Astronomy, Space Science and Astrophysics - BSc (Hons)

Course structure

Duration: 4 years full-time

After successfully completing stage 1 at your first attempt, with an average pass mark of at least 60%, you have the opportunity to spend a year in industry between Stages 2 and 3. We give advice and guidance on finding a placement.

Please note that acceptance onto the course is not a guarantee of a placement. The responsibility of finding a placement is on the student, with help and support from the department. If you cannot find a placement, you will be required to change your registration for the equivalent BSc programme without the Year in Industry option.

The course structure below gives a flavour of the modules and provides details of the content of this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

At all stages in this programme, the modules listed are compulsory.

• Stage 1
• Stage 2
• Year in industry
• Stage 3

Teaching and assessment

Teaching is by lectures, practical classes, tutorials and workshops. You have an average of nine one-hour lectures, one or two days of practical or project work and a number of workshops each week. The practical modules include specific study skills in physics and general communication skills.  For the year in industry you write a final report of the work you did during the placememnt and, on returning to Kent for your final year of study, present a lecture on your experiences.

Assessment is by written examinations at the end of each year and by continuous assessment of practical classes and other written assignments. Your final degree result is made up of a combined mark from the Stage 2 and 3 assessments and your year in industry, with maximum weight applied to the final stage.

Contact hours

For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours.  The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

• Instil a sense of enthusiasm for physics through an understanding of the role of the discipline at the core of our intellectual understanding of all aspects of nature and as the foundation of many of the pure and applied sciences.
• Provide knowledge of its application in different contexts in an intellectually stimulating research-led environment.
• Provide a balanced foundation of physics knowledge and practical skills and an understanding of scientific methodology.
• Enable students to undertake and report on an experimental and/or theoretical investigation.
• Develop the ability to to apply skills, knowledge and understanding in physics to the solution of theoretical and practical problems in physics.
• Provide a knowledge and skills base from which students can proceed to further studies in specialised areas of physics or multi-disciplinary areas involving physical principles.
• Generate an appreciation of the importance of physics in industrial, economic, environmental and social contexts.
• Instil and/or enhance in you a sense of enthusiasm for astronomy, astrophysics and space science, and an appreciation of its application in current research.
• Generate an appreciation of the importance of astronomy, astrophysics and space science and its role in understanding how the universe in which we live came about and how it continues to exist and develop.
• Provide a grounding in space systems and technology, and the overlap between the science and commercial drivers in the aerospace industry.
• Motivate and support a wide range of students in their endeavours to realise their academic potential.
• Provide students with a knowledge and skills base from which they can proceed to further studies in specialised areas of physics or multi-disciplinary areas involving physical principles; the BSc with a Year in Industry is particularly geared for those wishing to explore opportunities to apply their knowledge and experience in an industrial environment and enhance their employability skills.
• Generate in students an appreciation of the importance of physics in the industrial, economic, environmental and social contexts.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

• Physical laws and principles, and their application to diverse areas of physics including: electromagnetism, classical and quantum mechanics, statistical physics and thermodynamics, wave phenomena and the properties of matter as fundamental aspects, with additional material from nuclear and particle physics, condensed matter physics, materials, plasmas and fluids.
• Aspects of the theory and practice of astronomy, astrophysics and space science, and of those aspects upon which they depend, including a knowledge of key physics, the use of electronic data processing and analysis, and modern day mathematical and computational tools.

Intellectual skills

You gain the following intellectual abilities:

• Identify relevant principles and laws when dealing with problems, and to make approximations necessary to obtain solutions.
• The ability to solve problems in physics using appropriate mathematical tools.
• Execute and analyse critically the results of an experiment or investigation and draw valid conclusions, evaluate the level of uncertainty in these results and compare them with expected outcomes, theoretical predictions or with published data to evaluate the significance of their results in this context.
• Use mathematical techniques and analysis to model physical behaviour.
• Comment critically on how spacecraft are designed, their principles of operation, and their use to access and explore space, and on how telescopes (operating at various wavelengths) are designed, their principles of operation, and their use in astronomy and astrophysics research.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in the following:

• Competent use of C&IT packages/systems for the analysis of data and information retrieval.
• The ability to present and interpret information graphically.
• Communicate scientific information and produce clear, accurate scientific reports.
• Familiarity with laboratory apparatus and techniques.
• The systematic and reliable recording of experimental data.
• Use appropriate texts, research-based materials or other learning resources as part of managing your own learning.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in the following:

• Problem solving and the confidence to try different approaches to make progress on challenging problems and numeracy.
• Investigative ability including the use of textbooks and other literature, databases, and interaction with colleagues.
• Communication, such as dealing with surprising ideas and difficult concepts, including listening carefully, reading demanding texts and presenting complex information in a clear and concise manner.
• Analytical abilities, in particular attention to detail, to manipulate precise and intricate ideas to construct logical arguments and use technical language correctly.
• The ability to work independently, to use initiative, meet deadlines and interact constructively with other people.
• The ability to work effectively in an industrial or commercial environment.
• The ability to apply skills gained from the programme within the workplace.

Careers

Your future

You graduate with an excellent grounding in scientific knowledge and extensive laboratory experience. In addition, you also develop the key transferable skills sought by employers, such as:

• excellent communication skills
• work independently or as part of a team
• the ability to solve problems and think analytically
• time management. 

This means that our graduates are well equipped for careers across a range of fields and have gone on to work for companies such as Airbus, The Met Office, Defence Engineering and Science Group (MoD) and BAE. You can read their stories, and find out about the range of support and extra opportunities available to further your career potential here.

Professional recognition

Recognised by the Institute of Physics.