Physics with Education
Entry requirements
A level
Including Maths and Physics plus GCSE English. . Entry to Year 2 with A Levels in BBC including Maths and Physics plus GCSE English.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Including Maths and Physics For year 2 entry, 28 points including Maths and Physics
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Including Maths and Physics.
Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)
For year 2 entry
Scottish Advanced Higher
For entry to Year 2, including Maths and Physics and National 5 English Grade C
Scottish HNC
Entry to Year 2 with HNC Physics or HNC Applied Science
Scottish HND
Entry to Year 3 with a HND in either Physics or Applied Science, plus Higher English
Scottish Higher
Including Maths/Applications of Maths and Physics plus National 5 English at C, OR BBBC including Maths at B and National 5 Physics at B, plus National 5 English at C.
T Level
UCAS Tariff
Including Maths and Physics.
You may also need to…
Attend an interview
About this course
**OVERVIEW**
The BSc (Hons) Physics with Education will provide you with both the extensive theoretical knowledge and practical skills in physics and professional skills through work-based learning to ensure you are fully equipped to meet the demands of being a Physics teacher in secondary (high) school.
The overall aim of the course is to allow you to develop the knowledge and skills required to teach Physics at Secondary School level. You will study Physics to Honours level and your studies will contain all of the core material of the Physics degree, including quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, atomic, nuclear and particle physics. In additional, you will also develop your teaching skills in years 3 and 4 by taking modules in Education and practical school placements.
The first two years of the course are the same as the BSc (Hons) Physics course - and it is possible to transfer between the courses up to the end of the second year.
On successful completion of the course you will have met the Standard for Provisional Registration, and thus be eligible to apply for provisional registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) and entry to the Teacher Induction Scheme as a secondary school teacher of Physics with Science. Your depth of knowledge across a broad range of topics will support the teaching of senior phase courses up to SQA Advanced Higher (or GCSE A-level) level.
**CAMPUS NOTE**
Please note that all the Physics modules are taught at Paisley Campus and the Education modules (in years 3 and 4) are taught at our Ayr Campus.
**PRACTICAL FOCUS**
UWS is a key member of Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA) which is a research alliance with the aim of placing Scotland at the forefront of international physics research. You can be assured that you will be taught by research-active academics who are specialists in their field.
The Physics wwith Education degree will cover all of the core topics of a degree in physics, alongside modules in education, including teaching placements in secondary schools.
The degree is delivered in modern teaching facilities. The Physics teaching laboratories at the Paisley Campus are well equipped with apparatus to reinforce the theoretical principles learned in the Physics lectures.
**PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION**
The BSc (Hons) Physics with Education is professionally recognised by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS). By successfully completing the course you will meet the Standard for Provisional Registration as a secondary school teacher of physics with science.
**CAREER PROSPECTS**
**Jobs**
Graduates of the BSc (Hons) Physics with Education degree will have the same career prospects as graduates of the BSc (Hons) Physics degree. However, it is expected that graduates of this programme will follow a career path into teaching of Physics in high schools.
The BSc (Hons) Physics with Education was developed in response to the need for more Physics teachers in Scotland, so the career prospects are excellent. Following graduation from the BSc (Hons) Physics with Education degree, graduates are provisionally registered with the GTCS and are eligible for a one-year paid induction post in a Scottish high school.
**Further Study**
Some graduates choose further study at MSc, MRes and PhD level.
Modules
In Year 1, you will undertake 5 coure modules and one optional module. Core modules cover physics and mathematics and includes aspects of atomic physics and thermodynamics.
In Year 2, electronics, vibrations, waves and mathematical modelling are covered in more detail.
In Year 3, you will take four core physics modules covering important aspects of physics such as quantum mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, electromagnetism, and thermodynamics and statistical physics. You will also take a double-weighted module in education focusing on the policies and influences in education.
In Year 4, you will spend eighteen weeks on school experience placements in at least two high schools. The five blocks of placement will enable students to connect theory and practice in relation to teaching and assessment of physics and general science, and develop an understanding of wider school issues.
Assessment methods
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials and workshops.
You will also have the opportunity to take part in group work and independent learning to develop your transferable skills such as research, presentation, communication and working as part of a team.
This degree is assessed using a variety of assessment methods including:
// Written examinations // Coursework // Practical assessment
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Paisley Campus
Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences
What students say
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Physics
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Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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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.
£27k
£28k
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:
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Graduate field commentary:
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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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