University of the West of Scotland
UCAS Code: PE30 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
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
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
in relevant subject
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
Pass (C and above)
in relevant subject, plus GCSE English at 5/C For year 2 entry, Grade M required in relevant subject plus GCSE English at C/5
UCAS Tariff
Including Maths and Physics.
You may also need to…
Attend an interview
About this course
OVERVIEW
This programme contains all of the core material of the physics programme – including quantum mechanics, electromagnetism and atomic, nuclear and particle physics – combined with material taught by our education department.
The Education material is taught in Years 3 and 4. You will get professional experience with placements in schools throughout Year 4.
You will graduate from the programme eligible for provisional registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland and entry to the Teaching Induction Scheme as a secondary school teacher of physics.
PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS
• This programme combines an IOP-accredited physics degree with the training necessary to become a physics teacher.
• You will get classroom experience in three schools placements during Year 4 of the programme.
• There is a high demand for secondary-school physics teachers in Scotland and the UK.
• The physics modules are delivered by staff who are carrying out research at the forefront of their fields.
• The programme is accredited by the Institute of Physics, which allows you to register as a Chartered Physicist following graduation.
PROGRAMME DETAILS
Our campuses are home to modern classrooms, state-of-the-art teaching facilities, and well-equipped laboratories that will help you learn the relevant theoretical principles and practical skills required for a career in physics and teaching.
CAREERS
There is high demand for physics graduates in industries including microelectronic telecommunications, optics, energy, teaching and research. Following graduation from the BSc (Hons) Physics with Education programme, graduates are provisionally registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland and are eligible for a one-year paid induction post in a Scottish secondary school.
Modules
Year 1
You will undertake five core modules and one optional module. Core modules include physics and mathematics. Aspects of atomic physics and thermodynamics are also taught.
Year 2
You will cover other areas including electronics, vibrations and waves, and mathematical modelling. Practical and professional scientific skills are also developed.
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.
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?
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
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
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.
£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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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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