Physics (with Professional Placement)
Cardiff University
UCAS Code: F302 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Cardiff University
UCAS Code: F302 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
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
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 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
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
**Join a top 10 university for physics in the UK (The Guardian Best UK Universities 2024) in the vibrant, welcoming capital city of Wales.**
Physics explores the fundamental laws underpinning the Universe, from the subatomic level to entire galaxies. Study physics and you’ll investigate some of the most exciting developments of our time.
During this four-year course, you’ll develop a broad understanding of how theoretical and experimental physics can be used to describe the Universe and gain an insight into how physics shapes modern technologies – from the tiniest semiconductor chip to the most powerful laser.
Your third year will be spent working as a company employee, during which you will earn a salary while gaining valuable skills and experience, helping you to stand out from the crowd. Often, our students go on to work for the same organisation after graduating.
At Cardiff University, we have been part of many new discoveries, from the detection of gravitational waves to the development of technologies around quantum dots, which will help scientists and engineers of the future optimise device efficiency fields from power generation to medical imaging.
You’ll be taught by staff whose research is leading to these discoveries, gaining the fundamental skills for a wide range of careers which require a practical and analytical approach to problem-solving. Our graduates are sought after by employers and go on to a range of careers from research science and aerospace to data analysis, finance and more.
In year one, you’ll take core modules from mechanics and matter to electromagnetism and waves, giving you a solid foundation in physics, mathematics and computing, while gaining the confidence to design and conduct experiments in the laboratory.
In your second and final years, you’ll study a range of topics from quantum mechanics and optics to atomic and nuclear physics, with the option to specialise in what interests you most through a broad spectrum of optional modules. Key computing skills are taught throughout the course including programming using python.
In the final year of your BSc, you’ll also undertake a physics project with one of our top researchers, choosing from the wide range of research activities in the department.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
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
Main Site - Cardiff
School of Physics and Astronomy
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
£22k
£32k
£35k
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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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?
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