Course summary

Build up skills and experience that you can apply to a career in physics research. Our students have had placements ranging from government laboratories to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. After your placement, you’ll join a research team here in Sheffield and run your own project. Study the laws that shape our universe, from the structure of galaxies to the resonance of a violin, and put your knowledge into practice in the real world. An MPhys Physics with an Industrial Placement Year at Sheffield is where you really discover the epic scale of this field – while adding real industry experience to your CV. You will learn about international experiments to search for dark matter, and how the quantum nature of light can help us build even more powerful computers. And at Sheffield, you’ll also learn how practical, lab-based learning brings abstract lecture topics into the real world. Your journey into physics begins with heat, motion, quantum mechanics and the other fundamental theories behind everything. In year two, you’ll explore essential physics in even more depth, and tailor your degree as you choose optional modules like advanced programming, that will set you up for a future career. In your third year, you can branch out into multiple areas with modules on topics like particle physics, nuclear physics and semiconductor technologies. Year four is where you take what you’ve learned into the real world. Our students have worked on new particle accelerators and nuclear waste management at government laboratories. They’ve applied their analysis skills to data science jobs in the civil service, and joined the Large Hadron Collider team at CERN as part of their placement year. Finally, you’ll return to the University to complete a year-long research project, where you’ll get to work with leading researchers to investigate a real scientific question. Alongside your scientific expertise, you’ll also gain time management, project planning and analysis skills – setting you up for a career in research, or in the industry of your choice. Why study this course?

• No. 1 physics department in the UK - 100% of our research and impact was rated world-leading or internationally excellent by REF 2021.

• The latest equipment - you’ll study in our newly refurbished teaching laboratories, and access loads of specialist technologies – including two telescopes on the roof of our building which you’ll be able to use from your first year.

• Research opportunities - physics students can access incredible research projects, including a summer research placement, work placements and field trips thanks to our links with organisations like CERN and the observatories on La Palma in the Canary Islands.

• Accredited by the Institute of Physics (IOP) - our courses meet the educational requirement for you to become a Chartered Physicist.

• Graduate to a career - our graduates solve practical problems at major employers – they include data scientists at Channel 4 and Manchester United FC, researchers at CERN and the European Space Agency, and technology experts at IBM and Nissan.