Physics

About Physics at the University of Nottingham

We have a proud history of learning and innovation. Research undertaken within the School of Physics and Astronomy, by Professor Sir Peter Mansfield, was recognised with a 2003 Nobel Prize for the invention of Magnetic Resonance Imaging body scanners. This technology has already helped more than half a billion people worldwide. More recently, our use of quantum technologies to understand how the brain works is changing the way that neurological conditions are detected and treated.

Our research activities cover cutting-edge topics ranging from probing quantum mechanics at ultralow temperatures to understanding the largest structures in the Universe.

Our courses offer a wide range of optional modules, so you can explore new areas of physics and specialise in the ones that interest you the most. You can study topics as diverse as cosmology, nanoscience, and medical imaging and learn from experts in those fields. What’s more, there is flexibility to transfer between most physics courses after the first year.

The first year will provide you with the key practical, mathematical and computational skills for your degree. You will build up your knowledge of the subject through modules in the core elements of physics.

In the second year, you will build on the core skills developed in year one to study aspects of physics including quantum theory. You'll also have the options to specialise in areas of physics that particularly interest you. These topics include Principles of Dynamics and the Structure of Galaxies.

In the third year, the final major element is a research project. In this, you will apply your theoretical, computational and experimental techniques to a problem at the cutting edge of physics.