; Cosmology; Modern Laser Systems; Astrophysics; and Teaching Physics via a School Placement.

Assessment method

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, laboratory work, examples classes and weekly small group classes. You will be assessed through regular problem solving in small groups and individual study, online assessment custom designed for each lecture module, keeping a laboratory diary and preparing scientific reports in practical modules. Final year projects are assessed through the preparation of a dissertation and presentation of your research, either as a poster in a conference-like forum or an oral presentation.


How to apply

Application codes

Course code:
F301
Institution code:
S93
Campus name:
Singleton Park Campus
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Foundation

International applicants

https://www.swansea.ac.uk/international-students/international-student-courses/how-to-apply/

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements


English language requirements

For applicants whose first language is not English we require a minimum overall IELTS score of 6.0 (or equivalent) and no less than 5.5 in each component.

English Language Requirements at Swansea University

https://www.swansea.ac.uk/admissions/english-language-requirements/


Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
55%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
80%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

For the latest fee information, please check the individual course page on our website. Our full range of programmes are listed here: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/ Further information on tuition fees can be found here: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-and-funding/tuition-fees/
Physics with a Foundation Year at Swansea University - UCAS