Physics and Astrophysics with an Industrial Placement Year MPhys

Program Overview

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The Physics and Astrophysics with Industrial Placement Year MPhys at the University of Sheffield offers a comprehensive and practical education in astrophysics. The five-year program includes a year-long industrial placement, allowing students to gain real-world experience. Graduates are well-prepared for careers in research, industry, and other scientific fields. The program is accredited by the Institute of Physics and features unique opportunities such as a field trip to La Palma.

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

The Physics and Astrophysics with an Industrial Placement Year MPhys is a 5-year, full-time program offered by the University of Sheffield's School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. This program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of physics and astrophysics, with a particular emphasis on the latter. It offers a unique opportunity to gain practical experience through a year-long industrial placement, which can be undertaken at various locations, including telescope facilities in the Canary Islands and Thailand. The program aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for a career in research, whether in astrophysics or other scientific fields. It also prepares students for careers in industry, where their scientific knowledge and problem-solving skills can be applied to a wide range of challenges.

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Outline:

The program is structured over five years, with the fourth year dedicated to the industrial placement. The program's content is divided into core modules and optional modules, with a focus on astrophysics throughout.

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Year 1:

• Core Modules:
• Introductory Mathematics for Physicists and Astronomers: Covers essential mathematics for physics and astronomy students, including functions, differentiation, integration, and basic complex numbers.
• Introduction to Astrophysics: Introduces fundamental physical concepts and techniques used in astronomy, focusing on deriving results from observations.
• Fundamentals of Physics: Introduces fundamental concepts in physics, including electromagnetism, classical mechanics, thermal physics, waves, oscillations, and quantum mechanics.
• Observing the Night Sky: Equips students with observational and computational data analysis skills, covering topics such as positional astronomy, telescope optics, practical observing skills, and basic Python programming.

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Year 2:

• Core Modules:
• Stellar Structure and Evolution: Explores the physical processes occurring in stars, including their internal structure and evolution.
• Observational Astronomy: Builds upon Year 1 astronomy material, equipping students with skills to plan, obtain, and analyze optical imaging data of astronomical objects.
• Galaxies: Provides a comprehensive introduction to galaxies, covering their properties, classification, and evolution.
• Astronomical Spectroscopy: Covers astronomical spectroscopy, including how spectrographs work, the nature of spectra, and spectral diagnostics of ionized nebulae.
• Classical and Quantum Physics: Integrates physics content with supporting mathematics and practical work, covering topics such as classical physics, oscillations, thermal physics, quantum mechanics, properties of matter, and electromagnetism.

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Year 3:

• Core Modules:
• Particle Physics: Introduces students to modern particle physics, covering topics such as relativistic kinematics, particle classification, and the four fundamental interactions.
• Atomic and Laser Physics: Covers the physics of atoms and lasers, including the solution of the Schrodinger equation for the hydrogen atom, atomic selection rules, and the basic operation of lasers.
• Solid State Physics: Covers the electronic properties of solids, including the classification of solids, the free electron model, and the physics of magnetism.
• Introduction to Cosmology: Discusses the science of the universe, including its past history, present structure, and future evolution.
• Statistical Physics: Introduces the techniques of statistical mechanics and their applications to various phenomena in physics, chemistry, and astronomy.
• Problem Solving and Professional Skills in Physics and Astronomy: Develops techniques for solving unfamiliar problems in physics and astronomy using mathematical and statistical methods.
• Optional Modules:
• History of Astronomy: Provides an introduction to the historical development of modern astronomy.
• Nuclear Physics: Studies the general properties of nuclei, the nuclear force, nuclear models, radioactivity, and nuclear reactions.
• Astrobiology: Explores the search for alien life, discussing the frequency of life, advanced life, and technological civilizations in the universe.
• La Palma Field Trip: Provides an opportunity for students to undertake independent research, often involving practical observation and field work.
• Origin of the Chemical Elements: Looks at the origin, distribution, and evolution of the chemical elements.
• Optional Project Modules:
• Research project in Physics or Astronomy: Allows students to undertake independent research in physics or astronomy, often arising from current research in the department.
• Industrial Group Project in Physics: Provides students with an industrial project where they work in teams to solve a problem posed by an industrial client.
• Quantum Information Laboratory: Provides a foundation in quantum optics experiments and associated theory, involving single photon generation and detection, measurements of photon statistics, and photon interference.
• Physics Education and Outreach: Introduces students to topics such as theory of learning and teaching, skills such as video editing, and hands-on exercises in science teaching and communication.
• Optional Modules:
• Introduction to Soft Matter and Biological Physics: Explores the properties of soft matter, including plastics, gels, soaps, foods, biological cells, and tissues.
• Physical Computing: Studies the fundamental building blocks of digital processing circuits and computers, covering topics such as VHDL and C programming.
• Mathematical Physics: Covers topics such as linear algebra, complex analysis, and applications to solving Laplace's equation.
• Advanced Programming in Python: Builds upon basic Python programming, introducing advanced concepts such as defensive programming, classes, program design, and optimization.
• Statistical Physics: Introduces the techniques of statistical mechanics and their applications to various phenomena in physics, chemistry, and astronomy.
• Physics in an Enterprise Culture: Covers topics such as innovation, intellectual property, costing, and business planning, allowing students to create a proposal for a new business.
• Semiconductor Physics and Technology: Provides an introduction to semiconductor electronic and opto-electronic devices and modern developments in crystal growth.

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Year 4:

• Industrial Placement: Students spend their fourth year on an industrial placement, gaining practical experience in their chosen field.

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Year 5:

• Core Modules:
• Star Formation and Evolution: Covers advanced astrophysics topics, including observations and theory of star and planet formation, the evolution of stars, and astrophysical transients.
• Galaxy Formation and Evolution: Covers the formation and evolution of galaxies from an observational perspective, discussing topics such as galaxy types, formation mechanisms, and the role of active galactic nuclei.
• Research Project: Students undertake a supervised research project, applying their scientific knowledge to a range of research problems.
• Optional Modules:
• History of Astronomy: Provides an introduction to the historical development of modern astronomy.
• The Development of Particle Physics: Describes the development of crucial concepts in particle physics, emphasizing the role of experiments.
• Advanced Quantum Mechanics: Covers quantum mechanics at an intermediate to advanced level, including the mathematical vector space formalism, approximate methods, angular momentum, and contemporary topics such as entanglement.
• Optical Properties of Solids: Covers the optical physics of solid-state materials, including the optical properties of insulators, semiconductors, and metals.
• An Introduction to General Relativity: Introduces Einstein's theory of gravity, covering topics such as the principle of equivalence, tensors, and solutions to Einstein's equations.
• Physics in an Enterprise Culture: Covers topics such as innovation, intellectual property, costing, and business planning, allowing students to create a proposal for a new business.
• Astrobiology: Explores the search for alien life, discussing the frequency of life, advanced life, and technological civilizations in the universe.
• Semiconductor Physics and Technology: Provides an introduction to semiconductor electronic and opto-electronic devices and modern developments in crystal growth.
• Origin of the Chemical Elements: Looks at the origin, distribution, and evolution of the chemical elements.

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Assessment:

Students are assessed through a variety of methods, including:

• Problem sets
• Lab work
• Exams
• Essays
• Lab reports
• Presentations

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Teaching:

Teaching methods include:

• Lectures
• Small group tutorials
• Programming classes
• Practical sessions in the lab
• Research projects
The program is taught by a team of experienced and highly qualified faculty members who are actively involved in research. The program also incorporates unique approaches to learning, such as the industrial placement year and the opportunity to participate in research projects.

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Careers:

Graduates of the Physics and Astrophysics with an Industrial Placement Year MPhys program are well-prepared for a variety of careers, including:

• Research scientist
• Physicist
• Astrophysicist
• Data scientist
• Software engineer
• Computer programmer
• Science communicator
The program's focus on astrophysics and its emphasis on practical experience through the industrial placement year make graduates highly competitive in the job market.

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Other:

• The University of Sheffield is the only university in the UK that offers a field trip to La Palma, where students can experience life at a working observatory.
• The University of Sheffield is part of the White Rose Industrial Physics Academy, which provides opportunities for students to collaborate with industrial partners.
• The School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences is leading the way with groundbreaking research and innovative teaching.
• Physics and astronomy students are based in the Hicks Building, which has undergraduate teaching laboratories, classrooms, lecture theatres, computer rooms, and social spaces.
• The University of Sheffield has a number of scholarships available to students in the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
• The University of Sheffield is ranked highly in national and international rankings.
• The program has a high student satisfaction rate.

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• Tuition fees:
£9,250Home students 2024-25 annual tuition fee £29,110Overseas students 2024-25 annual tuition fee