Master of Physics (Hons) in Physics with Theoretical Physics

at University of Bath United Kingdom

The modern world needs thoughtful, politically-conscious, questioning economists. Become a professional who understands how economics and politics intertwine.

In this course, you’ll examine the challenges facing individuals, countries and the international community. You will develop an understanding of government and society through core concepts such as power, justice, conflict, accountability, obligation, sovereignty and decision making. You will develop strong analytical skills which will aid your understanding of the institutional, UK and global context within which economic decisions and policy formation takes place.

In your first year you'll study key concepts in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. You'll explore political theory and analysis, introducing central subjects such as power and the state, democracy and the climate crisis.

In your second year you'll continue with more advanced study of political and economic theory. You'll study the exercise of power in societies and economies through an engagement with themes such as democratic theory, populist and nationalist politics, and the politics of race and gender.

In your final year you'll explore your interests through a range of optional units in both economics and politics.

By the end of the course, you will have an appreciation of the interface between economics and political science.

Critically explore how young children and adolescents learn and develop. You’ll focus on contemporary society, both globally and in the UK.

Education with Psychology is a social science degree that bridges the disciplines of education, psychology and sociology. You’ll be offered a blend of social science units that relate to the study of children and young people.

You’ll study in-depth the social and developmental contexts of childhood and youth. You’ll explore government priorities relating to children’s lives and wellbeing, and the role of education. You’ll also develop skills in evaluating policy and practice, from both an academic and work-practice perspective.

In your first year you’ll study core introductory units in education, psychology and research methods. You’ll examine philosophical, sociological or psychological perspectives of education, learning, policy, families, social justice and deviance.

In your second year you'll continue to study research methods and advanced topics in education and psychology. You’ll examine contemporary issues and challenges that affect children, families and young people.

In your final year you'll learn about contemporary issues in childhood and youth, educational psychology, and developmental psychopathology. You can specialise according to your interests by writing a dissertation on a topic of your choice.

Learn about key approaches in applied maths and data science that can be integrated to solve real-world problems.

The cutting edge of the application of mathematics in industry combines modelling, analysis and interpretation using methods from applied mathematics and the rapidly growing area of data science. This course is for you if you're interested in applying maths, statistics and computer science to solve complex problems in industry.

Course highlights

• Study a wide range of taught units in applied maths techniques, mathematical modelling, data science, machine learning and scientific communication.
• Gain real-world experience from group projects with other students and the opportunity to work on a project with one of our industrial partners.
• Projects and modules benefit from our research specialisms, including industrial applied maths, probability, scientific computing, machine learning, dynamical systems, asymptotics, imaging, modelling of waves and fluids, and mathematical biology.

Working with industry

A key element of the course is the opportunity to work on a real project with one of our industry partners. This may include some time-based at an external company. Some of our current industry partners include the Met Office, Barclays, Emerson Roxar and Raytheon. Industry projects give direct experience of the problem-solving process, including:

• Identifying the problem and translating it into mathematical language
• Processing and analysing relevant data
• Solving the mathematical problem
• Communicating the results to the client

Master the logic, rigour and proof of mathematics alongside the universal principles of physics to prepare you for a wide range of careers.

This course is for you if you enjoy and excel at pure mathematics and want to apply that to the study of physics from subatomic particles to the formation of new galaxies. You’ll get to understand the rigour and application of mathematics and how it underpins our study of the physical world.

Gain the technical and professional skills to pursue a wide range of careers as a chemical engineer.

Our course introduces you to the core principles and practices of chemical engineering. It develops your professional skills in engineering, mathematics, science, information technology, research, design, communication and management.

Through lectures and practical lab sessions, you’ll learn how to gather and assess data to develop industrial strategies. You’ll explore new technologies and gain a comprehensive understanding of process design. Your studies will give you the confidence to critically apply scientific and engineering knowledge.

You’ll also develop transferable skills such as problem solving, teamwork and resource management. Integrating these with your technical knowledge, you’ll learn how to tackle complex, and often open-ended, engineering problems.

Placement Year

A placement gives you the chance to gain experience and develop skills in a commercial or industrial environment, and can count towards becoming chartered. The professional knowledge you gain can benefit the rest of your degree and improve your career prospects. It can also be an opportunity to earn a salary during your degree.

Our students have worked at companies such as GSK, Unilever, Mondelez, Wessex Water, Biobean, BP and Exxon Mobil.

Gain specialist knowledge in pure and applied mathematics with a particular focus on statistics.

Mathematics enables us to reason logically, to understand structure and formulate scientific principles. Statistics is the collection, analysis and interpretation of data central to everything from scientific progress to medical research and the work of government.

This course is for you if you would like to study statistics and have a significant interest in mathematics. You’ll be trained how to analyse problems and interpret patterns in data to make careful predictions about the future.

Develop a deep understanding of the fundamental principles of physics, expand your knowledge with flexible options and get involved in our high-level research.

This is our broadest physics degree and gives you the opportunity to explore a wide range of areas in physics, from the nanoscale to the most energetic processes in the Universe.

As well as gaining a deep knowledge and understanding of physics, you’ll graduate with strong experimental, mathematical and computational expertise. You’ll gain powerful problem-solving, analytical and critical thinking skills, preparing you for careers in physics and many other fields as well.

Placement Year

Going on placement gives you the opportunity to apply your skills and knowledge to a year working professionally. You’ll be employed full-time in a role to match your future career ambitions, broadening your experience and transferable skills. This could give you a competitive edge when applying for graduate jobs.

You can choose from a wide range of roles to match your interests, from working in marketing to a lab-based role at a research institute. We have links with some of the industry’s leading companies. Recent placement employers include BAE Systems, CERN, Dyson, Morgan Stanley, Rolls-Royce and Samsung.

Make invisible social structures visible. Use social theory and research methods to identify and explore the processes and forces that shape our lives.

Through this degree, you'll study and learn to apply core social theory in practice. You’ll learn to understand the structure of today’s society, how it came about, and whether we could live differently.

This course will appeal if you want to gain an analytical and methodological foundation for the study of collective and individual behaviour.

You will not only expand your knowledge of British society but also compare it with other societies around the globe. You’ll gain practical research skills so you can investigate society in practice, in original ways, and in a variety of settings.

In your first year you'll learn how sociology can be used to think in new ways about our everyday life. You'll study classical social theory and qualitative and quantitative research skills. Through tutorials focused on developing key academic skills, you’ll learn how to evaluate data and information to develop your own arguments tailored to different audiences.

In your second year you'll study contemporary social theory and further expand your skills in quantitative and qualitative research methods. You will also choose from a range of optional units from various areas of sociology, social policy and social science more broadly.

You will also choose from a range of optional units from various areas of sociology, social policy and social science more broadly.

In your final year you’ll carry out a year-long dissertation and choose from optional units focusing on specialist areas in sociology.

Placement Year

The placement year will give you valuable practical experience and is an excellent opportunity to try different careers. It enables you to leave university with a strong CV and may set you apart from other graduates entering the job market. You can take placements in commercial, voluntary or government organisations, or in a research setting.

Learn about the deep connections between mathematics and theoretical physics and develop your scientific computing and theoretical modelling skills to understand and solve complex physical problems.

This course is for you if you want to study a broad physics degree with less emphasis on experimental laboratories and a stronger focus on theoretical, mathematical and computational aspects of physics.

You'll study the cornerstones of theoretical physics while developing your understanding of their mathematical foundations. Our courses reflect our theoretical research expertise in condensed matter, photonics and astrophysics. The computational physics and programming aspects also reflect the more applied nature of our theoretical research.

The combination of theoretical and practical knowledge of physics and mathematics is highly sought-after by employers and also gives an excellent grounding for postgraduate or industrial research.

Year abroad

Broaden your horizons by spending a year studying at a university abroad. You’ll experience another culture whilst studying a course that complements your studies at Bath.

We currently have links with universities in North America, Australasia, Asia and Europe, including Purdue University, the University of Queensland, National University Singapore and the University of Helsinki.

Learn how engineering, manufacturing and management work together in industry. Gain expertise in product creation processes from design to end manufacture.

Our course develops your understanding of the sciences and disciplines relating to manufacturing. You’ll study engineering, manufacturing and management to understand their role in production processes.

We draw on our links with industry to build your knowledge of the integrated systems, processes and technologies used in advanced manufacturing. Learning about the latest engineering developments will inspire you to explore ways to produce high quality products at a low cost.

Your first two years give you a grounding in core mechanical engineering principles. You'll combine this with physical science, mathematics and computing to analyse engineering systems.