BSc (Hons) Physics Bachelor's degree at the University of Salford
BSc (Hons) Physics at University of Salford is accredited by the Institute of Physics, partially meeting the educational requirement for Chartered Physicist status.
About this course
Take your passion for physics further with a Physics degree at the University of Salford. Research-led teaching. Institute of Physics-accredited. Apply Now. From the provider’s course page.
BSc (Hons) Physics is a Bachelor's degree (BSc (Hons)) at the University of Salford. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Physics graduates from this provider, 90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 45% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £24,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Physics & Chemistry, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 90% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 80% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year one 6 modules
- Physics in ContextCore
Module details
This module focuses on the underlying skills required in science and engineering. You will learn the importance of units, dimensional analysis, problem solving, presentation skills. We will also review the use of scientific IT, and introduce CAD/CAM and its application. The module content will also highlight the relationship between these underlying skills and their role for scientists and engineers in the workplace. Seminars from various physics-based industrial organisations will give you the
- Physics Laboratory 1Core
Module details
In Physics Laboratory 1, you will learn core laboratory skills including measurement, data analysis and electronics. During the module activities, you will use these skills to undertake a set of experiments designed to complement the core physics ideas presented in other course modules. The module is taught in the laboratory, facilitated by academic and technical staff.
- Modelling of Physical SystemsCore
Module details
The use of computers to support problem solving in physics is widespread in both academic and industrial research. During this module, you will explore the application of numerical modelling, demonstrating how it can be complementary to mathematical-based analytical techniques, often allowing the examination the characteristics beyond the limitations of standard approaches. The learning focus is on developing appropriate physical models and is applied to the core areas of mechanics, waves and th
- Electricity, Magnetism and LightCore
Module details
During this module, you will learn about the physical laws associated with electricity and magnetism and how the motion of charged particles is governed by electric and magnetic fields. Module content will also introduce the properties of electromagnetic waves. The module is taught using a combination of lectures and interactive workshops.
- Mechanics, Relativity and Quantum PhysicsCore
Module details
During this module, you will learn about the laws and applications of classical mechanics, and how the principles of relativity and quantum physics adapt these laws to describe motion at relativistic speeds and of very small entities such as atoms and electrons. The module is taught using a combination of lectures and interactive workshops.
- MathematicsCore
Module details
Understanding and using mathematics is an essential skill for success in physics. During this module, you will review A-level standard mathematics topics covering algebra, trigonometry, functions, geometry, vectors, complex numbers and calculus, with emphasis on learning their applications to physics.
Year two 7 modules
- Quantum PhysicsCore
Module details
In this module, you will learn about the origins and principles of quantum mechanics. Both Schrödinger's wave equation and the matrix formalism of quantum mechanics will be introduced, with applications in the fields of atoms and electrons. The module is delivered using a combination of lectures and problem-solving tutorials.
- Physics Laboratory 2Core
Module details
During Physics Laboratory 2, you will learn about experimental and computational methods applied in physics. You will undertake a series of experiments across a range of areas in physics, learn how to record results and link your findings to laws of physics. You will further develop computing skills and apply these to simulations in physics. The module is delivered in laboratory settings with instruction and hands-on help.
- Waves and OpticsCore
Module details
Learn about principles of wave motion applied to mechanical, sound and electromagnetic waves. The module will introduce wave interference and build your understanding of diffraction in optical systems and applications. The module will also introduce underlying mathematical techniques including partial differential equations, Fourier transforms and convolutions. The module is delivered using a combination of lectures and problem-solving tutorials.
- Thermal PhysicsCore
Module details
During this module, you will learn about the laws of thermal physics and how the statistical properties of many particle systems relate to the laws in macroscopic systems. We will also introduce the concept of entropy and build your understanding of different states of matter. The module is delivered using a combination of lectures and problem-solving tutorials.
- ElectromagnetismCore
Module details
You will learn about the fundamental laws of electromagnetism leading to the development of Maxwell's equations and the electromagnetic wave equation. Underlying mathematical techniques, including vector calculus, will be introduced alongside the physical laws. The module is taught by a combination of lectures and problem-solving tutorials.
- Principles of AcousticsOptional
Module details
This module provides a general introduction into the subject of Physical Acoustics with an emphasis on sound radiation.
- Group Project in PhysicsOptional
Module details
This module is designed to bring together important aspects that are related to physics-based project work. You will learn: the use of CAD/CAM software in the context of design and development of complex scientific parts and models; how to construct simple sensor circuits and write interface software allowing automatic data collection; experimental design and construction, incorporating the CAD/CAM; and, interface skills, time management, teamwork and written/oral presentation skills via a group
Year three 5 modules
- Project in PhysicsCore
Module details
Working under the supervision of academic staff, you will conduct a research and/or development project. You will initially conduct background research into your chosen scientific area and produce a literature review highlighting the important history and progress made. You will learn to work independently and be responsible for your progress (monitored by your supervisor). As part of your final assessment, you produce a professional scientific report outlining the progress made and present this
- Nuclear and Particle PhysicsOptional
Module details
You will receive an overview of Nuclear Physics and gain an understanding of nuclear stability in terms of the Liquid Drop Model and of nuclear reactions involving neutrons, protons, electrons and neutrinos, and major experimental techniques and practical applications. The particle physics element will cover the basic discoveries of modern Particle Physics and introduce the ideas of Grand Unified Theory.
- Physics Laboratory 3Optional
Module details
This module concentrates on the advanced physics laboratory skills required in science, engineering and the workplace. You can choose to focus on either experimental or computational physics. You will build knowledge and gain the ability to use and understand the methodologies that underpin hi-tech materials deposition and analysis apparatus. Throughout the module, we will highlight the relationship between the module topics and their role to scientists and engineers in the workplace.
- Condensed Matter PhysicsOptional
Module details
You will learn how the fundamental laws of physics determine the properties of solids and liquids. The physics behind semiconductors and devices, magnetism and superconductivity will be developed. The module is taught by a combination of lectures and problem solving tutorials.
- Astrophysics and Planetary PhysicsOptional
Module details
Learn about the evolution of the universe, the structure and evolution of stars and galaxies and fundamental ideas in cosmology. In the planetary physics elements, you will learn about planetary formation, structure and the properties of matter under extreme conditions as found in the interior of planets. The module is taught by a combination of lectures and problem solving tutorials.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This research-led Physics degree builds from foundational principles to specialist study and independent investigation. You'll usually start with core physics covering mechanics, matter and energy, alongside mathematics for scientists and laboratory skills. In Year 2, the course moves to quantum and thermal physics, advanced experiments and scientific computing, then mathematical methods for solving real problems. By Year 3, you'll choose specialist options such as astrophysics, materials science, quantum science, computational methods or a research placement, alongside advanced topics taught by active researchers. You'll complete a supervised research project in a physics group, culminating in a degree-level investigation of your own.
Who it's for
This course suits students with strong A-level physics or equivalent background who want to develop both theoretical understanding and practical research skills. It's designed for those considering careers in physics, engineering, research, or related technical fields, as well as those planning further postgraduate study. The professional accreditation makes it particularly relevant if you're aiming towards Chartered Physicist status.
Careers & job market
Across Physics and Chemistry courses nationally, 85% of graduates are in work or further study within 15 months of graduating. Of those working, 75% are in highly skilled roles or continuing their studies. National graduate earnings data shows starting salaries (at 15 months) typically range from £26,500 to £34,000, rising to £30,600–£43,200 after five years. Check the university's funding pages for information on bursaries and scholarships.
University & format
The University of Salford is a public university in Salford, founded in 1896. This is a 3-year, full-time BSc (Hons) Physics degree taught in English. The course is accredited by the Institute of Physics for partially meeting the educational requirement for Chartered Physicist status. You'll earn a nationally recognised UK degree.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 85% |
| a previous degree | 5% |
| another higher-education qualification | 5% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students came in with a broad spread of qualifications and UCAS points. If you're worried about grades, this course has historically taken a wide range, and contextual offers may apply.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at University of Salford →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Physics & Chemistry graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £24,000 | £19,000 – £30,000 | 15 |
| 3 years after | £25,500 | £18,500 – £33,000 | 50 |
| 5 years after | £34,000 | £23,500 – £41,000 | 50 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in physics & chemistry · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Physics & Chemistry nationally
National figures for Physics & Chemistry graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2021-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Physics & Chemistry courses at the same study level.
Compared with 886 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Elementary occupationsSOC 2020 9 · 20% of published destinations · ASHE median £19,087
- Managers, directors and senior officialsSOC 2020 1 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £51,733
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 30; response rate: 70%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Physics & Chemistry graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Physics & Chemistry graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Research institutes
- Energy & manufacturing
- Universities
- Government labs
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Physics & Chemistry graduates.
Is this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £24,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.6 out of 10: NSS 88.4% · in work or study 90% · continued 80%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Salford
Physical sciences across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Salford University
10 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Physics & Chemistry right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Salford from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £18,600 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Salford’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Salford and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Salford
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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