2024/25 Undergraduate Programme Catalogue
MPhys, BSc Theoretical Physics
| Programme code: | MPBS-PHYS/TP | UCAS code: | F340 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: | 4 Years | Method of Attendance: | Full Time |
| Programme manager: | Jiannis Pachos | Contact address: | J.Pachos@leeds.ac.uk |
Total credits: 490
Entry requirements:
Entry Requirements are available on the Course Search entry
School/Unit responsible for the parenting of students and programme:
Physics and Astronomy
Examination board through which the programme will be considered:
Relevant QAA Subject Benchmark Groups:
Physics
Professional Body Offering Accreditation:
Institute of Physics
Programme specification:
The information on this page is accurate for students entering the programme in 2023/2024 or before. For students entering the programme from September 2024 or after, you can find the details of your programme:
MPhys, BSc Theoretical Physics (For students entering from September 2024 onwards)
Theoretical physics uses mathematical methods to delve into the physics that governs our world and our universe. From developing cancer treatments and artificial intelligence to answering the fundamental questions of the universe, physics and physicists have had a significant impact across a variety of different industries – which is why it’s still such a sought-after and relevant discipline today.
Studying the theoretical physics degree at Leeds will provide you with a solid grounding in how mathematical methods are applied to physics topics alongside experience in conducting your own project work based on current research areas – including a collaborative research project in your final year. Throughout your degree, you’ll have access to excellent facilities right here on campus, including laboratories and teaching spaces in the Sir William Henry Bragg Building.
Our close industry links and innovative research activity ensure this course reflects the latest advancements and applications in physics. You'll graduate with the specialist knowledge, skills and experience necessary to launch a successful career in this highly valued profession, with a wide range of career options available to you.
Year1 - View timetable
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
Compulsory modules:
Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:
- Year 1 Physics Assessment - 100 credits
| PHAS1000 | First Year Physics Assessment | 100 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHAS1010 | Mechanics, Relativity and Astrophysics | credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHAS1020 | Thermodynamics | credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHAS1030 | Electronics, Solid State and Introduction to Quantum Physics | credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHAS1040 | Vibrations, Waves and Optics | credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHAS1050 | Coding and Experimental Physics | credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Optional modules:
Candidates can study up to 20 credits from the following optional modules:
| PHAS1500 | Introduction to Nanotechnology | 10 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHAS1510 | Planets and the Search for Life | 10 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Discovery modules:
Candidates can study up to 20 credits of Discovery modules, ensuring that they study for 120 credits in total.
Candidates who have chosen 10 credits of optional modules must take a 10 further 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:
| PHYS2050 | Communicating Physics | 5 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHYS2300 | Physics 3- Fields and Energy | 25 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHYS2311 | Physics 4- Quantum Phenomena | 25 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHYS2320 | Computing 2- Computational Physics | 10 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHYS2370 | Maths 3- Matrices and Operators | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHYS2380 | Maths 4- Transforms and Partial Differential Equations | 10 credits | Semester 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.
| EDUC2107 | Science Education: Issues and Challenges | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MATH2022 | Groups and Vector Spaces | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MATH2027 | Rings and Polynomials | 10 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MATH2041 | Logic | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MATH2051 | Geometry of Curves and Surfaces | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MATH2080 | Further Linear Algebra | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MATH2391 | Nonlinear Differential Equations | 10 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MATH2625 | Fluid Dynamics | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MATH2650 | Calculus of Variations | 10 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MEDP2002 | Introduction to Medical Physics | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHYS2015 | High Energy Astrophysics | 10 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHYS2150 | Stellar Structure and Evolution | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SOEE2092 | Meteorology | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SOEE2210 | Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics | 10 credits | Semester 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:
| PHYS3003 | Advanced Techniques in Theoretical Physics | 30 credits | Semesters 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:
| PHYS3383 | Advanced Quantum Physics | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHYS3394 | Quantum Matter | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHYS3511 | Advanced Mechanics | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHYS3543 | Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) |
Candidates will be required to study between 15 and 65 credits from the following optional modules
| CAPE3331 | Nuclear Operations | 20 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| MATH3071 | Groups and Symmetry | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MATH3113 | Differential Geometry | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MATH3225 | Topology | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MATH3365 | Mathematical Methods | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MATH3374 | Linear and Non-Linear Waves | 15 credits | Not running in 202425 | |
| MATH3385 | Quantum Mechanics | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MATH3414 | Analytic Solutions of Partial Differential Equations | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MATH3620 | Fluid Dynamics 2 | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MEDP3512 | Magnetic Resonance Imaging | 10 credits | 1 Sep to 31 Jan | |
| MEDP3531 | Medical X-ray imaging | 10 credits | 1 Sep to 31 Jan | |
| MEDP3532 | X-ray Computed Tomography | 10 credits | 1 Jan to 30 Jun | |
| NATS3200 | Machine Learning Approaches to Scientific Data Analysis | 10 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHIL3851 | Introduction to Philosophy of Modern Physics | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHYS3011 | Cosmology | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHYS3116 | Photonics | 15 credits | Not running in 202425 | |
| PHYS3190 | Molecular Simulation: Theory and Practice | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHYS3281 | Star and Planet Formation | 15 credits | 1 Sep to 31 Jan (adv yr), Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHYS3390 | Quantum Photonics | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHYS3422 | Magnetism in Condensed Matter | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHYS3505 | Professional Skills in Physics | 5 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHYS3523 | Bionanophysics | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SOEE3151 | Dynamics of Weather Systems | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SOEE3190 | Earth Observations from Space | 10 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SOEE3410 | Atmosphere and Ocean Climate Change Processes | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SOEE3535 | Atmospheric Physics | 10 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SOEE3610 | Oceanography in the Earth System | 10 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
Candidates may study up to 20 credits from the following optional modules
| PHYS3605 | Physics in Schools | 15 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHYS3610 | Group Innovation Project | 20 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHYS3705 | Physics into Work | 15 credits | Not running in 202425 |
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:
| PHAS5000M | Research Project | 60 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Optional modules:
Candidates will be required to study 60 credits from the following optional modules:
Students must take at least 15 credits from the following modules:
| PHAS5120M | General Relativity | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHAS5420M | Quantum Field Theory | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) |
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
| MATH5113M | Advanced Differential Geometry | 20 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MATH5366M | Advanced Mathematical Methods | 20 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| MATH5386M | Advanced Quantum Mechanics | 20 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| MATH5734M | Advanced Stochastic Calculus and Applications to Finance | 20 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHAS5050M | Current Research Topics in Physics | 15 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHAS5100M | Winds, Bubbles and Explosions | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHAS5110M | Exoplanetary systems | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHAS5200M | Soft Matter Physics: Liquid Crystals | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHAS5210M | Soft Matter Physics: Polymers, Colloids and Glasses | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHAS5300M | Superconductivity | 15 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHAS5400M | Quantum Many-Body Physics | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHAS5410M | Quantum Information Science and Technology | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHAS5500M | Advanced Bionanophysics Research | 15 credits | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| PHAS5510M | Physics of Biological Systems | 15 credits | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| PHAS5600M | Advanced Physics in Schools | 15 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) | |
| PHAS5610M | Group Innovation Project in Sustainability | 15 credits | Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) |
Last updated: 24/05/2024 12:44:42
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