Physics with a Foundation Year BSc (Hons)
Swansea University
Key Course Facts
Student Reviews
Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.
All Physics courses of Swansea University
Salary
Salary of Graduates in Physics and Astronomy
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 | £26000 | £23500 | £28500 |
25-75 percentile range | £21000 - £31500 | £18000 - £28000 | £20000 - £35500 |
All Physics and Astronomy courses of Swansea University
Salary of all UK Graduates of Physics and Astronomy
15 months after graduation | 3 years after graduation | 5 years after graduation | |
---|---|---|---|
Median salary | £28994 | £29015 | £34497 |
25-75 percentile range | £24988 - £33170 | £22931 - £36583 | £26874 - £45969 |
All Physics and Astronomy courses in the UK
Course Description
Physics is an exciting subject which seeks answers to the biggest questions, covering everything in our universe, from the building blocks of matter to the vastness of the cosmos.
Employers seeking physics graduates include academic institutions, government research organisations and industry, including aerospace and defence, education, energy, engineering, instrumentation, manufacturing, oil and gas, science, communication, space exploration and telecommunications. Many physics graduates pursue a career outside physics, for instance in consultancy, IT, the environmental industry, financial services, the legal sector, transport and utilities.
Based at our superb seafront campus close to the magnificent Gower Peninsula, you will have the opportunity to study an exciting and flexible range of modules which could include astronomy and cosmology, electromagnetism, atomic physics, the frontiers of nuclear physics, the quantum world and climate physics.
In your Foundation year, you will study introductory modules in optics and wave motion, electricity and magnetism, atoms and nuclei and bulk and thermal physics alongside mathematics modules in fundamental calculus and algebra. You may also follow some modules in complementary subjects such as introductory computer programming and environmental and natural sciences. Students are assigned a personal tutor within the physics department and will participate in small-group tutorial sessions throughout the programme. Following their successful completion of the foundation year, students may then follow any pathway through the BSc or MPhys courses, with all options available to them. Across all teaching, after this point there is no differentiation between an F301 student and any other.
Our facilities include:
IT and teaching rooms, scanning probe microscopy (SPM) systems; scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) systems; laser spectroscopy systems based upon fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy; atomic force microscopes (AFM); and Beowulf computer cluster, with 130 CPU cores connected by a low-latency infiniband network.
As a physics student, you will also benefit from exceptional project supervision, small group teaching, and opportunities for summer studentships and projects at the CERN Particle Physics Laboratory.
Our notable Physics alumni include Professor Lyn Evans, leader of the Large Hadron Collider project at CERN, while Professor Peter Higgs, Swansea University Honorary Fellow and Physics Nobel Prize winner, proposed the Boson particle, and has strong links with the department.
“The Physics staff were always very supportive; the lecturers enthusiastic and are good at explaining difficult concepts eloquently. There was a real sense that they thoroughly enjoyed teaching us. Through my degree, I was able to successfully apply to the NHS Scientist Training Programme, a highly competitive graduate scheme through which I will eventually become a fully qualified Medical Physicist.” - Guy Drabble, Physics graduate
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.
This particular course
Current jobs
This particular course
Required skill level of job after 15 months
This particular course
Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)
Example below based on all graduates of Physics with a Foundation Year BSc (Hons) at Swansea University
30% | Business, Research and Administrative Professionals |
10% | Teaching Professionals |
10% | Media Professionals |
10% | Artistic, literary and media occupations |
10% | Teaching and Childcare Support Occupation |
10% | Business and public service associate professionals |
10% | Teaching Professionals |
Grading & Study Time
Entry Requirements / Admissions
UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for this course
This particular course
Qualification requirements
Including a relevant subject/science @ C or above (80 UCAS tariff points)
Access to HE Diploma
31-30 overall or 665-655 in 3 HL subjects.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Requirements for international students / English requirements
IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)
-
- 6.5
- All Degrees
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.
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:
- Foundation
University Rankings
Positions of Swansea University in top UK and global rankings.
Rankings of Swansea University in related subject specific rankings.
Natural Sciences
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- #2
- #17
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- Physics
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The Guardian University League Tables by Subject
[Published 09 September, 2023]
See all 29 university rankings of Swansea University
About Swansea University
Swansea University was established in 1920 and is located in the large city of Swansea, in Wales. There are two campuses, the flagship campus is located between Singleton Park, with its green parkland and botanical gardens, and Swansea Bay beach. The more recent Bay Campus on the other hand is located on an extensive beachfront property on the eastern side of town, past the marina. Apart from a vibrant academic life, students can attend the numerous yearly festivals that take place in Swansea, guaranteeing plenty of opportunities for getting out and about in your free time.
List of 442 Bachelor and Master Courses from Swansea University - Course Catalogue
Where is this programme taught
Similar courses
Program | University | Student satisfaction | Unemployed | Dropout | Tuition (UK) | Tuition (International) | UCAS Tariff | City | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mathematics and Physics BSc (Hons) | University of Strathclyde | 84% | 0% | 15% | £9250 | £19600 | 227 | Glasgow | On campus Full-time | |
Physics BSc (Hons) | Royal Holloway, University of London | 60% | 10% | 30% | £9250 | £26500 | 137 | Egham | On campus Full-time | |
Physics BSc (Hons) | University of the West of Scotland | 81% | 0% | 0% | £9250 | £18000 | 131 | Paisley | On campus Full-time | |
Physics BSc (Hons) | University College London | 78% | 5% | 3% | £9250 | £35000 | 171 | London | On campus Full-time | |
Physics (with Professional Placement) BSc (Hons) | Cardiff University | 83% | 5% | 3% | £9000 | £25450 £28200 | 157 | Cardiff | On campus Full-time | |
Mathematics and Physics (with placement year) BSc (Hons) | Loughborough University of Technology | - | - | - | £9250 | £27250 | - | Loughborough | On campus Full-time | |
Mathematical Physics BSc (Hons) | The University of Nottingham | - | - | - | £9250 | £26250 | - | Nottingham | On campus Full-time | |
Physics BSc (Hons) | Nottingham Trent University | 81% | 10% | 10% | £9250 | £16500 | 119 | Nottingham | On campus Full-time | |
Physics BSc (Hons) | University of East Anglia | 60% | 0% | 10% | £9250 | £26100 | 145 | Norwich | On campus Full-time | |
Mathematics and Physics BSc (Hons) | University of Bristol | - | 4% | 10% | £9250 | £29300 | 186 | Bristol | On campus Full-time |
Ranking publishers
The Guardian News and Media Limited
- Published:
- 09 September, 2023