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University of Kent

UCAS Code: F300 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A,B,B-B,B,C

including any required subjects as listed in the relevant qualification section

The University welcomes applications from Access to Higher Education Diploma candidates for consideration. A typical offer may require you to obtain a proportion of Level 3 credits in relevant subjects at merit grade or above.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32-28

32 points from the IB Diploma or 128 UCAS Tariff Points including either HL Maths/ Maths Methods or HL Maths: Analysis and Approaches at 5 OR SL Maths/ Maths Methods at 6

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM-DMM

including any required subjects as listed in the relevant qualification section

Scottish Highers qualifications are considered on an individual basis

The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.

UCAS Tariff

112-128

including any required subjects as listed in the relevant qualification section

About this course

Course option

3years

Full-time | 2025

Subject

Physics

**Physics**
Physics gives you the tools to understand our world at a fundamental level, from the smallest sub-atomic particles to the large-scale structure of the universe.

You'll discover the world of quantum mechanics, relativity, electromagnetism and condensed matter and learn how physics enables breakthroughs in areas from
materials science to quantum computing and medical imaging.

You'll also develop the transferable skills to open up a world of job opportunities, leading to careers in research, aeronautics, engineering, medical physics, defence, teaching, finance and data analytics.

**Accreditation**
This course is fully accredited by the Institute of Physics.

**Your future**
You’ll graduate with an excellent grounding in scientific knowledge and extensive laboratory experience, as well as a toolbox of transferable skills highly sought after by employers. These include excellent communication and problem-solving skills; analytical thinking; effective time management; and the ability to work independently or as part of a team. Typical graduate destinations include:

- cyber security

- finance and banking

- medical physics

- postgraduate research

- software development

- space industry.

**Location**
Our city, your time.
It has never been a better time to study in Canterbury. Our high student population creates a vibrant, diverse and student-friendly atmosphere.
We are a hub of exciting new ideas emerging from a stunning historic city - join us and get involved!

Extra funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/fees-and-funding

The Uni

Course location:

University of Kent

Department:

School of Physical Sciences

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.

79%
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

74%
Staff make the subject interesting
92%
Staff are good at explaining things
76%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
79%
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

85%
Library resources
74%
IT resources
87%
Course specific equipment and facilities
68%
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
75%
Male students
25%
Female students
95%
2:1 or above
14%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
D

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.

£21,500
low
Average annual salary
92%
low
Employed or in further education
58%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

19%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
18%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
13%
Information technology and telecommunications 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.

£22k

£22k

£29k

£29k

£31k

£31k

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.

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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