Physics

About the course

Physics is concerned with the study of the universe from the smallest to the largest scale: it is about unravelling its complexities to discover the way it is and how it works.

Discoveries in physics have formed the foundation of countless technological advances and play an important role in many scientific areas. Many techniques used in medical imaging, nanotechnology and quantum computing are derived from physics instrumentation. Even the World Wide Web was a spin-off from the information processing and communications requirements of high-energy particle physics.

The contributions of physics to solving global problems such as energy production, environmental protection, global warming and public health are essential and have an enormous impact on our society.

Oxford has one of the largest university physics departments in the UK, with an outstanding and very diverse research programme in six sub-departments:

• Astrophysics
• Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics
• Atomic and Laser Physics
• Condensed Matter Physics (including BioPhysics)
• Particle Physics
• Theoretical Physics.

Physics at Oxford is challenging and mathematical with a strong emphasis on fundamental concepts such as optics and relativity. 

There are two undergraduate courses, an MPhys and the BA. All applicants apply for the four-year MPhys in the first instance. The fourth-year MPhys option courses bring you to the threshold of current research, and can lead to subject specialism.

The department is equipped with state-of-the-art lecture facilities and teaching laboratories. Tutorials give students direct and regular access to physicists actively involved in research and provide an opportunity to explore scientific ideas with experts in the field.

Project work/international opportunities

In the third year, all students carry out a short project in the teaching laboratories. Students on both the BA and MPhys may have the opportunity to do industry projects investigating a real physics problem. There is further flexibility to undertake computational and experimental projects.

A wide choice of fourth-year MPhys projects is available across all six physics sub-departments.

'I’ve always wanted to study physics. I saw Apollo 13 when I was about 13 years old and there’s this bit where the scientists are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole – this made me want to work for NASA! But the more physics I study, the more I realise that there’s so much awesome stuff apart from astrophysics; I’ve ended up focusing on condensed matter which gets me thinking about the applications of physics in the real world. Learning the theoretical stuff is all very well, but I like being able to get useful things out of it. I am president of the Oxford University Physics Society. One of the main things we do is get famous physicists in to speak to us. This can help students to remember the exciting, real-world cool stuff that got them into physics in the first place, even when they’re struggling through reams of maths problem sheets.' Karla-Luise		'The tutorial system is one of the greatest things about studying at Oxford. Having to present your proofs and answers to world-leading mathematicians and academics on a twice-weekly basis can seem daunting, but it accelerates your understanding of difficult concepts and ideas, and equips you with the ability to deal with any other problems in a rigorous and precise way. The pace of the course is very rapid and the amount of material that is covered is vast. Very quickly, you will start to learn how to digest large volumes of information, understand it, and apply it to solving problems effectively. The ability to analyse situations critically, understand abstract problems and patterns, and apply a high level of computational knowledge are skills that are vital across all sectors and industries, both public and private, and are highly valued by employers.' Sara

Unistats information

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Visit the Studying at Oxford section of this page for a more general insight into what studying here is likely to be like.

Academic requirements 

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Subject requirements

Applying

Admissions tests

All candidates must take the Physics Admissions Test (PAT) as part of their application. 

All the information you need to arrange to take your test as well as how best to prepare can be found on your test page.

Written work

You do not need to submit any written work when you apply for this course.

What are tutors looking for?

Tutors are looking for enthusiastic and highly-motivated students with the ability to apply basic principles to unfamiliar situations.

The language of physics is mathematics and formulating physical theories requires new mathematical structures. Therefore, the tutors are also looking for a good level of mathematical competence and the ability to formulate a problem in mathematical terms and then extract the physical consequences from the solution.

Visit the Physics website for more detail on the selection criteria for this course.

Fees

Additional Fees and Charges Information for Physics

There are no compulsory costs for this course beyond the fees shown above and your living costs.