Physics with Integrated Foundation Year

This course is available to Home (UK) students and International students who meet the English Language requirements.

Our Integrated Foundation Year will take you through a carefully-designed programme to help you to progress confidently onto your undergraduate degree.

Engineering, Physical, Computational and Mathematical sciences underpin modern technological society and can help us provide answers to fundamental questions. Graduates with these degrees are highly sought after by employers. The (Physics/Electronic Engineering/Computer Science/Mathematics) Foundation Year provides progressive structures in which you are able to gain knowledge and understanding of approaches to scientific study and your chosen degree subject.

All Foundation Year students take ‘Global Perspectives’, then four subject-based courses provide familiarity with Mathematics and computation – the language of modern science and technology, and key for success in science, technology and engineering.

Once you have completed your Foundation year, you progress onto the full degree programme, MSci Physics.

Our students often say their enthusiasm to study Physics stems from wanting to learn more about the Higgs particle, dark matter, nanotechnology or just a wide-ranging curiosity about how things really work. Whatever your reasons, our Physics department aims to inform and excite you in the study of Physics, the most fundamental of the sciences.

As one of the most respected centres for Physics teaching and research in the UK, you will join a vibrant environment, where you can pursue your studies and plan your future career.

On our four-year MSci course, we’ll cover the core material that a graduate physicist would be expected to know, including quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, statistical physics and thermodynamics, Einstein’s relativistic physics and the study of the fundamental structure of matter and the universe.  You’ll also develop the mathematical, experimental and conceptual knowledge and skills to a more advanced level.

Your fourth year is intercollegiate, which means you can pick choices from other University of London colleges – modules can include Quantum Computation, Nanoscale Physics and others. You’ll also develop experimental, conceptual and observational skills from your final year Major Project, which will make you an attractive candidate in a range of sectors, including management and finance, as well as scientific, technical, engineering and teaching careers.

We’re based at the heart of the campus, where you’ll have access to laboratories, technical help, academic staff and, on the roof of the department, our astronomical dome. In Egham Surrey, we’re well away from the light pollution of the big city so our telescopes can give you the best observational astronomy in the University of London. Beyond the specialist equipment, we also have video-conferencing facilities that allow people to take part in seminars and lectures at other institutions.

• Research is expanding in new and exciting directions, plus strategic partnerships such as CERN and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), SNOLAB and with industry, and there are impressive research facilities in the Physics labs with dedicated technical help.

• We put a real emphasis on small group teaching – a close-knit, friendly and supportive environment with high staff-student ratio and an open door policy.

• We enjoy a strong track record of high student satisfaction in the annual National Student Survey.

• We’ve been awarded IOP Juno Champion and Athena SWAN silver awards for best practice in equality, promoting women in science and welcoming large cohorts of female students

• This course is fully accredited by the Institute of Physics (IOP)

Course Modules

Core Modules

Foundation Year

• Foundation Programming

• Foundation Physical Sciences I

• Foundation Mathematics I

• Foundation Physical Sciences II

• Engineering Society

• Foundation Mathematics II

Year 1

• Mathematics for Scientists 1

• Mathematics for Scientists 2

• Scientific Skills 1

• Scientific Skills 2

• Classical Mechanics

• Fields and Waves

• Classical Matter

• Physics of the Universe

• Academic Integrity

Year 2

• Mathematical Methods

• Scientific Computing Skills

• Quantum Mechanics

• Scientific Skills 3

• Optics

• Electromagnetism

• Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics

• The Solid State

Year 3

• Advanced Skills in Physics

• Experimental or Theoretical Project

Optional Modules

Below is a taster of some of the exciting optional modules that students on the course could choose from during this academic year. Please be aware these do change over time, and optional modules may be withdrawn or new ones added.

Year 1

• All modules are core

Year 2

• All modules are core

Year 3

• Advanced Classical Physics

• Further Mathematical Methods

• Nonlinear Dynamical Systems

• C++ and Object Oriented Programming

• Signal Recovery and Handling

• Quantum Theory

• Particle Physics

• Metals and Semiconductors

• Superconductivity and Magnetism

• Frontiers of Metrology

• General Relativity and Cosmology

• Stellar Astrophysics

• Particle Astrophysics

• Planetary Geology and Geophysics

• Particle Detectors and Accelerators

• Astronomy

• Energy and Climate Science

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/physics/physics-with-integrated-foundation-year/

In your Foundation Year, teaching methods include a mixture of lectures, practical classes and workshops, laboratory classes, individual tutorials, and supervisory sessions. Outside of the classroom you’ll undertake guided and independent practice. You will be assigned a Personal Tutor in the Department of Physics and will have regular scheduled sessions. In the Foundation Year, you’ll also be assigned a Personal Tutor in the Centre for the Development of Academic Skills (CeDAS).  Assessments are varied; practical exercises, weekly problem sheets, set exercises, written examinations, laboratory reports, scientific poster preparation and presentation. In addition the Foundation Year offers a full range of skills-based training and also the opportunity to take a micro-placement to enhance your employability.

Once you progress onto your full degree course, a year’s worth of study is normally broken down into eight modules, each of a nominal 150 hours of study. Physics combines experimental work with conceptual thinking and mathematical analysis, each demanding its own teaching and assessment techniques. So these modules can take a variety of forms, including small group tutorials, problem classes, lectures, laboratory and computing assignments, teamwork, and one-to-one teaching in our laboratories.

For lecture course units, you’ll normally be assessed by a two-hour examination at the end of the year. Coursework and in-class tests also contribute to the assessment of many course units. Experimental work is generally assessed by written reports or oral presentation. You have to pass a minimum of six of the eight course units, with a minimum score of 40 per cent each year.