Theoretical Physics with Mathematics BSc (Hons)

Lancaster University

Key Course Facts

Student Satisfaction	95%
Salary after 15 months	£29000
Unemployment Rate	4% unemployed Proportion of students of this particular course unemployed and not studying 15 months after their course ended. Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
Student Dropout Rate	6% Proportion of students of Theoretical Physics with Mathematics BSc (Hons) who are not continuing into their following year of study or have not been awarded a qualification in either of the two comparison years. Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
Duration	3 years - Full-time
Campus	On campus - Main Site
Degree	Bachelor of Science (Honours), BSc (Hons)
Subject	Theoretical Physics

Admission advice for international students

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 80 graduates of Theoretical Physics with Mathematics BSc (Hons) and other courses in Physics at Lancaster University for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Physics.

Overall student satisfaction

95 /100

80 total respondents

Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.

	Theoretical Physics with Mathematics BSc (Hons) and other Physics courses of Lancaster University	Average review score among all Theoretical Physics courses in the UK
Explanations	96	89
Interesting courses	86	76
Intellectually stimulating	99	91
Challenged to do my best	96	86
Depth of concepts	96	83
Builds on previous learnings	97	87
Joined ideas from different topics	90	87
Balance directed/independent study	83	67
Applicability of course content	87	80
Clear criteria in markings	89	63
Fair assessment	98	69
Tests reflected your learning	93	66
Timely feedback	98	64
Helpful feedback	84	56
Approachability of teachers	99	86
Support from teachers	96	80
Organisation of courses	92	60
Communication of changes	88	69
IT facilities	87	80
Library	96	87
Course specific resources	94	85
Student feedback opportunities	97	83
Student feedback valued	92	66
Student's feedback acted upon	75	47
Work of student union	37	60
Mental wellbeing services	79	74
Overall satisfaction	95	64

Source: National Student Survey NSS 2023. The Overall student satisfaction data point is from 2022 (latest available year). The Office for Students made the unfortunate decision to discontinue collecting overall student satisfaction data points per course.
All Physics courses of Lancaster University

The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Physics

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Physics at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

	15 months after graduation	3 years after graduation	5 years after graduation
Median salary	£29000	£25000	£29500
25-75 percentile range	£25000 - £32500	£19500 - £30000	£23000 - £36000

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Physics courses of Lancaster University

Salary of all UK Graduates of Physics

	15 months after graduation	3 years after graduation	5 years after graduation
Median salary	£28407	£28185	£34541
25-75 percentile range	£24644 - £33731	£22362 - £36305	£26092 - £46368

Source: Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) by UK Department for Education Dec 20, 2022
All Physics courses in the UK

Course Description

Taught jointly with Lancaster’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, our BSc degree in Theoretical Physics with Mathematics combines core physics and specialised theoretical physics subjects with classes in pure mathematics. This equips you with an understanding of the mathematical foundations of physics, for example, you will learn how quantum mechanics is underpinned by the powerful mathematical concept of a Hilbert space.

In your first year you will cover the core of physics in modules such as Quantum Physics and Electromagnetism, and the core of mathematics including geometry and calculus, numbers and relations, and probability.

In years two and three, the core physics modules are complemented by courses from the Theoretical Physics scheme and mathematical topics such as group theory and differential equations.

In your final year you also carry out an investigative group project, and have a choice of options such as Quantum Information and Advanced Gravity and Relativity.

Accredited by the Institute of Physics (IOP) for the purpose of partially meeting the educational requirement for Chartered Physicist.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

What graduates are doing after 15 months

	All Lancaster University graduates of undergraduate studies in Physics	All UK graduates of undergraduate studies in Physics
Total respondents	55	230
Unemployed	4%	2%
Studying	24%	23%
Working	59%	60%
Both studying and working	2%	8%
No information	11%	5%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Physics courses of Lancaster University

Current jobs

Job in line with future plans

Utilise skills from studies

Work is meaningful

	Agree or strongly agree	Disagree
Job in line with future plans	75%	25%
Utilise skills from studies	55%	45%
Work is meaningful	90%	10%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All courses of Lancaster University

Required skill level of job after 15 months

% Skilled jobs

	% Skilled jobs
Highly-skilled jobs	90%
Non highly-skilled jobs	5%
Skill level unknown or unclassified	5%

Source: HESA - Graduate Outcomes Survey Oct 10, 2023
All Physics courses of Lancaster University

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Theoretical Physics with Mathematics BSc (Hons) at Lancaster University

20%	Business, Research and Administrative Professionals
20%	Sales occupations
10%	Managers, directors and senior officials
10%	Teaching Professionals
5%	Secretarial and related occupations
5%	Elementary occupations
5%	Business and Financial Project Management Professionals
5%	Protective service occupations
5%	Business and public service associate professionals
5%	Science, engineering and technology associate professionals

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023

Grading & Study Time

Assessment Methods

Study Time Distribution

Assessment Methods
	Coursework	Percentage of assessment by practical exams	Written exams

Study Time Distribution
	Scheduled learning and teaching	Guided independent study	Placements
year 1	35%	65%	0%
year 2	29%	71%	0%
year 3	23%	77%	0%

Grading Distribution

Students of the course received the following grades

	Students of the course received the following grades
Not classified	0
Pass	0
Merit	0
Distinction	0
Ordinary degree	0
Other honours degree	8
Lower second class	22
Upper second class	24
First class	45

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 2016

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for Physics

Average UCAS Tariff Score 175

Tariff score	% of students accepted for courses in Physics
<48	1
48-63	1
64-79	0
80-95	1
96-111	0
112-127	0
128-143	11
144-159	18
160-175	21
176-191	15
192-207	12
208-223	9
224-239	8
>240	4

Source: Unistats by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Oct 10, 2023
All Physics courses of Lancaster University

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

- 7.0
- Graduate Degrees
- 6.5
- Undergraduate Degrees

Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Theoretical Physics with Mathematics, BSc (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent	£518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home)	£50
Supermarket shopping	£81
Clothing	£35
Eating out	£33
Alcohol	£27
Takeaways / food deliveries	£30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food)	£24
Holidays and weekend trips	£78
Transport within city	£17
Self-care / sports	£20
Stationary / books	£13
Mobile phone / internet	£13
Cable TV / streaming	£7
Insurance	£51
Other	£95

Average student cost of living	£1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

Source: Own research based on surveys and university data

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

year 1 (Default entry point)
year 2

University Rankings

Positions of Lancaster University in top UK and global rankings.

Rankings of Lancaster University in related subject specific rankings.

Natural Sciences

- #4
- #4
Physics

The Guardian University League Tables by Subject
[Published 09 September, 2023]
- #16
- #201
Physics

GRAS Global Ranking of Academic Subjects - ShanghaiRanking
[Published 27 October, 2023]
- #16
- #235
Physics

NTU Rankings by Subject
[Published 11 July, 2023]

See all 34 university rankings of Lancaster University

About Lancaster University

Lancaster University was established in 1964 and is located in the rural setting of Lancaster. The campus provides a series of amenities, including banks and a post office. Academically, all of this university’s courses and programmes are accredited and approved by MARP, ensuring that the curriculums delivered here are set at a high standard. In terms of facilities, students have access to a variety of study and recreational spaces intended to improve their wellbeing, such as Meditation and Tai Chi classes, and Woodland walks.

List of 452 Bachelor and Master Courses from Lancaster University - Course Catalogue

Student composition of Lancaster University

Total number of students enrolled at Lancaster University by level Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
undergraduates:: 12595
postgraduates:: 4065
Total:: 16660

Number of students enrolled in courses of subject “Theoretical Physics”: Academic year - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022

Source: Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022

Similar courses

Program	University	Student satisfaction	Unemployed	Dropout	Tuition (UK)	Tuition (International)	UCAS Tariff	City
Theoretical Physics BSc (Hons)	Royal Holloway, University of London	79%	5%	15%	£9250	£26500	135	Egham	On campus Full-time
Physics with Theoretical Physics BSc (Hons)	Imperial College of Science	56%	0%	0%	£9250	£41650	207	London	On campus Full-time
Theoretical Physics BSc (Hons)	Queen's University of Belfast	-	-	-	£9250	£20800	-	Belfast	On campus Full-time
Theoretical Physics BSc (Hons)	The University of Sheffield	85%	5%	0%	£9250	£29110	162	Sheffield	On campus Full-time
Theoretical Physics BSc (Hons)	The University of York	-	5%	0%	£9250	£28800	153	York	On campus Full-time
Theoretical Physics BSc (Hons)	The University of Edinburgh	73%	5%	0%	£9250	£34800	221	Edinburgh	On campus Full-time
Theoretical Physics BSc (Hons)	University College London	73%	5%	0%	£9250	£35000	174	London	On campus Full-time
Theoretical Physics BSc (Hons)	University of Hull	94%	5%	5%	£9250 £9250	£18300 £19500	116	Hull	On campus Full-time
Physics with Theoretical Physics BSc (Hons)	The University of Nottingham	79%	0%	4%	£9250	£28600	173	Nottingham	On campus Full-time
Theoretical Physics (with a year in Industry) BSc (Hons)	The University of York	83%	5%	9%	£9250	£28800	162	York	On campus Full-time