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Exeter welcomes applications from all suitably qualified students with a keen interest in Physics. The majority of undergraduates enter with A and AS levels, but we also seriously consider applications from older students who have other qualifications; each year several students enter with for example, BTEC, HND and Access qualifications.
All students wishing to take courses leading to a BSc or MPhys degree should apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), but the Admissions Tutor will be pleased to answer individual queries. Most applicants are invited to visit the School, where they have the opportunity to meet both staff and undergraduates. It is also possible to arrange a visit at any convenient time.
We also offer a BSc in Medical Imaging (Diagnostic Radiography) and a range of one-year programmes that can be taken by students at universities outside the United Kingdom who wish to spend time at Exeter as a 'Study Abroad' component of their degrees.
Millhayes Scholarships for Undergraduate Studies in Science are available for students on degree programmes in Physics. Each scholarship is worth £1,000 per year for the duration of the programme (subject to continuing satisfactory performance). A scholarship is conditional on placing Exeter as your first choice and on obtaining three grade As at A Level, or two grade As at A Level and two grade As at AS Level, or 38 points or more in the International Baccalaureate. Selection will be in February and offers will be made in time for you to make your final UCAS choices.
Sports Scholarships are available for students of outstanding sporting ability who show evidence of achievement or potential at national level. Sports scholars are provided with free residential accommodation and are given £1,000 per year for sporting expenses.
Details of the above, and other, Scholarships are given in the University Calendar.
Our entry requirements are published in the University Undergraduate Prospectus. The general code for Exeter University is E84 EXETR and the codes for our current degree programmes are given in the contents list above. The UCAS website is http://www.ucas.ac.uk/ and the postal address is:
UCAS Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Tel: +44 (0) 1242 227788 (Applicant Enquiries) GL52 3LZ. Tel: +44 (0) 1242 222444 (General Enquiries)
Online versions of the University Prospectus are available from our general admissions page. For printed copies or other additional information you can contact us at:
Prof. J.R. Sambles Admissions Tutor School of Physics University of Exeter Tel: 01392-264149 Stocker Road Fax: 01392-264111 Exeter EX4 4QL email: PhysUG@exeter.ac.uk
Physics is arguably the most exciting and intellectually stimulating of the natural sciences. It is also the most basic, and underpins other sciences and engineering.
Physicists strive to understand the physical world and discover the laws which govern its behaviour. Topics in physics range from the quantum world of subatomic particles to the formation and destiny of the universe. Between these extremes are the studies of nuclei, atoms and the materials that make up the world in which we live. In the process of discovery physicists have developed quantum mechanics, relativity, thermodynamics and a detailed knowledge of the forces between particles. We can now explain an impressive range of phenomena, from black holes to superconductivity. However, discoveries continue to be made, and many problems such as the nature of quasars and the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity need to be solved.
Advances in physics are responsible for many of the benefits of modern society. For example, semiconductor physics has transformed communication and computational technology, X-rays and nuclear magnetic resonance are indispensible in health care, and lasers are employed in a variety of useful ways from medicine to machinery. Physics has had a vital role to play in developing alternative energy sources.
In our technological age we need people who can understand and appreciate the complexities and subtleties of the physical world. The challenges range from fundamental science, through advanced technology to environmental problems such as the depletion of the ozone layer and global warming. A physics training is an ideal basis for such work and is regarded as immensely valuable by a wide range of employers. The Institute of Physics recently conducted a study which showed that the physics-based industries in the UK are key growth sectors and that they are increasing their share of the global market. You will find that a physics degree from Exeter, in particular, is a qualification well recognised and respected by employers, and employment prospects for physics graduates are excellent.
At Exeter you will join a community of people dedicated to research and teaching in physics. With them you can share and develop your enthusiasm for understanding the physical world.
The School of Physics stands on the highest part of the campus, with views across the city to the sea and towards Dartmoor. The campus itself is possibly the most beautiful in Britain. The buildings of the University are set in park-like surroundings of mature trees, flowering shrubs and grass-covered slopes, with streams and ponds in the valleys.
Within the boundaries of the campus are all the facilities a student may require for studying and relaxing. The Library and 24-hour computer facilities are minutes away from the School of Physics. The Sports Hall, with its extensive indoor facilities and adjoining tennis courts and playing fields, is adjacent to the School. Elsewhere on the campus are a travel shop, supermarket, bookshop and bank.
Student accommodation is available for all first year students and is described in detail in the University Prospectus. Briefly, the halls of residence for students are set on the perimeter of the campus and are within 15 minutes walk of the School; the self-catering accommodation, available to students in their second and third years, is only five minutes away.
Students in Exeter do not feel 'cut off' from life outside the campus. If they get tired of taking part in the activities of over 100 clubs which are affiliated to the Student Union, the city centre of Exeter is only 15 minutes walk away. Within easy reach by public or private transport is the coast with its opportunities for swimming, sailing or walking, and the moors of Exmoor and Dartmoor for hiking and rock climbing.
There are important learning facilities outside the School. The University Library has a good range of books and journals. (There is also a School library for private study.) Information Technology Services offers wide a range of courses. Also on campus there is a language laboratory which can be used by students individually, and students taking programmes 'with European Study' go to language classes organised in conjunction with the Foreign Language Centre. The student support services are excellent and include the Study Methods Counselling Service who help students develop effective strategies for studying.
Exeter students come from all parts of the British Isles and from overseas. There are approximately equal numbers of men and women students in the University. Exeter University is an excellent centre for both study and recreation.
The School of Physics occupies its own building which is light and spacious, and finished to a very high standard. It houses research and teaching laboratories, seminar rooms, and computing facilities. The School invests heavily in IT facilities, which include a dedicated computing laboratory of 40 workstations, and its 100MB/s network is connected to the campus, national and international computer networks, giving all students full access to the internet. There are workshops for making special mechanical apparatus and electronic systems, as well as specialist material preparation facilities and helium and nitrogen liquefiers.
There are currently about 200 undergraduates, 50 postgraduate students who are doing research for doctorates, 38 academic and 26 support staff with a wide range of interests and expertise.
Undergraduate learning involves both taught material and individual study. Our programmes have been accredited by professional bodies and Quality Approved by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. We work within a published framework of demanding Aims and Objectives and place great emphasis on individual attention through tutorials and projects. As well as working with fellow students, you will get to know the academic staff and feel part of the School.
All of our programmes can lead naturally on to postgraduate study either in research or towards a more specialised qualification such as an MSc.
Exeter School of Physics has an enviable record in its research, with international recognition in many areas, both theoretical and experimental. In the last three years it has attracted £2 million in research grants and publishes around 80 research papers annually. This enthusiasm for research is reflected in its attitude to teaching, for which it has long had an excellent reputation. Undergraduates have the opportunity to do projects within the research groups, giving you a chance to experience the challenges of working at the forefront of physics.
All degree programmes involve a combination of lectures, tutorials and seminars. Projects provide a link with the world of research and are important not only in terms of the programme but in providing evidence to employers of your achievement. Assessment in the first two years is a combination of continuous assessment and end-of-semester examinations. About 50% of the assessment in each of these years is by examination; the rest involves project, laboratory and essay work.
We endeavour to develop analytical communication and presentational skills. The teaching is undertaken in a variety of ways, with lecturing the main method. There are also problems classes and tutorials. We wish to encourage active discussions in physics as this is a good way of understanding the more subtle concepts. Discussions with members of the academic staff occur in weekly small-group tutorials, problem classes, at the end of lectures and in the teaching laboratories.
Experimental skills are acquired in the laboratories, and here students are introduced to a wide range of apparatus and techniques. Being able to make reliable measurements is a cornerstone of an experimental physicist's abilities. Another, and very popular activity, is student projects, and they are tackled with great enthusiasm and energy. These can be on an experimental or theoretical topic. This type of work develops the individual's judgement and self reliance.
In a typical week in the first year a student has eight lectures in physics, four lectures on mathematics, a tutorial and a day in the teaching laboratory. There is a problems class every week which lasts approximately two hours. Time in private study is spent developing the lecture material, tackling the problems, doing tutorial work and writing up reports on experiments.
An Exeter physics degree is well recognised by industry and major organisations. Based upon recent results, with our physics degree your employment prospects should be excellent. Some 45% of our recent graduates have entered industry directly to work in areas such as research, design, development, production and management. Others (15%) have become hospital physicists or research assistants in universities, have joined the media industry, or have entered the scientific civil service or armed forces. About 24% went on to undertake a postgraduate qualification before embarking on their careers.
