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Computing Science and Physics

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

A minimum of 3 A Levels at BBB - including good performance in Mathematics and at least one other science subject by the end of your senior phase of education. To be considered for entry into Second Year, a minimum of 3 A Levels at ABB, with AB from Mathematics and one other science subject (including the subject(s) nominated for Honours - an A in the subject for Single Honours or AB in the subjects for Joint Honours). Also required: GCSE at C or above in English or English Language, Mathematics and in either Chemistry, or Physics or Dual Award Science.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

A minimum of 32 points, with a minimum of 5 points at HL required, including Mathematics and at least one other science subject. For Second Year entry: a minimum of 34 points with a minimum of 6 at HL in the subject(s) nominated for Honours. A minimum of Standard Level English and Maths also required.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H3,H3

A minimum of 5H with 3 at H2 AND 2 at H3 OR AABB including a minimum of H3 or BB from Mathematics and at least one other science subject. The grading within band B must be at B2 or above. O in English, Mathematics and in either Chemistry or Physics.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)

D,D,M

A minimum of DDM including Mathematics and at least one other science subject. Also required: GCSE at C or above in English or English Language, Mathematics and in either Chemistry, or Physics or Dual Award Science.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,B,B

For Second Year entry a minimum of 3 AH at ABB, a minimum of two must be Mathematics and at least one other science subject (including the subject(s) nominated for Honours). Standard Grades 1, 2 or 3 or Int 2, or National 5 at grades A, B or C in English, Mathematics and in either Chemistry or Physics.

Scottish Higher

A,A,B,B

AABB Applicants who achieve AABB or better over S4 and S5 are likely to be made an offer of admission. This may be unconditional or it may be conditional, dependent upon academic profile. Good performance in additional Highers / Advanced Highers may be required. Note: we do not double count a Higher and Advanced Higher in the same subject, but we do consider that a B at Adv Higher is equivalent to an A grade at Higher National 5 at grades C or above in English, Mathematics (but not Applications of Mathematics) and in either Chemistry or Physics Highers Maths and Physics required.

UCAS Tariff

120-152

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

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Computer science

Physics

This degree brings together two very closely linked subjects and offers a tremendous degree programme to those with a strong interest in both. This programme follows a number of the core Computing Science courses undertaken as part of the straight BSc Computing Science degree and introduces key Physics components throughout all four years, in the form of a range of core and optional Physics courses. These include: Calculus, Optics and Electronics, Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, The Solid State, Nuclear and Semiconductor Physics and Modelling Theory. The final year project is a joint computing and physics project.

Physics challenges our imaginations with concepts like relativity and string theory and leads to great discoveries about how the world works. Physics is the most fundamental of sciences. At its most basic, it is about explaining and predicting what happens in the physical universe. This covers topics so vast they don’t get much bigger, such as "How the universe has evolved into its present state?" to topics of daily importance such as "Will the car I’m in stay on the road as it corners?" or "Will an artificial hip joint last as long as the patient?"

Physics encompasses the study of the Universe from the largest galaxies to the smallest subatomic particles and is the basis of many other sciences, including chemistry, oceanography, seismology, and astronomy. Discoveries in Physics make possible technological innovations like transistors and the microchip, computers and lasers which in turn change our lives.

**We are ranked 4th in the UK for Computer Science and Information Systems - The Guardian University Guide 2022.
Aberdeen is ranked 2nd in Scotland and 5th in the UK for Computing Science – The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021.
We are ranked 6th in the UK for Physics - The Guardian University Guide 2022.**

Modules

View all modules on the programme page to find out more about what you will be studying and when. University of Aberdeen modules are designed to give you breadth and depth to your degree. The range of modules you study will allow you to become proficient in all subjects which are directly relevant to your degree giving you greater career options.

Assessment methods

Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods: Coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course; Practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course; Written examinations at the end of each course. The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.

Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£24,800
per year
International
£24,800
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

View the University of Aberdeen Online Prospectus programme page to find out about any scholarships and funding you may be able to apply for.

The Uni


Course location:

University of Aberdeen

Department:

School of Natural and Computing Sciences

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.

67%
Computer science
87%
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.

Computer science

Teaching and learning

50%
Staff make the subject interesting
68%
Staff are good at explaining things
73%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
89%
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

77%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
100%
Course specific equipment and facilities
59%
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?

54%
UK students
46%
International students
78%
Male students
22%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
A

Physics

Teaching and learning

70%
Staff make the subject interesting
85%
Staff are good at explaining things
64%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
85%
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

91%
Library resources
88%
IT resources
100%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
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?

69%
UK students
31%
International students
65%
Male students
35%
Female students
84%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
C

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.

Computer science

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
88%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

87%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
3%
Teaching and educational professionals
3%
Food preparation and hospitality trades

This is a newly-classified subject area for this kind of data, so we don’t currently have very much information to display or analyse yet. The subject is linked to important and growing computing industries, and over time we can expect more students to study them — there could be opportunities that open up for graduates in these subjects as the economy develops over the next few years.

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.

£20,000
med
Average annual salary
90%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Natural and social science professionals
15%
Other elementary services occupations
14%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.

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.

£27k

£27k

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
The University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh
Computer Science and Physics
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 136-168
Lower entry requirements
University of Sussex | Brighton and Hove
Physics with Data Science
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112-141
Nearby University
Robert Gordon University | Aberdeen
Computer Science
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 96

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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:

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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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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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