The Physics Department is based in the heart of Glasgow, the largest and liveliest city in Scotland, a country that boasts both outstanding scientific traditions and natural beauty. Each year 10 to 15 international students come from all corners of the world to join us: they enjoy friendly teaching, great sport and recreation facilities and (for those whose first language is not English) a boost to their language skills.
The broad scope of Physics courses prepares graduates for a wide variety of stimulating and interesting careers. Our graduates can be found anywhere from research and development to production and management, in every field of scientific endeavour, industry, medical physics, communications, the scientific civil service and environmental physics.
The Department of Physics conducts internationally excellent research. Most of the externally-derived research funding is competitively won in peer-reviewed processes and about half of the research income is awarded by the Research Councils, making the Department one of the larger mainstream physics departments in the UK. A commitment to strategic, as well as to fundamental research, has led to its success in attracting funds from a wide range of British and European agencies.
The flourishing research activity supports about 50 PhD research students and over 30 postdoctoral research fellows. The total current research grant and contract portfolio is £9M and the annual grant and contract expenditure on research is approximately £3M.
The department has three research divisions: Optics, Plasmas, and Nanoscience. There are strong linkages between the research divisions and external collaborations are central to many of the research activities. The Department also has strong links to the Institute of Photonics, which addresses the University-Industry innovation gap.
Major strategic initiatives have come to fruition recently. These include the Femtosecond Research Centre (FRC) and the Terahertz to Optical Pulse Source (TOPS), which are both multi-user and interdisciplinary facilities. The department has played key roles leading to the formation of the new Centre for Biophotonics.
Several research groups of the Department of Physics are involved in cross-disciplinary projects via the Institute of Complex Systems at Strathclyde . The ICSS started via an award of a Research Excellence Fund to support cross-disciplinary projects, workshops and international speakers in the area of Complexity. The ICSS coordinates research activities in complex systems across the Faculties of Science (Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Computer and Life Sciences) and Engineering (Mechanics, Materials and Electronics).
The Departments 's lively research environment ensures that a breadth of relevant up-to-date expertise is brought to the teaching. Our Integrated Masters, or MSci degrees, normally last for five years and are directly linked to the research interests of the Department. A major part of the final two years of study is spent on project work giving you a first hand experience of working on a real scientific problem in a research environment. Depending on your level of physics education, entry is possible into any year up to and including year 4.
 MSci Physics
This broad-based course with an emphasis on modern physical principles is perfect if you would like to study a comprehensive degree that allows you to experience the full breadth of the subject while still retaining the opportunity for specialization. In the later years there is a considerable flexibility in the choice of optional subjects from a list that typically includes Advanced Optics, Astrophysics, Environmental Physics and Nuclear Physics.
MSci Applied Physics
Designed around a core of fundamental Physics and Mathematics this course develops the skills necessary to solve practical problems in industry, with significant emphasis on areas of primary interest to high-technology industry. An industrial project is an important and integral aspect of this course.
MSci Photonics
This degree combines a strong grounding in mainstream Physics with specialisation in Laser Physics, Optoelectronics and associated technology. Special topics include Advanced Optics, Fibre Optics and optical Communications, Lasers and Optoelectronic Devices, Non-Linear and Quantum Optics. All students on this course undertake an industrial project.
MSci Biophysics
This is a unique course which combines a strong foundation in Physics with specialisation in biophysical applications and equips graduates for careers in the fields of Bioinformatics, Neuroscience and Medical Instrumentation. If you are interested in how physical principles can be applied to biological problems, this course is perfect. Relevant practical skills are developed throughout the course and in a six-month intensive project.
MSci Physics & Mathematical Finance
Offered in conjunction with the Department of Accounting and Finance in the Strathclyde Business School, this course prepares for careers in the finance industry, where the physicist 's abilities to interpret data and apply models to real-world problems is highly valued. Such graduates are often employed as qualitative analysts who model past behaviour of the financial markets to predict future share price movements.
 MSci Physics with Visual Simulation
A broad based knowledge of Physics and Mathematics is combined with studies of computer systems, programming and software development. Graduates have the ideal skills for careers in, or linked with, the exciting and fast growing IT sector.
The Department of Physics will award up to five of £2,000 each to the most qualified full fee paying international students (non-EU countries).
|
Organisation of Research
