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2022/23 Undergraduate Programme Catalogue

MPhys, BSc Theoretical Physics

Programme code:MPBS-PHYS/TPUCAS code:F340
Duration:4 Years Method of Attendance: Full Time
Programme manager:Prof. Jiannis Pachos Contact address:J.K.Pachos@leeds.ac.uk

Total credits: 485

Entry requirements:

AAA (including Physics and Maths and excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking)

School/Unit responsible for the parenting of students and programme:

School of Physics and Astronomy

Examination board through which the programme will be considered:

School of Physics and Astronomy

Relevant QAA Subject Benchmark Groups:

Physics and Mathematics

Programme specification:

The programme will provide students with:
- a sound knowledge and understanding of the core observations, concepts and quantitative theoretical structures that constitute our contemporary understanding of the physical world;
- problem solving skills, including the mathematical, numerical and computational skills necessary to formulate and solve problems in Physics;
- knowledge and skills in advanced areas of mathematics relevant to a theoretical understanding of the natural world;
- an appreciation of areas of Physics which reflect their special interests and the nature of scientific inquiry, through the study of modules linked to the research interests of the School;
- the opportunity of planning and executing a major project, involving either original research or a thorough literature review of an advanced topic in theoretical physics;
- the opportunity of developing independent learning skills and of acquiring information technology and communication skills, including the presentation of work in both written and spoken form;
- a sound preparation for a professional career in academic or industrial research.


Year1 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

MATH1060Introductory Linear Algebra10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS1000Year One Physics Tutorials5 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PHYS1001Introduction to Experimental Physics20 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PHYS1200Physics 1- Fundamental Forces25 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS1210Physics 2- Properties of Matter25 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS1220Computing 1- Fundamentals of Programming10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS1290Maths 1- Scalars and Vectors10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS1300Maths 2- Multivariable Calculus10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)

- To progress to Year 2, students must pass all pass for progress modules (PFP) as well as the required number of level 1 credits. In addition, students must achieve an overall average pass in PHYS1290 and PHYS1300.
- Students intending to do a BSc Year Abroad in Year 3 may be required to study an appropriate language as a supernumerary module.

Optional modules:

Candidates may study up to 10 credits of optional modules

PHYS1020Stars and Galaxies10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS1040Planets and the Search for Life10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS1311Introduction to Nanotechnology10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE1281Atmosphere10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE1401Weather10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE1434Water10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Discovery modules:

Candidates may study up to 15 credits of discovery modules


Year2 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

For students on, or considering transferring to, the MPhys programme:
- Students must achieve an average mark of more than 59% in their second year modules to continue with or transfer to the MPhys programme of study.
- If a student has an average mark of between 55% and 59% they can apply for consideration.

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

PHYS2050Communicating Physics5 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PHYS2300Physics 3- Fields and Energy25 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS2311Physics 4- Quantum Phenomena25 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS2320Computing 2- Computational Physics10 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PHYS2370Maths 3- Matrices and Operators10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS2380Maths 4- Transforms and Partial Differential Equations10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Optional modules:

Candidates will be required to study at least 25 credits from the following optional modules:

Please note some MATH modules only run in alternate years, please check the modules you would like to study are running in the appropriate year.

EDUC2107Science Education: Issues and Challenges10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MATH2022Groups and Vector Spaces15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MATH2027Rings and Polynomials10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MATH2041Logic10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MATH2051Geometry of Curves and Surfaces10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MATH2080Further Linear Algebra10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MATH2391Nonlinear Differential Equations10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MATH2625Fluid Dynamics15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MATH2650Calculus of Variations10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MEDP2002Introduction to Medical Physics10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS2015High Energy Astrophysics10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS2150Stellar Structure and Evolution10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS2331Nanophysics and Small Systems10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE2092Meteorology10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE2210Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Discovery modules:

Candidates may study up to 10 credits of discovery modules


Year3 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

PHYS3003Advanced Techniques in Theoretical Physics30 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Optional modules:

Students must study at least 30 credits from the following and can chose further options up to a total of 60 credits:

PHYS3383Advanced Quantum Physics15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS3394Quantum Matter15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS3511Advanced Mechanics15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS3543Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Candidates will be required to study between 15 and 65 credits from the following optional modules

CAPE3331Nuclear Operations20 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
MATH3071Groups and Symmetry15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MATH3113Differential Geometry15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MATH3225Topology15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MATH3355Hamiltonian Systems15 creditsNot running in 202223
MATH3365Mathematical Methods15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MATH3374Linear and Non-Linear Waves15 creditsNot running in 202223
MATH3385Quantum Mechanics15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MATH3397Nonlinear Dynamics15 creditsNot running in 202223
MATH3414Analytic Solutions of Partial Differential Equations15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MATH3459Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics15 creditsNot running in 202223
MATH3567Evolutionary Modelling15 creditsNot running in 202223
MATH3620Fluid Dynamics 215 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MEDP3512Magnetic Resonance Imaging10 credits1 Sep to 31 Jan
MEDP3517Radionuclide Imaging10 credits 
MEDP3531Medical X-ray imaging10 credits1 Sep to 31 Jan
MEDP3532X-ray Computed Tomography10 credits1 Jan to 30 Jun
NATS3200Machine Learning Approaches to Scientific Data Analysis10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHIL3851Introduction to Philosophy of Modern Physics10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS3011Cosmology15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS3116Photonics15 creditsNot running in 202223
PHYS3190Molecular Simulation: Theory and Practice15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS3281Star and Planet Formation15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS3390Quantum Photonics15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS3422Magnetism in Condensed Matter15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS3505Professional Skills in Physics5 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PHYS3523Bionanophysics15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE3151Dynamics of Weather Systems10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE3190Earth Observations from Space10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE3410Atmosphere and Ocean Climate Change Processes10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
SOEE3535Atmospheric Physics10 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
SOEE3610Oceanography in the Earth System10 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)

Candidates may study up to 15 credits from the following optional modules

PHYS3181Group Industrial Project15 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PHYS3605Physics in Schools15 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PHYS3705Physics into Work15 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Discovery modules:

Candidates may study up to 15 credits of discovery modules.


Year4 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

PHYS5014MResearch Project60 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)

Optional modules:

Students must take at least 15 credits from the following modules:

PHYS5380MQuantum Field Theory15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan), 1 Sep to 31 Jan (adv yr)
PHYS5390MGeneral Relativity15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Candidates will be required to study 30 to 50 credits from the following optional modules:

Please note that students must have taken 120 credits at level M by the end of the 4th year and must pass 100 level M credits

MATH5113MAdvanced Differential Geometry20 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MATH5356MAdvanced Hamiltonian Systems20 creditsNot running in 202223
MATH5366MAdvanced Mathematical Methods20 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
MATH5386MAdvanced Quantum Mechanics20 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
MATH5398MAdvanced Nonlinear Dynamics20 creditsNot running in 202223
MATH5459MAdvanced Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics20 creditsNot running in 202223
MATH5567MAdvanced Evolutionary Modelling20 creditsNot running in 202223
MATH5734MAdvanced Stochastic Calculus and Applications to Finance20 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS5016MSoft Matter Physics: Liquid Crystals15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS5017MQuantum Many-Body Physics15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS5100MWinds, Bubbles and Explosions15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS5117MAdvanced Bionanophysics Research15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan)
PHYS5182MAdvanced Group Industrial Project15 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PHYS5300MSuperconductivity15 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PHYS5342MSoft Matter Physics: Polymers, Colloids and Glasses15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)
PHYS5360MQuantum Transport in Nanostructures15 creditsNot running in 202223
PHYS5411MQuantum Information Science and Technology15 creditsSemester 1 (Sep to Jan), 1 Sep to 31 Jan (adv yr)
PHYS5431MCurrent Research Topics in Physics15 credits1 Jan to 31 Jan (13mth), Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PHYS5440MAdvanced Physics in Schools15 creditsSemesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun)
PHYS5530MPhysics of Biological Systems15 creditsSemester 2 (Jan to Jun)

Last updated: 29/04/2022 15:45:49

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