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Theoretical Physics

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,B-A*,B,B

Mathematics at grade A/A* and Physics at grade B. A-level General Studies and Critical Thinking are normally excluded from offers. However, the grade achieved may be taken into account when results are published in August and may be used in a tie-break situation.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15

Access to HE Diploma must contain sufficient relevant modules in Mathematics and Physics. Contact the Admissions and Access Service ([email protected]) for advice. Successful completion of the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 60 credits is required, including 45 credits at Level 3 and 15 at Level 2.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

34

Successful completion of IB Diploma Programme with 34 points overall including 6,6,5 at Higher Level including 6 in Mathematics and 5 in Physics.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H3,H3,H3,H3,H3

Mathematics at grade H2 and Physics at grade H3.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,A,B

Mathematics at grade A and Physics at grade B. Offers are normally made on the basis of a combination of Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers.

UCAS Tariff

136-160

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

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Mathematics

Physics

"Physics is an enabling discipline showing how to do things thought impossible and helping others refine their approach. Physics is to the rest of science what machine tools are to engineering." Sir John Pendry "Physics allows us to write with a piece of chalk on a blackboard the very structure of the universe and the shape of it. I mean… What's not to love?" Dara O'Briain Physics studies how the universe works - from the smallest atomic nucleus to the largest galaxy. It includes conceptual challenges such as quantum theory, relativity and chaos theory, and lies at the heart of most modern technology - for example the computer, the laser and the Internet. The Department of Physics and Astronomy has the highest teaching standards and is recognised nationally as being one of the leading centres for research. Physics at Queen's obtained an excellent grade in the last subject-based Teaching Quality Assessment exercise, while in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise 50 per cent of the scientific research carried out by staff was internationally excellent or world-leading. This strong link between research and teaching in Physics at Queen's means our graduates obtain one of the best degrees available for understanding our recent scientific advances, and playing a part in our increasingly technological society.

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
£20,800
per year
International
£20,800
per year
Northern Ireland
£4,750
per year
Republic of Ireland
£4,750
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Queen's University Belfast

Department:

School of Mathematics and Physics

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.

70%
Mathematics
72%
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.

Mathematics

Teaching and learning

58%
Staff make the subject interesting
79%
Staff are good at explaining things
77%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
68%
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

84%
Library resources
86%
IT resources
94%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
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?

91%
UK students
9%
International students
61%
Male students
39%
Female students
73%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

Physics

Teaching and learning

70%
Staff make the subject interesting
77%
Staff are good at explaining things
75%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
60%
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

77%
Library resources
70%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
45%
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?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
73%
Male students
27%
Female students
76%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

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.

£19,000
low
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
76%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

58%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
11%
Business, research and administrative professionals
11%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals

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.

£18,500
low
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
46%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

16%
Customer service occupations
13%
Business, research and administrative professionals
13%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (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?

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