University of Birmingham
Physics and Astrophysics BSc (Hons)
University of Birmingham

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 105 graduates of Physics and Astrophysics BSc (Hons) and other courses in Physics at University of Birmingham for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Physics.

Overall student satisfaction
84 /100
105 total respondents

Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.

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 £30000 £32500 £36500
25-75 percentile range £25500 - £35000 £25000 - £38500 £29000 - £47000


Salary of all UK Graduates of Physics

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £28798 £28909 £34253
25-75 percentile range £24694 - £33005 £22390 - £36739 £26224 - £45922

Course Description

If you are fascinated by astronomy and have the drive to solve the mysteries of the universe through scientific study, mathematics, computing and experimental work, then this Physics and Astrophysics BSc degree has been created for you.

Our Physics and Astrophysics BSc programme is for those who are fascinated by astronomy, and are looking for an in-depth treatment that also gives a good grounding in physics. You will have access to excellent astronomy facilities during your degree, such as our special Astro laboratory which provides astronomical data from observatories around the world. We also have a purpose-built Observatory, which you could use during your project work. All of which make Birmingham a great place for studying Astrophysics.

There are many opportunities to undertake project work during your degree. This will be as part of your lab work in the first two years, including including specialised astronomy labs. A project develops a wide range of skills including planning and report writing. Group studies in your final year is a major project which is undertaken in groups of 10-20 students. The task requires the group to work as a team and enables you to solve a problem of much greater magnitude than could be attempted by an individual. The team work skills learnt here are invaluable in success in a future career.

You will be taught by academics who are global experts in their field, you'll gain a broad understanding of the essential concepts of physics, ranging from entropy to quantum mechanics and beyond. The transferable skills you’ll also learn will make you very employable; including problem solving, computing and giving presentations.

Accredited by the Institute of Physics (IOP) for the purpose of fully 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.

Current jobs

Required skill level of job after 15 months

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

Example below based on all graduates of Physics and Astrophysics BSc (Hons) at University of Birmingham

40% Science, engineering and technology associate professionals
10% Sales occupations
10% Business and Financial Project Management Professionals
10% Process, plant and machine operatives
10% Elementary occupations
5% Welfare and housing associate professionals
5% Business and public service associate professionals
0% Administrative occupations
0% Information Technology Professionals
0% Science, engineering and technology associate professionals

Grading & Study Time

Grading Distribution

Students of the course received the following grades

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for this course

Requirements for international students / English requirements

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

    • 6.5
    • Graduate Degrees
    • (no subscore less than 6.0)
    • 6.5
    • Undergraduate Degrees
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Physics and Astrophysics, BSc (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Physics and Astrophysics BSc (Hons)

Ireland £9250 year 1
England UK £9250 year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 year 1
Scotland £9250 year 1
Wales £9250 year 1
Channel Islands £9250 year 1

Additional fee information

For details of the annual tuition fee for International Students please see the course web page listed in the 'course details' section above.

If you are made an offer to study by the University, the yearly tuition fee will be stated in your offer letter.

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:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of University of Birmingham in top UK and global rankings.

Rankings of University of Birmingham in related subject specific rankings.

Natural Sciences

    • #9 
    • #12 
    Physics
    The Guardian University League Tables by Subject
    [Published 09 September, 2023]
    • #6 
    • #51 
    Physics
    GRAS Global Ranking of Academic Subjects - ShanghaiRanking
    [Published 19 July, 2022]
    • #6 
    • #95 
    Physics
    NTU Rankings by Subject
    [Published 11 July, 2023]

See all 35 university rankings of University of Birmingham

About University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is a research university based in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. The university’s aim is to be at the cutting edge of educational delivery, and to have their curriculum be continually reshaped by new revelations in research. The main campus is situated a reasonable three miles away from Birmingham city centre, which doesn’t take long to get to via bus if the student decides they’d like to spend some of their free time there.

List of 469 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Birmingham - Course Catalogue

Student composition of University of Birmingham

undergraduates:
24385
postgraduates:
9185
Total:
33570
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Where is this programme taught

Main Site
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