Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology

Our Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology BSc course provides a robust foundation in fundamental aspects of physics, astrophysics and cosmology. You’ll explore topics including special and general relativity, quantum mechanics, fields and waves, the physics of planets, stars, galaxies and the universe. You’ll also be trained in key analytical and practical skills such as problem-solving, creative thinking, team work and data analysis, preparing you for a wide-range of future-facing careers.

You'll join a friendly and supportive department, learning from internationally renowned scientists, including those with links to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the LIGO gravitational wave observatory and the European Space Agency’s exoplanet exploration project.

In your first two years, you'll sample core physics fields and develop experimental techniques through integrated lab work. Your third year involves applying your knowledge and skills to complex astrophysics or cosmology related problems, enabling you to undertake novel research and develop crucial employability skills.

You can also choose to study for our integrated Master’s course (MSci), adding a fourth year to your degree during which you’ll get to choose from a huge array of modules, and undertake a substantial research project on a topic of your choice, enhancing key employability skills including project management, creative thinking, working as a team, and communication and presentation skills.

You also have the opportunity to transfer to the Study Abroad pathway and spend your third year at a partner institution before returning to King’s for your final year. This depends on you reaching a certain grade average and being accepted by a partner university.

Key benefits

• Top 10 in the UK for Physics (QS World Rankings by subject 2025).

• Award winning: six former staff and students in the Physics department are Nobel Prize winners.

• Study the skies with our own rooftop observatory and telescope.

• Central location gives you easy access to major libraries and many leading societies, including the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society and the Royal Institution.

• Study at the historic Strand Campus where Maxwell discovered electromagnetic radiation, Franklin took photo 51 confirming DNA’s structure and Wheatstone developed the electric telegraph.

• Be part of a diverse student cohort - King’s is one of the leading Russell Group universities by proportion of female undergraduates on its Physics programmes.

• 6th in the UK for producing the most employable graduates (Times Higher Education Graduate Employability rankings 2025).

Please see our online prospectus for further details on this programme: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/physics-with-astrophysics-and-cosmology-bsc