Physics

Physics is a discipline that pursues the most fundamental questions about the natural world: what is matter made of, how do forces act across space and time, what are the laws governing energy and change, and how do complex systems emerge from simple rules? It combines mathematical theory with experimental practice in a way that trains a particularly powerful and flexible way of thinking, one that moves fluently between abstraction and measurement, between model and reality.

Edge Hill University offers this part-time physics programme which includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, making it one of the more practically structured routes through the subject available in part-time format. The sandwich year provides an extended period of professional experience, which is valuable both for the skills it develops and for the professional networks it opens. The year abroad adds an international dimension, allowing you to experience physics education or research in another country.

Throughout the programme, whether in the laboratory, in the classroom, or on placement, you will develop the quantitative skills, experimental methods, and conceptual frameworks that characterise physics at degree level.

You will study the core areas of classical and modern physics, including mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and optics, developing the mathematical fluency to work with these subjects rigorously. The part-time structure makes the degree accessible to students who cannot commit to full-time study, and it allows you to develop your professional life in parallel with your academic one, which many students find genuinely beneficial.

Physics graduates are sought across a remarkably wide range of careers. The quantitative and analytical skills developed by the degree are valued in engineering, technology, data science, finance, software development, and the energy sector. Research roles in both academia and industry are accessible to those who continue to postgraduate level.

Teaching physics at secondary level is a particularly important destination, given the sustained demand for qualified physics teachers in UK schools. The combination of work placement and year abroad gives graduates from this programme a professional and international profile that strengthens their position in graduate employment significantly.