The degree is mainly delivered through a mixture of lectures, laboratories, tutorials and workshops. The lectures will provide the means to give a concise, focused presentation of the relevant area of Physics. The lecture material will be explicitly linked to the contents of recommended textbooks for the module, thus making clear where students can begin their private study. When appropriate, the lectures will also be supported by the distribution of written material, or by information and relevant links on the University virtual learning environment, Learn Ultra.

You will be able to obtain further help in your studies by approaching your lecturers, either after lectures or at other mutually convenient times (the Department has a policy of encouraging such enquiries). You will learn how to plan experiments and to interpret data quantitatively and systematically in the laboratory classes. Regular problem exercises will give you the chance to develop your theoretical understanding and problem-solving abilities. These problem exercises will form the basis for discussions in tutorial groups of typically six students in the first year. The tutorials will also provide an informal environment for students to raise issues of interest or difficulty.

The balance of these types of activities changes over the course of the degree, as you develop your knowledge, and your skills as an independent learner.

In the first year, students typically attend 12 hours a week of lectures, one three-hour laboratory session per week, one one-hour Physics tutorial each week and two one-hour Mathematics tutorials. Outside timetabled contact hours, students are also expected to undertake their own independent study to prepare for their classes and broaden their subject knowledge.

A similar balance holds in the second year, although with a change from tutorials to module-specific workshops. In the workshops, typically three supervisors circulate among typically 50 students to provide support. By the end of the second year, students will have covered the vast majority of the material specified in the Institute of Physics ‘Core of Physics’, required for any accredited Physics degree, allowing them considerable flexibility in the choices for the remainder of their degree.

By the third year, students have greatly extended their abilities as independent learners. At this stage also, laboratories are replaced by Mathematics Workshops and additional lectures in Theoretical Physics, resulting in a similar contact time to the previous years.

This move towards greater emphasis on independent learning continues in the final year. Half of their time will be spent on a Research project in one of the (world leading) research groups in the department. Students will meet with a research supervisor for typically an hour per week during term-time, and depending on the project may be working in the department for an additional 12-15 hours per week. These projects are genuine open-ended research which has commonly resulted in material publishable in refereed Physics journals. In addition students will typically spend 6 hours per week in lectures on advanced topics which can be chosen from the various research areas in the Department.

Throughout the degree, all students also have access to an academic adviser who will provide them with academic support and guidance. Typically a student will meet with their adviser three times a year, in addition to which all members of teaching staff are available to meet with students, either on a ‘drop-in’ basis or during regular ‘office hours’. There are also regular seminars run throughout the year by the student-led Physics society and Astronomy society.

A level offer – A*A*A including Physics and Mathematics.

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – D*D*D and A levels as above.

IB Diploma score – 38 with 776 in higher level subjects, including Mathematics (maths analysis & approaches) and Physics.

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

• We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study.

• Entry requirements for all four Physics degrees are the same and transfer from the BSc degree to the MPhys degree is possible and is based upon first and second-year examinations.

• We may request further information such as UMS marks and/or predicted grades if this information is not available on the UCAS application. This is to ensure that we have an equal amount of information for all applicants. If for some reason this cannot be supplied, the candidate’s application will not be disadvantaged.

• If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take an International Foundation Year pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

• We are pleased to consider applications for deferred entry.

Science A levels

Applicants taking Science A levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This applies only to applicants sitting A levels with an English examination board.

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications

• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.

English language requirements

Country specific information

Full Time Fees

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Of those students who graduated in 2019:

• 83% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 81% are in high skilled employment
• With an average salary of £34,000.

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

Physics is central to our understanding of natural phenomena, from the smallest-length scales probed in elementary particle accelerators to the grandest structures of the universe.

Physics has enhanced our lives, by underpinning inventions such as mobile communications, the Internet, solar cells and medical scanners. At Durham University you can learn about the Big Bang,black holes, the Higgs boson, high-temperature superconductors, lasers, cold-atom Bose-Einstein condensates, biophysics and much more, from leading researchers in the field.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

• World Top 100 in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2022
• 4th in The Guardian University Guide and in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022
• 6th in The Complete University Guide 2023.

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see the Physics Department pages.

Research Excellence Framework

• 96% of our research outputs are world-leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021).

Facilities

From SEM labs in the basement to telescopes on the roof, the Department of Physics is home to a range of world-class facilities. Our laboratories and equipment are looked after by a dedicated team of technicians and our facilities are used by our students and researchers. Several of these facilities are available to external users, and the Department welcomes enquiries from external research and from industry.

More information on our facilities and equipment.

Find out more:

Lectures are the starting point of the learning process. You will actively engage with the topics introduced in lectures through a combination of laboratory classes, problem exercises, tutorials and workshops.

Laboratory classes give you the chance to plan experiments and to interpret data. You will also be set regular problem exercises which develop your theoretical understanding and problem-solving abilities; these exercises form the basis for discussions in small-group tutorials.

Assessment

Assessment is mainly by end-of-year examinations and by project reports and presentations.

The range of assessment methods is designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of the course content, test your capacity to solve problems, enhance your written and oral communication skills, and assess your ability to relate your learning to real-world scenarios.

A level offer – A*A*A including Physics and Mathematics.

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – D*D*D and A levels as above.

IB Diploma score – 38 with 776 in higher level subjects, including Mathematics (maths analysis & approaches) and Physics.

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

• We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study.

• Entry requirements for all four Physics degrees are the same and transfer from the BSc degree to the MPhys degree is possible and is based upon first and second-year examinations.

• We may request further information such as UMS marks and/or predicted grades if this information is not available on the UCAS application. This is to ensure that we have an equal amount of information for all applicants. If for some reason this cannot be supplied, the candidate’s application will not be disadvantaged.

• If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take an International Foundation Year pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

• We are pleased to consider applications for deferred entry.

Science A levels

Applicants taking Science A levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This applies only to applicants sitting A levels with an English examination board.

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications

• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.

English language requirements

Country specific information

The tuition fees for 2024/25 academic year have not yet been finalised, they will be displayed here once approved.

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

We seek to develop the practical and intellectual skills sought by employers and we are regularly ranked among the country's top performers for graduate employment. Our graduates have progressed to careers in business, industry, commerce, research, management and education, and typically more than fifth of our graduates go on to study for higher degrees.

The Department also has an impressive track record of spin-out technology companies that commercialise our knowledge in areas of semiconductors, composites and advanced instrumentation. Examples of high-profile employers include BT, Procter & Gamble, Rolls Royce and BAE Systems.

Of those students who graduated in 2019:

• 83% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 81% are in high skilled employment
• With an average salary of £34,000.

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

When you study physics at Durham you will work with experts across a range of specialisms to explore subjects such as the Big Bang, black holes, the Higgs boson, high-temperature superconductors, lasers, cold-atom Bose-Einstein condensates, biophysics and more.

Our undergraduate physics degrees offer outstanding teaching, learning and employability outcomes for students. We offer four Institute of Physics accredited BSc and MPhys qualifications which share a common first year. Course content ranges from fundamental topics, such as elementary particle physics and cosmology, to applied areas which include material physics and biophysics.

All courses allow you to select a number of modules tailored to your interests and career aspirations, and the course structures have been designed to provide flexibility in your final choice of degree. This means, depending on modules chosen, you need not make a firm decision about your course until the end of the second year. You also have the option to apply for a year-long work placement or study abroad opportunity with one of our partner organisations.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

• World Top 100 in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2022
• 2nd in The Guardian University Guide 2023
• 3rd in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023
• 6th in The Complete University Guide 2023

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see the Physics Department pages.

Research Excellence Framework

• 96% of our research outputs are world-leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021).

Facilities

Our Department lies in the heart of the University on the main campus among the science and engineering departments and the University library. The main Department building houses all the lectures and teaching laboratories as well as some of our world-class facilities such as our Cosma 7 supercomputer, which has the processing power and memory of about 28,000 home PCs. This enables scientists to simulate the evolution of the Universe from the Big Bang to the present day with unprecedented accuracy.

We also have state-of-the-art scanning electron microscopes (SEM), transmission electron microscopes (TEM) and focused ion-beam microscopes (FIB) that are accessible to staff and students from physics, chemistry, earth sciences, engineering and biology areas. Students who undertake a project in observational astronomy will have access to the telescopes sited on the roof of the Physics building as well as our remotely operated telescope (pt5m) on La Palma.

The Department also includes the Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics, which is home to the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology and the Institute for Computational Cosmology.

More information on our facilities and equipment.

Find out more: