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www.lboro.ac.uk/physics
Industrial Placement or European Study
Our MPhys and BSc Courses
The year out can be spent working in paid employment as a scientist in industry (in the UK or abroad) where you are supervised jointly by a local industrial supervisor and a member of the University academic staff. Satisfactory completion of such a ‘sandwich’ work placement leads to the award of a Diploma in Industrial Studies (DIS).
All our courses include three BSc and MPhys options and an advanced research project. The MPhys courses may be taken in four or five years. The five-year version of the course includes either a sandwich year of employment in industry or a year of study abroad between the second and the third or the third and the fourth year of study.
Recent industrial placements have included fibre-optic oil well monitoring and applications of high temperature superconductors and have involved companies and research facilities such as IBM (UK) Ltd, British Gas, Siemens AG (Germany) Rutherford Appleton Laboratories, FZ Jülich (Germany), Institut Laue Langevin Grenoble (France), etc. About a third of our recent industrial placements have been abroad, principally in Western Europe. It is often not necessary to be fluent in the local language, although familiarity with the language is always an advantage and you are encouraged to take the appropriate language modules. The Department has contacts with a wide variety of employers and most students arrange their employment with one of these. The average salary of our students in industrial placements in Britain is approximately £14,000 pa. Alternatively, the year can be spent studying at a university abroad. Loughborough currently has partnerships with universities in Australia, Germany, Austria, Poland, Japan, USA and Canada. German language modules can be taken in the second year (Physics Programme only) to prepare for the year abroad.
You can change the shape of your studies as your interests evolve. Many transfer possibilities exist. You can delay the choice between MPhys and BSc course until the end of Year 2.
OpenPlus in partnership with the Open University Loughborough University, in partnership with the Open University, offers a flexible route to a degree in physics for those without the traditional entry requirements. In the first stage you will gain a thorough grounding in physics and mathematics through two or three years of part-time study with the Open University, while living at home. Course material will be delivered by post and electronically and you will have the support from a tutor and other Open University staff. The modules you will study are: ● Essential mathematics 1 ● Skills for Practical Science (residential school) ● The Physical World ● Practical science: Physics and Astronomy (with optional residential school) On successful completion of the above you will be able to transfer into the second year of the Physics, Engineering Physics or Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology courses at Loughborough, and will expect to graduate with a Loughborough BSc (or MPhys) degree after a further two (or three) years of full-time study.
Physics with a Foundation Year UCAS code: F305 Physics with a Foundation Year is primarily for candidates who for some reason have not had the opportunity to study the pre-requisite subjects needed for first year entry at A-Level or equivalent. Students obtain a thorough grounding in Physics,
Mathematics and Computing, with an opportunity to take modules in engineering, chemistry and material science. Successful completion of the foundation year allows you to progress on to any of the degree courses offered by the Physics department. For further details of entry requirements, please visit the see p124 or visit www.lboro.ac.uk/sefs
Physics Year 2
MPhys (Hons) 4 years full-time UCAS code: F303 MPhys (Hons) DIS* 5 years full-time sandwich UCAS code: F304
BSc (Hons) DIS* 4 years full-time sandwich UCAS code: F301
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Entry Requirements A-Level: AAB (MPhys) / ABB (BSc) including Maths and Physics IB: 36 points minimum including 6,6 at HL in Maths and Physics (MPhys) / 34 points minimum including 6,5 at HL in Maths and Physics (BSc) BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma: DDD profile (MPhys) / DDM profile (BSc) including Distinctions in Maths and Physics BROAD YA
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Waves ● Solid State Physics Mathematics ● Laboratories
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Nuclear Physics plus a range
Years 3 and 4
BSc (Hons) 3 years full-time UCAS code: F300
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This year includes modules in: ● Quantum Mechanics ● Fields ● Thermal Physics ● Electronics of options
In the third year of study, the MPhys and BSc Physics and Engineering Physics courses diverge. In the third (and final) year of study in the BSc Physics course you undertake a major experimental or theoretical project, which is an opportunity to get to grips with a substantial real problem. The optional modules currently include: ● General Relativity and Cosmology ● Statistical and Low Temperature Physics ● Surfaces, Thin Films and High Vacuum ● Quantum Computing ● Elementary Particle Physics ● Condensed Matter Physics ● Modern Optics ● Quantum Physics ● Fundamentals of Quantum Information ● Climate Physics ● Studies in Science and Mathematics Education, Introduction to Forensic Science and a wide range of other modules. The third and fourth years of the MPhys Physics course give a thorough preparation for research work in industry or on a PhD course. The coverage of physics is both broader and deeper than in the BSc course and includes a wider range of options. There is training in advanced laboratory techniques with a full-time research project occupying half of the final year. The project can be experimental or theoretical. Please note that optional modules are subject to availability and timetable permitting.
The first year of the Physics, Engineering Physics and Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology programmes is identical, including core physics and tasters of engineering and astronomy. This gives students the flexibility to move between these programmes as their interests develop. Modules include:
Year 1
The main subjects studied are: ● ● ●
Mechanics ● Electricity and Magnetism ● Atomic and Thermal Physics Astronomy ● Information Skills ● Mathematics ● Laboratories ● Computing Mechanics of Materials
Career Prospects
The Physics MPhys provides the best foundation for graduates aiming for a career as a professional physicist and for those going on to PhD research. A degree in physics, or a physics-related subject, can lead to many and varied career opportunities. Recent employers of our graduates include British Gas Research, Coopers Lybrand Deloitte, Thames Water plc, British Antarctic Survey, Schlumberger Technologies, Plastic Coatings plc, STC Submarine Systems, Siemens AG, West Midlands Health Authority, Local Education Authorities and the European Patent Office. Many of our graduates undertake MSc courses or PhD research. *Diploma in Industrial Studies