Mathematical Physics
Heriot-Watt University
UCAS Code: G1PH | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
including Mathematics and Physics for entry to Year 1. For entry to Year 2: AAB (including Mathematics at A and Physics at B).
GCSE/National 4/National 5
It is also a requirement of every applicant to have English and Mathematics at a minimum of National 5 Grade C or GCSE Grade C or 4 (or equivalent)
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
with Mathematics and Physics at Higher Level 5 for entry to Year 1. For entry to Year 2: total of 30 points with Maths and Physics at Higher Level 6.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
including sufficient Mathematics and Physics for entry to Year 1. For entry to Year 2: DDD including sufficient Mathematics and Physics.
Scottish Advanced Higher
including Mathematics at A and Physics at B plus excellent Highers
Scottish HNC
HNC with B in graded unit and SCQF Level 6 Mathematics and Physics modules or equivalent for entry to Year 1.
Scottish HND
HND with BB in graded units and SCQF Level 6 Mathematics and Physics modules or equivalent for entry to Year 1.
Scottish Higher
including Mathematics at A and Physics at B
We will consider T Levels as suitable for entry to our degree programmes, however, certain subject requirements may be required for entry to specific programmes. Where this is not evident as part of the T Level studies, we may ask for additional qualifications.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
**Overview:** The programme draws on the presence of the largest mathematical physics group in Scotland to deliver a programme that combines the core material of an excellent mathematics degree together with the precise mathematical language of 21st century mathematical physics. The skills acquired will be of great use to those wishing to carry on with postgraduate study in mathematical physics/pure mathematics/applied mathematics and will also be highly valued by employers interested in mathematicians with the ability to describe and solve real-world problems.
**Year 1:** The core mathematics material includes algebra, calculus, statistics and problem solving skills. The physics content includes mechanics, fields and forces, and waves and matter. Level 1 has been carefully designed to ease the transition from school to university.
**Year 2:** Level 2 consolidates and extends the material of level 1 in both pure and applied mathematics/mechanics and introduces the multivariable calculus and vector analysis that will form the mathematical language of the later mathematical physics content. Level 2 also introduces the key concepts of abstraction and formal proof.
**Year 3:** The core level 3 courses develop mathematical skills and knowledge and introduce the ideas used at the forefront of modern mathematics. Subjects include complex analysis, abstract algebra, applied mathematics, and ordinary differential equations. Electromagnetism is studied along with two mathematical physics options chosen from thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, quantum theory and solitons, Lie groups and Lie algebras, and fluid mechanics. These are courses that develop and use the tools of mathematical physics.
**Year 4:** Level 4 continues to build the solid mathematical background essential in modern mathematical physics, with courses in geometry, functional analysis, pure mathematics, and partial differential equations. The remaining two courses from the mathematical physics options thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, quantum theory and solitons, Lie groups and Lie algebras and fluid mechanics are followed, along with a course on special relativity that uses the set of mathematical tools developed in the rest of the programme. A mathematical physics project is carried out under the supervision of a member of our internationally-leading mathematical physics research group.
Tuition fees
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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.
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.
Mathematics
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)
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.
Mathematics
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
Want to feel needed? This is one of the most flexible degrees of all and with so much of modern work being based on data, there are options everywhere for maths graduates. With all that training in handling figures, it's hardly surprising that a lot of maths graduates go into well-paid jobs in the IT or finance industries, and last year, a maths graduate in London could expect a very respectable average starting salary of £27k. And we're always short of teachers in maths, so that is an excellent option for anyone wanting to help the next generation. And if you want a research job, you'll want a doctorate — and a really good maths doctorate will get you all sorts of interest from academia and finance — and might secure some of the highest salaries going for new leavers from university.
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.
Mathematics
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
£34k
£37k
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.
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.
£24k
£26k
£37k
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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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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