Physics with Philosophy

Physics and philosophy have been in dialogue since the ancient Greeks, and the questions they raise about each other are among the most profound in the academic world. Physics asks how the universe works, deploying mathematics and experiment to discover the laws governing matter, energy, space and time. Philosophy asks what those discoveries mean, whether the laws of physics could have been otherwise, what it means for time to flow, whether determinism is true, and how scientific knowledge is possible at all.

At the University of York, this three-year full-time degree takes both disciplines seriously, and the combination produces graduates with an unusual combination of quantitative rigour and conceptual depth. A sandwich year, year abroad and work placement add professional and international experience to an already rich programme.

You will study the core content of a physics degree, including classical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics and special relativity, alongside mathematical methods and laboratory work. The philosophy component engages with logic, epistemology, metaphysics, the philosophy of science and the philosophy of mind, developing your ability to construct and evaluate arguments at the highest levels of abstraction. The two subjects inform each other: physics gives you concrete examples of the problems philosophy addresses, and philosophy gives you conceptual tools for thinking about what physics actually tells us.

A typical tariff of around 152 points is expected.

Graduates from physics with philosophy are genuinely versatile. The quantitative and computational skills from physics open doors in data science, technology, finance and research; the philosophical training adds analytical depth that is valued in law, the civil service, journalism and academia. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in physics, philosophy, or areas that bridge the two such as philosophy of physics or foundations of quantum mechanics, while others move into the wide range of careers available to physics graduates.