Master of Physics

Last updated

A Master of Physics honours (or MPhys (Hons)) degree is a specific master's degree for courses in the field of physics. [1]

Contents

United Kingdom

In England and Wales, the MPhys is an undergraduate award available after pursuing a four-year course of study at a university. [2] In Scotland the course has a five-year duration. In some universities, the degree has the variant abbreviation MSci. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] These are taught courses, with a research element in the final year — this can vary from a small component to an entire year working with a research group — and are not available as postgraduate qualifications in most cases, although depending on institution the final year can be considered as approximately equivalent to an MSc.

Structure

In terms of course structure, MPhys degrees usually follow the pattern familiar from bachelor's degrees with lectures, laboratory work, coursework and exams each year. Usually one, or more commonly two, substantial projects are to be completed in the fourth year which may well have research elements. At the end of the second or third years, there is usually a threshold of academic performance in examinations to be reached to allow progression into the final year. Final results are, in most cases, awarded on the standard British undergraduate degree classification scale, although some universities award something structurally similar to 'Distinction', 'Merit', 'Pass' or 'Fail', as this is often the way that taught postgraduate master's degrees are classified.

Degree schemes

It is usual for there to be some variation in the MPhys schemes, to allow for students to study the area of physics which most interests them. For example, Lancaster University's physics department offer the following [8] schemes:

These schemes will usually incorporate the same core modules with additional scheme specific modules. Students tend to take all the same core modules during their first year and start to specialise in their second year. In some cases, optional modules can be taken from other schemes.

See also

Related Research Articles

Physicist Scientist specialising in the field of physics

A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate causes of phenomena, and usually frame their understanding in mathematical terms. Physicists work across a wide range of research fields, spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic and particle physics, through biological physics, to cosmological length scales encompassing the universe as a whole. The field generally includes two types of physicists: experimental physicists who specialize in the observation of physical phenomena and the analysis of experiments, and theoretical physicists who specialize in mathematical modeling of physical systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. Physicists can apply their knowledge towards solving practical problems or to developing new technologies.

Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for academic or professional degrees, academic or professional certificates, academic or professional diplomas, or other qualifications for which a first or bachelor's degree generally is required, and it is normally considered to be part of higher education. In North America, this level is typically referred to as graduate school.

Open University University in Milton Keynes, UK

The Open University (OU) is a public research university and the largest university in the UK for undergraduate education. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off-campus; many of its courses can also be studied anywhere in the world. There are also a number of full-time postgraduate research students based on the 48-hectare university campus in Milton Keynes, where they use the OU facilities for research, as well as more than 1,000 members of academic and research staff and over 2,500 administrative, operational and support staff.

A master's degree is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. A master's degree normally requires previous study at the bachelor's level, either as a separate degree or as part of an integrated course. Within the area studied, master's graduates are expected to possess advanced knowledge of a specialized body of theoretical and applied topics; high order skills in analysis, critical evaluation, or professional application; and the ability to solve complex problems and think rigorously and independently.

A bachelor's degree or baccalaureate is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to seven years. In some institutions and educational systems, some bachelor's degrees can only be taken as graduate or postgraduate degrees after a first degree has been completed. In countries with qualifications frameworks, bachelor's degrees are normally one of the major levels in the framework, although some qualifications titled bachelor's degrees may be at other levels and some qualifications with non-bachelor's titles may be classified as bachelor's degrees.

Master of Science Masters degree awarded for post-graduate study in the sciences, or occasionally social sciences

A Master of Science is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine and is usually for programs that are more focused on scientific and mathematical subjects; however, different universities have different conventions and may also offer the degree for fields typically considered within the humanities and social sciences. While it ultimately depends upon the specific program, earning a Master of Science degree typically includes writing a thesis.

The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application.

Degree abbreviations are used as an alternative way to specify an academic degree instead of spelling out the title in full, such as in reference books such as Who's Who and on business cards. Many degree titles have more than one possible abbreviation, with the abbreviation used varying between different universities. In the UK it is normal not to punctuate abbreviations for degrees with full stops, although this is done at some universities.

The system of academic degrees at the University of Oxford can be confusing to those not familiar with it. This is not merely because many degree titles date from the Middle Ages, but also because many changes have been haphazardly introduced in recent years. For example, the (medieval) BD, BM, BCL, etc. are postgraduate degrees, while the (modern) MPhys, MEng, etc. are undergraduate degrees.

Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles or designatory letters, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, office, military decoration, or honour, or is a member of a religious institute or fraternity. An individual may use several different sets of post-nominal letters, but in some contexts it may be customary to limit the number of sets to one or just a few. The order in which post-nominals are listed after a name is based on rules of precedence and what is appropriate for a given situation. Post-nominal letters are one of the main types of name suffix. In contrast, pre-nominal letters precede the name rather than following it.

A Master of Engineering is either an academic or professional master's degree in the field of engineering.

A Master of Mathematics degree is a specific integrated master's degree for courses in the field of mathematics.

A double degree program, sometimes called a dual degree, combined degree, conjoint degree, joint degree or double graduation program, involves a student's working for two university degrees in parallel—either at the same institution or at different institutions —and completing them in less time than it would have taken to earn them separately. The two degrees might be in the same subject area, or in two different subjects.

The Doctor of Engineering, or Engineering Doctorate, is a doctoral degree awarded on the basis of advanced study and research in engineering and applied sciences. In most countries, it is a terminal research doctorate. In the United Kingdom and Germany it is a higher doctorate. An EngD degree is essentially an engineering PhD with a solid industrial base and an additional taught element.

The Bologna process for standardisation of European higher education specified an undergraduate degree of at least three years called the "licence" or bachelor's degree, followed by a two-year diploma called the master's degree, then a doctorate, meant to be obtained in at least three years. Because of these indicated schedules, the reform is sometimes (erroneously) referred to as "3-5-8". The system applies to the European Higher Education Area.

A Bachelor of Science is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.

The Wast Hills Observatory was established in 1982 mainly as a teaching laboratory, as a part of the Physics with Astrophysics BSc/MSci degree course at the University of Birmingham. It is situated in Kings Norton, Birmingham, England, 8 km away from the campus of the University. It has developed into a unique training and research facility for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Blackett Laboratory Physics research and teaching laboratory at Imperial College London

The Blackett Laboratory is part of the Imperial College Faculty of Natural Sciences and has housed the Department of Physics at Imperial College London since its completion in 1961. Named after experimental physicist Patrick Blackett who established a laboratory at the college, the building is located on the corner of Prince Consort Road and Queen's Gate, Kensington. The department ranks 11th on QS's 2018 world university rankings.

The University of Bath Department of Psychology is a department within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of The University of Bath. The department is consistently ranked within the top five departments in the United Kingdom for undergraduate Psychology degrees. In 2017, the department's BSc/MSci programme was ranked 1st in the Guardian's university guide, 2nd in The Complete University Guide and 3rd in The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017.

Physics education in the United Kingdom is mostly carried out from the ages of 16 to 18 at secondary schools, or sixth forms, and to a higher level across the Physics departments at British universities. From ages 16 to 18 there is noted strong gender differential in the uptake of the subject.

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2009-11-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ↑ "Education" (PDF). Iop.org. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "Physics MSci - The University of Nottingham". Nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "MSci Physics". Qmul.ac.u. Retrieved 2 September 2017k.
  5. ↑ "Undergraduate degree course/programme in Physics MSc F302i – School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham - University of Birmingham". Birmingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "MSci Physics - Study at Bristol - University of Bristol". Bristol.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  7. ↑ "Undergraduate courses". Iop.org. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  8. ↑ "Physics". Lancs.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.