Physics with Nanoscience
UCAS Code: F391
Master of Science (with Honours) - Msci (Hon)
Entry requirements
A level
Including Mathematics and Physics with at least one of these subjects achieving A* plus one other academic subject at A level, or equivalent, excluding General Studies, Critical Thinking and Citizenship Studies. A pass in the practical element is required for this qualification if assessed separately.
Contact the school directly – considered on an individual basis, when combined with A Level Mathematics
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
Including D2 and D3 in Maths and Physics in any order.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
including 6,6,6 in Higher level subjects to include both Physics and Mathematics. Mathematics pathway 'Analysis and Approaches' will be accepted at Standard or Higher Level. Mathematics pathway 'Applications and Interpretation' will not be accepted.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
This qualification is only acceptable when combined with A level grades AA including Maths and Physics. A pass in the practical element is required for this qualification if assessed separately.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
This qualification is only acceptable when combined with A level grades A*A in Maths and Physics in any order. A pass in the practical element is required for this qualification if assessed separately.
Contact the school directly – considered on an individual basis.
Scottish Higher
This qualification is only acceptable when combined with Advanced Higher grades AA including Maths and Physics.
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
This qualification is only acceptable when combined with A level grades AA including Maths and Physics. A pass in the practical element is required for this qualification if assessed separately.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
This accredited course with integrated masters blends a solid foundation in core physics with specialist knowledge in nanoscience. It draws from the expertise of the internationally-recognised Nottingham Nanoscience Research Group. You will be taught by staff who are actively involved in this research. This means that our modules benefit from the latest developments in the field.
Our teaching has been given the highest rating of Gold by the Teaching Excellence Framework 2017. You may recognise some of our staff from the popular Sixty Symbols YouTube channel.
Tailored modules such as Nanophysics and Imaging and Manipulating Nanostructures will develop your specialist expertise in this field. You will gain key skills in microscopy and imaging nanostructures, which you can use in your future career.
In the fourth year you will focus on more specialised areas and complete a year-long research project. Under the guidance of our expert staff, you will benefit from a range of learning styles. These include group work, delivering seminars, projects and independent learning.
We are proud that research undertaken within the School, by Professor Sir Peter Mansfield, was recognised with a 2003 Nobel Prize for the invention of Magnetic Resonance Imaging body scanners. This technology has already helped more than half a billion people worldwide. More recently, our use of quantum technologies to understand how the brain works is changing the way that neurological conditions are detected and treated.
- This course is accredited by the Institute of Physics
- Joint 3rd for research quality in physics in the UK (Research Excellence Framework 2014)
- Flexibility to transfer between most physics courses
Modules
Your first year will give you a solid foundation of knowledge in physics and nanoscience, with typical modules covering both the fundamentals and frontiers of physics, complemented by mathematics and laboratory modules. Your second year will build upon this foundation: you’ll take the Force and Function at the Nanoscale and Molecular Biophysics modules alongside your study of a range of core topics in physics. The third year involves a major research project where you will gain hands-on experience of experimental, theoretical or computational research problems in nanoscale physics. Similarly, in the fourth and final year, you will have the opportunity to work in a nanoscience research laboratory based within the school and/or with collaborators in other institutions.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University Park Campus
School of Physics and Astronomy
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.
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
£28k
£33k
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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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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