Physics
Swansea University
UCAS Code: F303 | Master of Physics - MPhys
Swansea University
UCAS Code: F303 | Master of Physics - MPhys
Entry requirements
A level
We recognise the EPQ as an excellent indicator of success. If you are predicted a grade B or above in the EPQ, you will receive an offer with a one grade reduction, to include your EPQ with a grade B.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
34 overall with 6 in Higher Level Mathematics and Physics.
Scottish Higher
ABBBC to include A in Mathematics and Physics.
Swansea University accepts the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales as fully equivalent to x1 A-Level.
Welsh Baccalaureate: Requirements are as for A levels where you can substitute the same non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Level Core Grade.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Physics is an exciting subject which seeks answers to the biggest questions, covering everything in our universe, from the building blocks of matter to the vastness of the cosmos.
Employers seeking physics graduates include academic institutions, government research organisations and industry, including aerospace and defence, education, energy, engineering, instrumentation, manufacturing, oil and gas, science, communication, space exploration and telecommunications. Many physics graduates pursue a career outside physics, for instance in consultancy, IT, the environmental industry, financial services, the legal sector, transport and utilities.
Based at our superb seafront campus close to the magnificent Gower Peninsula, you will have the opportunity to study an exciting and flexible range of modules which could include astronomy and cosmology, electromagnetism, atomic physics, the frontiers of nuclear physics, the quantum world and climate physics.
Your final year will include a full semester working on a research project in areas such as cold matter, lasers and optics, antimatter, and nanoscale technology, all with expert supervision. It is also possible to carry out your project with the Swansea Antihydrogen group stationed in CERN.
This degree is also offered with a year in industry (F30Y) and a year abroad (F304)
**Your Physics Experience**
- A flexibly structured degree path means you have the opportunity to study abroad for a year or work in industry for a year, either locally, nationally or overseas.
- Our common student & staff space (the Event Horizon) overlooking spectacular views of Swansea Bay, provides an ideal location for quiet study, informal discussions and lunches.
- The Physics department and the Swansea University Physics Society sponsor frequent social, and academic events such as departmental colloquia and distinguished lectures to bring students and staff together.
- Elected student reps for each year and for the Swansea University Physics Society (PhySoc) ensure that every student voice is heard through regular meetings with HoDs.
- Our world leading research groups in Particle Physics and Cosmology Theory, Applied Materials, and the ALPHA anti-matter collaboration with close ties to CERN, ensure that our teaching is informed by the latest research. Students have the opportunity to do a summer internship at CERN and undertake final year projects with any of our major research groups.
**Why Physics at Swansea?**
- 11th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2025)
- 3rd in the UK for Teaching Quality (Guardian University Guide 2025)
- 5th in the UK for Teaching on my Course* (NSS 2024) * Based on the average positivity score across questions 1 to 4 in the NSS 2024 when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide.
- Top 201-250 in the world (QS World University Rankings 2025)
- Our notable Physics alumni include Professor Lyn Evans, leader of the Large Hadron Collider project at CERN, while Professor Peter Higgs, Swansea University Honorary Fellow and Physics Nobel Prize winner, proposed the Boson particle, and has strong links with the department.
"The Physics staff were always very supportive; the lecturers enthusiastic and are good at explaining difficult concepts eloquently. There was a real sense that they thoroughly enjoyed teaching us. Through my degree, I was able to successfully apply to the NHS Scientist Training Programme, a highly competitive graduate scheme through which I will eventually become a fully qualified Medical Physicist." - Guy Drabble, Physics graduate
Modules
In Year 1, you will typically study areas including Classical Mechanics; Astronomy and Cosmology; Mathematics for Physicists; Quantum Mechanics; Special Relativity; and Practical Physics which can be studied in English or Welsh.
In Year 2, you will typically study areas including Electromagnetism; Practical Physics; Mathematics for Physicists; Thermal and statistical physics; Quantum Mechanics; Experimental physics; and Professional Development and Career Planning
In Year 3, you will typically study areas including Nuclear and Particle Physics; Condensed Matter Physics; Atomic Physics; Gravity and Cosmology; Lasers and optics; Science Communication with Placement; and Semiconductor Physics.
In Year 4, you will typically study areas including Quantum Field Theory; Atomic and Quantum Optics; Machine Learning for Physicists; Medical Imaging and Spectroscopy: From MRI to photonics; Advanced Particle Physics; Modern Laser Systems; Quantum Gravity; and Quantum Information Processing. In addition, you will complete a research project.
Assessment methods
We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.
Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching.
Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.
This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.
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.
£24k
£30k
£32k
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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