Physics and Mathematics (with Foundation Year) BSc (Hons)
- Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
- UCAS Code(s): FG35
- Start Date(s): September 2024
- Duration: Four years full-time
- Study Mode(s): Full-time
- Campus: Clifton Campus
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Entry Requirements:
More information
Introduction:
We’re here to support you as you set out on your journey. We’ll build your mathematics and science skills and knowledge so you’re ready for the challenge of moving on to BSc (Hons) Physics and Mathematics in your second year.
You’ll get plenty of opportunities to apply your knowledge by participating in a series of projects on your own and in a group. This develops your problem-solving and creative thinking skills – essential for physics and mathematics graduates.
Don’t worry if you change your mind about studying physics and mathematics. You’ll have a solid foundation to switch to one of our other mathematics courses.
Our Mathematics and Physics degrees are current and relevant to the needs of the business. Our close links with the industry mean that, if you wish, you’ll have the opportunity to take up job placements with some of the world’s leading companies.
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Every year we offer a number of short research scholarships to one of our research teams. This is a great opportunity for you to further your interests and contribute to the academic activities of the mathematics department. -
Our students have recently formed a Mathematics Society, and you’ll have the opportunity to participate in regular campus events hosted by the local branch of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications
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Top 20 in the UK for teaching quality in Physics. (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023)
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Top 20 for student satisfaction in Mathematics (National Student Survey, 2022)
What you’ll study
In the modern world, many new employment opportunities demand multi-skilled graduates. Those with mathematical and physics skills are among the most sought-after in fields including industrial research and development, computing, business, finance and teaching.
You’ll use our outstanding laboratory facilities. Last year we spent £250,000 on new equipment for our teaching laboratories, including telescopes, CCD cameras, ultrasound scanners, magnetic resonance spectrometers, high-speed cameras, thermal imaging equipment and a high-resolution 3D printer.
How will I learn?
We will provide lectures, practical laboratory sessions, seminars and two to four surgery sessions each week. The rest of your time is given to self-guided independent study (reading textbooks, lecture notes and exercises)..
Placement Year
An optional placement year is available, this will typically take place after Year Three, and you will return to campus for your final year in Year Five.
Introductory Mathematics
This module introduces important mathematical ideas, including Algebraic rearrangement, Trigonometry, Vectors, Descriptive Statistics, Integration and Differentiation. You’ll gain an understanding of ideas that form the basis of later, more specialised developments, and you’ll be able to solve simple but realistic mathematical problems.
Intermediate Mathematics
This module aims to link Introductory Mathematics and degree-level Mathematics. You’ll cover more complex topics such as the chain rule and integration by parts, the generalisation of vectors to matrices, the approximation of numerical series, logic and probability, complex numbers and mathematical proof.
Foundation Science
In this module, you’ll cover physics and chemistry topics, including exchange, transport and conservation of energy and inorganic, organic and physical chemistry. This module aims to provide a sound scientific foundation for studying engineering or mathematics at the undergraduate degree level.
Foundation Engineering
This module includes basic electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering. Mechanics considers the consequences of applying forces to physical bodies; the electrical and electronics part of the module focuses on the scientific principles relevant to circuit theory, analogue electronics and components. Laboratory-based sessions will allow you to gain practical knowledge and experience.
Practical and Professional Skills
This module aims to provide a link between the theoretical modules in the course and their practical implementation. The professional skills aspect will help you interpret coursework requirements, exam and revision techniques, note-taking and referencing. The practical sessions will cover various topics that require you to use the scientific principles and mathematical techniques you’re learning in the other modules of the course.
Mathematical Methods
This module aims to consolidate and extend your previous knowledge of calculus and linear algebra, emphasising the underlying intuition of the techniques.
Introduction to Numerical Methods
Learn about important numerical methods for solving mathematical problems and develop computational skills using specialist mathematical software packages.
Vector Algebra and Calculus
Gain a basic knowledge of vector algebra and vector calculus and how to apply these techniques to physical situations.
Laboratory Instrumentation and Physics Skills
This module provides an underpinning of essential professional, laboratory and IT skills, including physical principles of electronics-based measurement instruments.
Ideas of Motion – From Galileo to Einstein
Understand how force and motion are related, from the ideas of Galileo through to Newton’s laws of motion up to Einstein’s particular theory of relativity.
Matter: Evidence for Quantisation
Providing you with knowledge in elementary quantum ideas and nuclear physics, you will develop your ability to understand and scientifically apply mathematical techniques.
Mathematical Enterprise
In this module you’ll work in small teams to develop a plan for a new business or enterprise, using your mathematical skills to showcase the viability of your venture. This module is run in conjunction with Nottingham's Creative Quarter and you’ll work with several local businesses to create business plans.
Advanced Calculus
Broaden your knowledge, understanding and skills in advanced higher calculus to topics including Fourier series, partial differential equations and complex analysis.
Thermal and Environmental Physics
Learn about the principles of thermal physics, including heat transfer processes, thermal expansion of materials, the behaviour of gases, atmospheric physics, the northern lights and the physics of climate change.
Fundamental Forces
Develop an understanding and appreciation of the principles, applications and relationships of the fundamental forces of nature: electromagnetism, gravity and strong and weak nuclear forces.
The Quantum World
Learn introductory quantum mechanics through the solution of the Schrodinger equation for model problems. This will reinforce your ability to deploy mathematical techniques.
Optional modules
Differential Equations and Modelling
Extend your knowledge of calculus, differential equations and linear algebra, and gain an introduction to difference equations, the Eigen problem and transform methods.
Numerical Methods for Ordinary Differential Equations
You will further develop your computational and professional skills and enhance your knowledge of specialist numerical software
packages.
Core modules
Project in Mathematics (Mathematics students only)
The final year project allows you to demonstrate and document your skills, knowledge and understanding of mathematics and show your planning, organisation and problem-solving abilities.
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Project and Professional Skills in Physics (Physics students only)
You will spend at least one full day per week in the laboratory undertaking novel research using modern equipment. You will learn the techniques required to formulate a research project, conduct a literature review, and critically appraise published research and scientific presentation. Recent projects have included building a 3D printer, optimising MRI hardware and studying the chaotic behaviour of a dripping tap.
Professional Mathematics Skills
Gain a broad view of the practical applications of Mathematics in the real world, especially in industrial contexts such as Finance, Physics and Engineering.
OR
Communicating Science and Technology
This module will interest you if you are considering a career in teaching and / or want to develop your portfolio of transferable skills.
Choose two modules from:
Differential and Integral Equations
Apply your knowledge of advanced calculus and differential equations to solve differential and integral equations.
Linear Systems
You will continue your previous studies in linear algebra and differential and difference equations.
Numerical Analysis and Dynamical Systems
Develop your knowledge of numerical methods with an emphasis on numerical optimisation techniques, advanced methods for the numerical solution of ordinary differential equations and applying methods to non-linear problems.
Partial Differential Equations
Partial differential equations are an important topic in both pure and applied mathematics. This topic builds on the introduction given in Advanced Calculus to consider partial linear equations in non-trivial domains and to introduce methods of analysing nonlinear first-order partial differential equations.
Choose two modules from:
Condensed Matter
Study macroscopic properties of matter, beginning with ideas of statistical mechanics and progressing to encompass the structure of matter, magnetic and transport properties.
Advanced Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Computing
In this module, you will cover some of the most outstanding intellectual achievements of physics, including the explanation of the universe on the smallest length scale.
General Relativity
You will cover Einstein's greatest theory which describes the working of the large-scale universe, including curved space-time, black holes and gravitational waves.
Advanced Experimental Techniques
You will gain insight into various sophisticated experimental techniques through innovative interactive classroom sessions and in-depth practical work.
How you’re taught
We will provide lectures, practical laboratory sessions, seminars and two to four surgery sessions each week. The rest of your time is given to self-guided independent study (reading textbooks, lecture notes and exercises).
Contact hours
Year 1 - lectures/seminars/workshops (30%) and independent study (70%)
Year 2 - lectures/seminars/workshops (36%) and independent study (64%)
Year 3 - lectures/seminars/workshops (32%) and independent study (68%)
Year 4 - lectures/seminars/workshops (19%) and independent study (81%)
A placement year may be taken between year 3 and year 4 of study
How you’re assessed
Year 1 - coursework (60%) and written (40%)
Year 2 - coursework (23%), written (60%) and practical (17%)
Year 3 - coursework (20%), written (73%) and practical (7%)
Year 4 - coursework (36%), written (60%) and practical (4%)
A placement year may be taken between year 3 and year 4 of study
Careers and employability
Your career development
You will develop numerical, analytical and computational skills, which employers greatly respect, and essential, transferable skills, including report communication skills, teamwork and problem-solving.
Our recent graduates have secured roles at companies including:
- Rolls Royce
- NHS
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Nikon
- Balfour Beatty
They have gone into a wide variety of job roles, including:
- Research and Development Analyst
- Aerothermal Engineer
- Software Test Engineer
- Secondary Mathematics Teacher
- Finance Officer
Many graduates also choose to undertake further study on one of our Masters-level courses or MPhil and PhD research degrees in areas including Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Quantum Computing and Detector Research.
Placements
NTU is one of the most employment-focused universities. Increasingly, employers want to recruit graduates who have real-world work experience. That’s why all of our courses, across every subject area, offer you a work experience opportunity. Our experts help build and support your future with various career programmes and events.
On this course, after your third year, you will have the opportunity to take a year's work placement (sandwich placement). This will give you a chance to gain vital experience and put your knowledge into practice. You're also twice as likely to secure a graduate job within six months if you take a work placement.
Our recent students have taken placements across various companies, including DeVere Group, Cooper Parry and IBM. They secured varied roles such as Trainee Wealth Assistant, Business Analyst and Auditing Assistant.
You'll be supported and assessed throughout your placement year and will write a reflective report and diary at the end of your placement. When you complete your placement, you will be eligible to receive an additional award of a Diploma in Professional Practice.
Find out more about work placements.
NTU Enterprise
You'll also have the opportunity to turn your ideas into a viable business with help from NTU Enterprise, NTU's purpose-built Centre for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise, a support centre to help students create, develop and grow their businesses.
Campus and facilities
Physics teaching and research take place in well-equipped lecture theatres and laboratories, supported by modern scientific, electronic and computing equipment, including:
- a custom-built teaching observatory recognised by the International Astronomical Union with a 20-inch and a 14-inch telescope and a 2.3m radio telescope
- MRI facilities, including a 2.35 Tesla Bruker Biospec scanner, a Halbach MRI and a unilateral MRI scanner
- a microscopy and imaging suite including electron microscopes, confocal and polarising microscopes, an atomic force microscope and a scanning tunnelling microscope
- a state-of-the-art micro-fabrication laboratory for creating micro-mechanical and microfluidic devices
- an excellent Ionising Radiation teaching laboratory and three X-ray CT scanners.
Last year, we spent £250,000 on new equipment for our teaching laboratories, including telescopes, CCD cameras, ultrasound scanners, magnetic resonance spectrometers, high-speed cameras, thermal imaging equipment and a high-resolution 3D printer. Our facilities and expertise ensure that our students get the practical experience that employers and researchers need.
Get Involved
Our student-run Astronomy and Physics Society organises social events and trips – all themed around hot Physics topics. Recently students have been searching for the Northern Lights in Iceland, visited the large hadron collider in CERN, and calculated the complex forces involved in roller coaster rides at Alton Towers.
Entry requirements
- 72 UCAS tariff points from three A-levels or equivalent
- GCSEs – Maths grade B/6 and English C/4
To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.
Other qualifications and experience
We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form.
- 72 UCAS tariff points from three A-levels or equivalent
- GCSEs – Maths grade B/6 and English C/4
International qualifications
We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:
Undergraduate preparation courses (Foundation)
If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Foundation courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:
English language entry requirements
You can meet our language requirements by completing our pre-sessional English course for an agreed length of time or by submitting the required grade in one of our accepted English language tests, such as IELTS:
Advanced standing (starting your undergraduate degree in year 2 or 3)
You may be able to start your undergraduate course in year 2 or 3 based on what you have studied before. This decision would be made following our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy.
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
Fees and funding
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there’s no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
Additional Costs
Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.
Library books
Most study modules recommend one or more core textbooks, which most students purchase. Book costs vary, and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential textbooks, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books from previous year students.
Field trips
All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to participate in optional field trips, which incur additional costs.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students earn a salary whilst on placement, which can help cover these living costs.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance, please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
Students will also be required to pay additional costs for printing, poster preparation and final dissertation copies in their final year - estimated costs of approximately £20 - £50.
Other
Students will require a basic scientific calculator for examinations (e.g. Casio 83 or 85 series, approximately £15).
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, contact our Student Financial Support Service by telephone at +44 (0)115 848 2494.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are payable for each year that you are at the University. The tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your undergraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government. See our fees.
Scholarships
We offer scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for your scholarship when offered to study at NTU.
Living costs
Get advice on the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget:
Paying fees
Find out about advanced payments, instalment plan options and how to make payments securely to the University:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
What do the course fees cover?
Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.
Library books
Most study modules recommend one or more core textbooks, which most students purchase. Book costs vary, and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential textbooks, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books from previous year students available to buy.
Field trips
All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to participate in optional field trips, which incur additional costs.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students earn a salary whilst on placement, which can help cover these living costs.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance, please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
Students will also be required to pay additional costs for printing, poster preparation and final dissertation copies in their final year - estimated costs of approximately £20 - £50.
Other
Students will require a basic scientific calculator for examinations (e.g. Casio 83 or 85 series, approximately £15).
How to apply
Writing your application and personal statement
Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only decide based on what you tell us. So include your qualifications and grades, including resits or predicted grades.
Your personal statement is a really important part of your application. It’s your chance to convince us why we should offer you a place! You’ve got 4,000 characters to impress us. Make sure you use them to show how your skills and qualities are relevant to the course(s) you’re applying for. For more hints and tips, look at our page on how to write a good personal statement.
Keeping up-to-date
After applying, we’ll send you important emails throughout the application process, so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!
You can apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our NTU applicant portal.
Application advice
Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example. After applying, we'll send you important emails throughout the application process, so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
Writing your personal statement
Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
The University's commitment to delivering the educational services advertised.