BSc Physics with an Industrial Placement Year

This course is a chance for you to put your physics knowledge into practice in the real world, and build up more experience for your CV. Our students have worked on new particle accelerators and nuclear waste management at government laboratories, applied their analysis skills to data science jobs in the civil service, and joined the Large Hadron Collider team at CERN as part of their degree.

At the start of your course, you’ll cover the essential physics behind everything else you’ll study: heat, motion, electricity, magnetism and quantum mechanics.You’ll learn through lectures and practical labs so you won’t be learning about abstract topics in isolation. You’ll run experiments using the equipment in our modern laboratories to help you understand how important theories apply to the real world. Options include astrophysics, electronics and sustainable energy.

You’ll explore essential physics in even more depth in the second year and choose from options where you can learn how stars and galaxies are structured, how particles are detected or the physics of music. Optional programming classes can teach you skills that are valuable in many graduate careers, from data science to computer game design.

Your third year will be your placement year. When you return to Sheffield for your final year, you can branch out into lots of different areas and complete your own research project in physics. Your core modules will cover topics like particle physics, nuclear physics and semiconductor technologies. Options include topics such as cosmology, mathematical physics and enterprise.

Accredited by the Institute of Physics (IOP) for the purpose of fully meeting the educational requirement for Chartered Physicist.