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Cardiff University

UCAS Code: F3F5 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A,A,B-B,B,B

To include Maths and Physics. Applicants taking Maths without Physics will also be considered normally subject to achieving a grade A in Maths. You will need to pass the science practical element of the A-level if this is part of your programme of study.

Extended Project

A

For applicants taking the EPQ qualification, an A in the EPQ can be recognised to lower the entry requirements by a single grade. For example, an AAB offer would be "AAB from 3 A-levels or ABB from 3 A-levels and a grade A in the EPQ". Please note that any subject specific requirements must be met.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

You must have or be working towards: - English language or Welsh language at GCSE grade C/4 or an equivalent (such as A-levels). If you require a Student visa, you must ensure your language qualification complies with UKVI requirements.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

34-31

34-31 overall or 666-665 in 3 HL subjects. To include HL Maths and HL Physics. Applicants taking HL Maths without HL Physics will also be considered normally subject to achieving a grade 6 in HL Maths.

DD-DM in a BTEC Diploma in science and engineering subjects and grade A in Maths A-Level or D in any BTEC subject and grades BB in Maths and Physics A-Level.

Acceptance of T Levels for this programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Academic School. Consideration will be given to the T Level grade/subject and grades/subjects achieved at GCSE/Level 2.

The Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate will be accepted in place of one A-level at the A-level grades specified, excluding any subject specific requirements.

UCAS Tariff

120-136

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2025

Subject

Physics

**Join a top 10 university for physics in the UK (The Guardian Best UK Universities 2024) in the vibrant, welcoming capital city of Wales.**

Study a Physics with Astronomy degree and you will investigate the science behind the development of the Universe – from how it began to astronomical events that we are now discovering for the first time.

At Cardiff University, we are home to one of the largest astronomy groups in the UK and have led many new discoveries, from the detection of gravitational waves to the first images of black holes.

You’ll be taught by staff whose research is leading to these discoveries, gaining both the fundamental skills in physics for a wide range of careers, and the more specific knowledge needed to become a professional astronomer or astrophysicist. An ideal grounding for a career as an astronomer, this degree also prepares you for a range of careers from data analysis and technology to finance and education.

In year one, you’ll take core modules to lay the foundations of your physics, mathematics and computing knowledge, while gaining the confidence to design and conduct experiments in the laboratory.

As you progress through the degree, you can choose optional modules along with your core modules to further your understanding and knowledge of both physics and astronomy in fascinating areas such as:
- the physical properties of the Earth and the observation and exploration of the planets and moons in other solar systems;

- observational techniques in astronomy;

- an understanding of quantum mechanics and nuclear physics;

- the formation and evolution of stars;

- solving unseen problems in astrophysics;

- the Big Bang and contemporary cosmology;

- the formation and evolution of galaxies.

As part of the observational techniques module, you’ll carry out a project using real data from the Las Cumbres Observatory, which uses a range of robotic telescopes around the world working as a single network.

In the final year of your BSc, you’ll also undertake an astrophysics research project with one of our top researchers. If you’re interested in learning about astronomy but not sure if you want to commit to a degree in astrophysics, this course is for you.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£29,450
per year
International
£29,450
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

Cardiff University has many scholarships on offer to our prospective students. Please see our website at http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/funding/scholarships for further information.

The Uni

Course location:

Main Site - Cardiff

Department:

School of Physics and Astronomy

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

83%
Physics

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Physics

Teaching and learning

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
82%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
90%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

90%
Library resources
89%
IT resources
89%
Course specific equipment and facilities
55%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

92%
UK students
8%
International students
72%
Male students
28%
Female students
83%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
C

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Physics

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£24,000
med
Average annual salary
97%
high
Employed or in further education
69%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

18%
Natural and social science professionals
18%
Other elementary services occupations
12%
Business, research and administrative professionals

Although the subject has seen a bit of resurgence in recent years, the UK is still felt to be short of physics graduates, and in particular physicists training as teachers. If you want a career in physics research — in all sorts of areas, from atmospheric physics to lasers - you'll probably need to take a doctorate, and so have a think about where you would like to do that and how you might fund it (the government funds many physics doctorates, so you might not find it as hard as you think). With that in mind, it's not surprising that just over a fifth of physics graduates go on to take doctorates when they finish their degree, and well over a third of physicists take some kind of postgraduate study in total. Physics is highly regarded and surprisingly versatile, which is why physics graduates who decide not to stay in education are more likely to go into well-paid jobs in the finance industry than they are to go into science. The demand and versatility of physics degrees goes to explain why they're amongst the best-paid science graduates.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Physics

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£25k

£25k

£29k

£29k

£33k

£33k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Lower entry requirements
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UCAS Points: 40-120

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here