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Physics with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


64 UCAS points where qualifications include both Mathematics and Physics at A Level, 72 UCAS points from any subject combination.

64 UCAS Tariff points from QAA approved Science or Engineering subject, or 72 UCAS Tariff points from any other subject.

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

MPP-MMP

MPP where BTEC includes a Merit in both mathematics and physics modules, or MMP from any subject combination.

64 UCAS Tariff points where qualifications include both mathematics and physics at Advanced Higher Level, or 72 UCAS Tariff points from any subject combination.

UCAS Tariff

64-72

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Physics

**Physics underpins everyday life, from the structure of the universe to the smartphone in your hand. Put yourself in position to discover the next scientific breakthroughs and technological innovations with a BSc (Hons) Physics with Foundation Year degree with Salford.**

Physics is at the heart of modern life. By having the knowledge to discover future technological advances and find applications for scientific discoveries, qualified physicist are driving our future. We've developed our course to provide you with fundamental and specialist knowledge base ready to build a successful graduate career in teaching, research or industry.

**Take your passion for physics further**
The foundation year pathway provides subject knowledge and academic development, so you are confident and able for study at a higher level. Along with providing a broad introduction to the key physics and mathematics topics, this learning pathway helps you to build effective communication and study skills. On successful completion of the foundation year, you will progress our Institute of Physics-accredited BSC (Hons) Physics degree for the remainder of your course.

For three further years of study - or four if you choose to include an industry placement, this fascinating three-year programme delivers engaging lectures, tutorial classes and laboratory classes. Physics can be challenging, so we place great emphasis on small group teaching to make you feel fully supported. You’ll have an immersive experience, taking part in group projects to develop team working, problem solving, and communication and presentation skills.

During your studies, you’ll develop an understanding of classical and quantum waves, and properties of matter. You’ll gain advanced knowledge in fields of nuclear and particle physics, Maxwell’s equation and quantum mechanics. You can also choose optional modules in acoustics and nanotechnology.

Collaboration is core to our values, so we strive to embed this as a learning objective throughout your studies. You will experience group projects that will build your confidence and capabilities in team working, problem-solving and communication - all desirable skills for real-world physics careers.

**Get closer to industry**
Learning takes places in our Peel Park campus, minutes from bustling central Manchester. A unique part of our physics degree is our emphasis on employer engagement. Along with regular guest lecturers and industry visits, we consult with professional physicists from industry to ensure that the course content is robust and relevant for industry and graduate careers.

Once you join the BSc (Hons) degree, you'll also have the option to take an industry placement between years two and three. By successfully completing a placement year, you can also add 'with professional experience' to your final degree award, boosting your graduate employability.

**Our new home for physics**
In Autumn 2022, we opened our new £65 million hub for science, engineering and the environment - our new home for physics. Sustainability-designed and 100% electric powered, the building offers unrivalled teaching, learning and research facilities and provides exciting new spaces for industry collaboration. Come and take a look!

**Features**
• Gain the mathematics and physics skills ready to progress on to our BSc (Hons) Physics degree
• Expand your knowledge and understanding in mechanics, quantum physics, electromagnetism and more
• Build analytical, numerical and computer-based problem-solving skills in Maxwell’s Equations and Wave Optics
• Explore classical dynamics, static and dynamic charges, quantum mechanics, fundamentals of relativity and atomic and nuclear physics
• Learn the importance of mathematics in a quantitative description of physics, using symbolic computing and programming

This course is not open to international students.

The Uni


Course location:

University of Salford

Department:

School of Science, Engineering and Environment

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.

74%
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.

Physics

Teaching and learning

74%
Staff make the subject interesting
91%
Staff are good at explaining things
78%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
83%
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

87%
Library resources
68%
IT resources
83%
Course specific equipment and facilities
61%
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?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
74%
Male students
26%
Female students
75%
2:1 or above
17%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
D

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.

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.

£21,500
low
Average annual salary
93%
med
Employed or in further education
50%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

20%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
17%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
14%
Engineering 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.

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.

£21k

£21k

£27k

£27k

£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
University of Nottingham | Nottingham
Physics with a Year in Industry
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 152-159
Lower entry requirements
University of York | York
Theoretical Physics (with a year in Industry)
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 54-136
Same University
University of Salford | Salford
Physics
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104-112

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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