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Physics with Astrophysics

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,A

A level Mathematics grade A and A level Physics grade A

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

36

with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects including 6 in Mathematics HL and Physics HL

May be considered alongside A level Mathematics and A level Physics

UCAS Tariff

144

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Astrophysics

Physics

Develop your understanding of the relationship between the physical laws of the universe and the astrophysical and cosmological domains. We conduct world-leading investigations in space and planetary science, observational astrophysics, and observational and theoretical cosmology - and this directly informs what you learn!

In Year 1 you will study core modules that provide you with a solid grounding in the fundamentals of physics and you will also perform laboratory experiments with our state-of-the-art equipment and associated software.

In Year 2 your core modules start to delve deeper into astrophysics with fascinating lectures in cosmology, astronomy and solar system science.

In Year 3, you study two optional modules and three core modules.

**How do I choose my optional modules in Year 3 and 4**?
There are two ways you can do this:

**Option 1**
Keep your horizons open and explore your interests by selecting any optional modules from across our broad spectrum of topics, subject to prerequisites.

**Option 2**
We have grouped together a selection of modules to create ‘pathways’ that help guide your choices so that you can focus on your specific area of interest. These pathways are:
- Cosmology

- Space Physics

We’ll ask you to indicate your preference for one of our pathways from Option 2 near the end of Year 1. The modules recommended for each pathway can be found in our subject brochure.

In Year 3 you will also complete a research project. If you’ve selected the Cosmology Pathway, you will take the Cosmology or Astrophysics Group Project module, otherwise you will take the Astrophysics Group Project module.

**What if I want to change my choices?**
That’s fine! We can guide you to optional modules that suit your interests. Also, did you know that you can switch to one of our other degrees at the end of Year 1 if you feel that would suit you better? This is because all of our Physics degrees offer a common set of core modules in Year 1.

The Uni


Course location:

Lancaster University

Department:

Physics

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

100%
Astrophysics
95%
Physics

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Astronomy

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
96%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
79%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
100%
Course specific equipment and facilities
90%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

86%
UK students
14%
International students
69%
Male students
31%
Female students
88%
2:1 or above
2%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

Physics

Teaching and learning

87%
Staff make the subject interesting
92%
Staff are good at explaining things
93%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
86%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

90%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
97%
Course specific equipment and facilities
91%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
75%
Male students
25%
Female students
88%
2:1 or above
6%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Astronomy

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£25,000
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

15%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
14%
Business, research and administrative professionals
13%
Natural and social science professionals

Not a lot of people study astronomy as a first degree, and if you want to be one of the small number of people who start work as an astronomer - often overseas - every year, you will need a doctorate — so at least a third of graduates go into further study. Astronomy graduates, however, are versatile, going into all parts of the jobs market - their good technical, data and maths skills taking them into IT and business especially. However, if you want to find out more specifically about the prospects for your chosen subject, it might be a good idea to go on open days and talk to tutors about what previous graduates from your chosen subject went on to do.

Physics

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£25,000
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
78%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

15%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
14%
Business, research and administrative professionals
13%
Natural and social science professionals

Although the subject has seen a bit of resurgence in recent years, the UK is still felt to be short of physics graduates, and in particular physicists training as teachers. If you want a career in physics research — in all sorts of areas, from atmospheric physics to lasers - you'll probably need to take a doctorate, and so have a think about where you would like to do that and how you might fund it (the government funds many physics doctorates, so you might not find it as hard as you think). With that in mind, it's not surprising that just over a fifth of physics graduates go on to take doctorates when they finish their degree, and well over a third of physicists take some kind of postgraduate study in total. Physics is highly regarded and surprisingly versatile, which is why physics graduates who decide not to stay in education are more likely to go into well-paid jobs in the finance industry than they are to go into science. The demand and versatility of physics degrees goes to explain why they're amongst the best-paid science graduates.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Astronomy

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£25k

£25k

£28k

£28k

£33k

£33k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Physics

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£25k

£25k

£28k

£28k

£33k

£33k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of Nottingham | Nottingham
Physics with Theoretical Astrophysics
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 152-159
Lower entry requirements
University of Leicester | Leicester
Physics with Astrophysics
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 128-174
Same University
Lancaster University | Lancaster
Physics
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 144

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here