Do you want to discover the world of matter and energy, heat and light, radiation, sound and electricity? Or want to use the transferable skills developed by Physicists to discover a world of job opportunities? Develop skills and knowledge that will open the door to careers in medical physics, defence, finance, teaching or data analytics and can even be part of our world-leading research activity. Completing a professional placement year you will gain invaluable workplace experience and apply your academic skills in a practical context.
Our focus is on helping you follow your passion as well as giving you the best possible start to your future and our flexible curriculum allows you to move between our programmes in the earlier years.
This degree programme is fully accredited by the Institute of Physics (IOP) and Kent is part of the South East Physics Network (SEPnet) - which offers a competitive programme of summer internships, career focused events, advice and a wider physics community.
In your first year, the focus is on the fundamentals of electricity and light, mathematics, mechanics, and thermodynamics alongside experimental, computational, statistical and analytical skills. These skills are developed further in your second year.
By the third year, you will be attached to one of the research teams which will open avenues for even deep exploration into a topic of your choice.
You can also opt for a three-year BSc or an integrated Masters (MPhys) where you’ll work with one of our cutting-edge research groups and gain an edge in the job market. Choose the ‘year abroad’ version of the programme to broaden your horizons by studying at another institution for your third year.
Make Kent your firm choice – The Kent Guarantee
We understand that applying for university can be stressful, especially when you are also studying for exams. Choose Kent as your firm choice on UCAS and we will guarantee you a place, even if you narrowly miss your offer (for example, by 1 A Level grade)*.
*exceptions apply. Please note that we are unable to offer The Kent Guarantee to those who have already been given a reduced or contextual offer.
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. All applications are assessed on an individual basis but some of our typical requirements are listed below. Students offering qualifications not listed are welcome to contact our Admissions Team for further advice. Please also see our general entry requirements.
BBB, including A level Mathematics at B (not Use of Mathematics)
The University welcomes applications from Access to Higher Education Diploma candidates for consideration. A typical offer may require you to obtain a proportion of Level 3 credits in relevant 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.
30 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
The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.
Please contact the School for more information at study-physics@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.
Please note that if you do not meet our English language requirements, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
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Duration: 4 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.
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.
The 2022/23 annual tuition fees for this course 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.
Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.
Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.
Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
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 maximum weight applied to the final stage.
Please note that there are degree thresholds at stage 1 that you will be required to pass in order to continue onto the next stages.
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 gain intellectual skills in how to:
You gain subject-specific skills in:
You gain transferable skills in:
Physics and Astronomy at Kent scored 88% overall in The Complete University Guide 2022.
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.
Degrees fully accredited by the Institute of Physics.
If you are from the UK or Ireland, you must apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not from the UK or Ireland, you can choose to apply through UCAS or directly on our website.
T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
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