Physics reaches from the quark out to the largest of galaxies, and encompasses all the matter and timescales within these extremes while Astrophysics emphasises the underlying physical concepts of the stars and galaxies, which make up the Universe. At Kent you learn from academics making the discoveries that shape our world and play a part in this research yourself.
Our focus is on helping you follow your passion as well as giving you the best possible start to your future. Studying with us, you develop a wide range of skills that qualify you for a range of career pathways from the growing space industry to finance, manufacturing and technology.
We have a strong focus on your future career and how to get you there, and to ensure you are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today's job market, our curriculum changes and adapts. You also benefit from our expert careers advice to give you the best possible start when deciding on your future career.
This programme is fully accredited by Institute of Physics (IOP).
Astrophysics emphasises the underlying physical concepts of the stars and galaxies, which make up the Universe. This provides an understanding of the physical nature of bodies and processes in space and the instruments and techniques used in modern astronomical research.
In your first year, you get to grips with the broad knowledge base on which physical science is built, including electricity and light, mathematics, mechanics, thermodynamics and matter. You also develop your experimental, computational, statistical and analytical skills.
Your second and third years include a broad range of modules such as quantum mechanics, solid state, atomic, nuclear and particle physics, electromagnetism and optics, and mathematical techniques as well as the mulitwavelength universe exoplanets and stars, galaxies and the universe.
Our degrees are not only designed to give the best possible start to your career, they are also flexible so that you do the best degree for you. Up until your second year you are able to move between our programmes, including the opportunity to complete a professional placement to put into practice the skills you learnt and make valuable industry contacts. You could also opt for one of our integrated Master's courses - gaining an extra qualification. This can be done with one year abroad, or staying at Kent for our MPhys - where in your final year you'll join one of our research groups doing cutting-edge work.
If you do not have the grades or scientific background for direct entry, you can take the Physics Foundation year. Upon successful completion of this year, you are well placed to move onto any of our Physics, Physics with Astrophysics, or Astronomy, Space Science and Astrophysics degrees.
You have access to first-class research facilities in new laboratories. These are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including a full characterisation suite for materials, including:
Our Beacon Observatory provides a fully automised system with both optical telescope and radio telescope capability. It includes a 17" astrograph from Plane Wave Instruments with a 4k x 4k CCD and a BVRIHa filter set, as well as a 90-frames-per-second camera.
As well as a fascinating course with great opportunities to further your career potential, we work hard to give you the best possible wider student experience.
You will be part of an international scientific community of physics and astronomy, chemistry and forensic science, bioscience and medical and sport science students, as well as being able to join a range of student-led societies and groups.
As well as inspiring you to realise your potential, we are here to support this with excellent in-house student support to assist with pastoral issues and careers experts with specialist knowledge as well as Academic advisors and peer mentors to help with your studies.
You are encouraged to participate in conferences and professional events to build up your knowledge of the science community and enhance your professional development.
The University is a member of the South East Physics Network (SEPnet), which offers a competitive programme of summer internships to Stage 2 and 3 undergraduates.
Our department also has links with:
You are more than your grades
At Kent we look at your circumstances as a whole before deciding whether to make you an offer to study here. Find out more about how we offer flexibility and support before and during your degree.
Please also see our general entry requirements.
BBB, including A level Mathematics at B (not Use of Mathematics)
The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis.
If we make you an offer, you will need to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above.
The University will consider applicants holding/studying BTEC Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF;OCR) in a relevant Science or Engineering subject at 180 credits or more, on a case by case basis. Please contact us via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances.
34 points overall or 14 at HL including HL Maths/Maths Method or HL Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches at 5 or SL Maths/Maths Methods at 6 (not Maths Studies/SL Maths: Applications & Interpretations).
N/A
Please contact the School for more information at study-astro@kent.ac.uk.
The University welcomes applications from international students. Our international recruitment team can guide you on entry requirements. See our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country.
If you need to increase your level of science/mathematics ready for undergraduate study, we offer a Foundation Year programme which can help boost your previous scientific experience.
For more advice about applying to Kent, you can meet our staff at a range of international events.
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
If you need to improve your English language standard as a condition of your offer, you can attend one of our pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes before starting your degree programme. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
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Duration: 3 years full-time
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.
The 2021/22 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence.
The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Search scholarshipsTeaching 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.
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 with a 40/60 weighting.
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.
The programme aims to:
You gain knowledge and understanding in physical laws and principles, as well as their applications. The areas covered include:
You also gain an understanding of the theory and practice of astrophysics, and of those aspects upon which it depends – a knowledge of key physics, the use of electronic data processing and analysis, and modern day mathematical and computational tools.
You gain intellectual skills in how to:
You gain subject-specific skills in:
You gain transferable skills in:
Physics and Astronomy at Kent scored 89% overall in The Complete University Guide 2021.
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 BAE, Defence Science and Technology, Rolls Royce, Siemens and IBM. You can read some of their stories, and find out about the range of support and extra opportunities available to further your career potential here.
Fully accredited by the Institute of Physics.
We are no longer accepting applications for the 2021/22 academic year. Please visit the 2022 entry course pages.
T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
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