Master of Physics (Hons) in Physics with Theoretical Physics with Placement Year and Research Placement

at University of Bath United Kingdom

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.

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.

Explore the multi-faceted subject of international security and gain fresh and leading perspectives on this field from leading experts.

International security has evolved enormously in the last 15 years, with terrorism, human and drug trafficking and territorial and sovereignty disputes adding an extra layer of complexity to the traditional security challenges of states.

This course offers a focus on security issues, looking at politics and policy-making in the contemporary international arena, and the role of global actors within it.

You'll gain a deep insight into the diverse dimensions of international security, unpacking the practices and challenges of different governments and organisations and exploring how these relate to research and policy-making.

Studying this at Bath provides an opportunity to work with researchers who are part of the debate on both traditional and non-traditional security issues.

With expertise across a wide spectrum of topics - including cyberspace politics, borders in South East Asia, the American drone strikes in Pakistan, biological and chemical weapons, rising powers and global governance - you'll gain new perspectives on this complex subject area.

You'll leave with:

• An in-depth understanding of the new international security environment of the Post Cold War era
• Detailed knowledge of the theories and methods underpinning international security
• The ability to analyse current security challenges and practices and the impact of those on research and policy-making
• A strong foundation for an international career in administration, diplomacy, research and policy-making

This course is for those with a degree in an appropriate subject, such as public policy, government, international affairs, international relations, history or sociology. It's also suitable for professionals who want to specialise in security issues, whether you're working in an NGO, government or the private sector, or other relevant fields such as commerce, industry and teaching.

Vital in addressing global health and environmental challenges, biochemistry explores the chemical processes of living organisms at a molecular level.

Combine your interests in biology and chemistry by applying chemical knowledge and techniques to study biological processes. You’ll learn what’s happening inside cells, how they communicate with each other, and use this to predict how molecules will interact.

Tailor to your interests

In year one you’ll gain a broad grounding in biosciences to help work out where your interests lie. Then from year two, you'll choose optional units in specific areas, such as developmental biology, genomics, neuroscience, cancer biology and microbiology.

And to keep your options open further, you'll even have the flexibility to switch between our biology and biochemistry courses after the first year.

Placement Year

You may gain a competitive edge in the graduate job market by taking a placement year. You’ll work full-time in a role that might be undertaken by a graduate, where you’ll broaden your experience and transferable skills.

There are a wide range of opportunities, from working in marketing for a pharmaceutical company to a lab-based role at a research institute. We have links with some of industry's leading companies. Recent employers include Lilly, Field Studies Council, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Oxford Gene Technology, AstraZeneca, Genesys and LifeArc.

Prepare yourself for a career in specialist language work including translation, editing and précis-writing.

If you're interested in working as a professional linguist or working with the written word to provide translations and specialised language services, this course is an excellent option.

With a growing demand for highly trained speakers of English in the UK and abroad, this specialist master's will equip you to set up your own freelance business or work in-house for an international organisation or language service provider.

Unlike other courses of its kind, ours covers a wide variety of skills, including editing, revision, précis-writing and proofreading. Employers and agencies have told us they’re looking for these services, so having the right skills will place you in a strong position for securing work. You'll have the opportunity to gain skills in public service and commercial interpreting, and you will learn about setting up your own translation business.

In some cases, we can arrange external translation training. This may be in international organisations, such as the EU and UN, or an independent translation agency, and will give you first-hand experience of the workplace and valuable contacts for building your career.

The course is taught by qualified tutors. While some have worked for international organisations, others have developed their careers as freelance linguists. All bring extensive experience to the classroom to give students invaluable advice.

Develop practical and technical skills to design and engineer the built environment. Use integrated and creative solutions to engineer a sustainable future.

Our course is for students who want to ask difficult questions about the future of civil engineering. You’ll push the boundaries of design and construction to generate new ideas for our infrastructure and cities. Your knowledge will enable you to integrate energy, sustainability and environmental design.

In your first two years, you will learn the foundations of materials, geotechnics, structures and digital design. You will develop the fundamental engineering design skills and attributes, including ingenuity and communication skills, that are essential for exploring aspects of infrastructure and the built environment in later years.

Our courses draw on the strengths of a joint department with architecture, offering a different experience from most universities. Cross-disciplinary group work mirrors the professional relationships you'll experience in your career, and you’ll develop the imaginative approaches and skills needed to tackle a wide range of civil engineering projects.

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.

Combine electronic engineering expertise with advanced knowledge of computer hardware and software skills to develop the computer systems of the future.

Our course prepares you for a career in an advancing field at the interface of engineering and computing. You'll gain in-depth knowledge of modern computer systems, software engineering, computer graphics and embedded programming to become a systems-level expert.

Learning the foundations of electronic, electrical and computer principles gives you a broad understanding of the subject. Later in your degree, you can specialise with a choice of units including embedded electronic systems, computational intelligence or electronic design.

Working with the latest digital technology, you'll design systems such as embedded microprocessors, programmable integrated circuits or high-performance computers. You'll learn how to use industry-standard programming and hardware design languages, operating systems and applications.

Placement Year

Going on placement gives you a chance to apply theoretical knowledge to the workplace and develop skills in a professional environment. Your placement experience can benefit the rest of your degree and improve your career prospects after graduation. It can also be an opportunity to earn a salary during your degree.

Our students have worked at companies including Intel, Jaguar Land Rover, Thales, Renishaw, Nordic Semiconductor, Siemens, Ultra Electronics, Surrey Satellite Technology and McLaren.

Learn about global development from a heterodox economics perspective, and gain the skills to work in economic and development policy and practice.

This course addresses the contemporary challenges of global development, utilising core economic concepts, theories and methods. Rooted in real-world practical and policy challenges, the course is founded on Bath’s longstanding engagement in international development and applied economic analysis. It uses innovative learning approaches to promote in-depth investigation of cases and issues, drawing links across global, regional, national and local scales. We offer you the opportunity of a placement-based research project, providing hands-on experience to complement campus-based learning.

Direct your own learning with a broad-based training in the social sciences that is focused on cutting-edge issues of social change and justice.

This course draws on insights from several disciplines, including sociology, social policy as well as international development and criminology. You’ll be free to explore which issues or ideas in social science you find most interesting. You’ll study these from diverse perspectives and link them with relevant research skills. You’ll be supported in tailor-making your degree according to your interests.

In your first year you’ll study social policy, sociology and gain a firm grounding in research methods and sources of data. You'll develop an understanding of how society works and the levers of social change. Through tutorials focused on developing key academic skills in these areas, you’ll also learn how to evaluate data and information to develop your own arguments tailored to different audiences.

In your second year you'll continue a broad-based approach or choose to specialise in specific areas, whether it’s policy, social theory, or justice and conflict.

In your final year you’ll carry out a year-long social science dissertation. You'll be able to make use of a range of methodological skills you’ll have accumulated during the course.

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.

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.