Metadata
Title
Undergraduate study
Category
undergraduate
UUID
d6cc32bfd76540078d3bb604436c2d0d
Source URL
https://www.gla.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/physics-faster-route/
Parent URL
https://www.gla.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/
Crawl Time
2026-03-24T07:21:02+00:00
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Undergraduate study

Source: https://www.gla.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/physics-faster-route/ Parent: https://www.gla.ac.uk/undergraduate/degrees/

Undergraduate

Physics / Theoretical Physics (faster route) BSc/MSci

The Physics /Theoretical Physics (faster route) offers focused, high achieving candidates joining us straight from school the option to complete the Honours Degree in three years or MSci degree in four years.

Apply via UCAS

Programme structure

Year 1

Students on the Physics Faster Route do not undertake Year 1.

Year 2

Entering Year 2 you will be a part of a bespoke course for Faster Route students developing practical, problem solving, and communication skills. You will build on your foundational understanding of core principles and experimental methods in physics, progressing to more advanced techniques and contemporary developments in the field. The curriculum covers a range of areas, including fundamental concepts, wave phenomena, material properties, thermal and optical physics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and modern research topics, along with essential mathematical methods. Physics and Mathematics are compulsory in Year 2.

Years 3, 4 and 5

If you progress to Honours (years 3 and 4) you will continue to study in greater depth core topics spanning all areas of physics and explore a range of specialist topics of your choice. In the final year, you will work on an independent research project embedded in one of the school’s active research groups.

The Physics degree programmes emphasise technological applications such as laser physics, semiconductor physics and devices, and magnetic and superconducting materials.

The Theoretical Physics degree focuses on more advanced theoretical topics, and will involve specialised computational project work.

There is an opportunity to take an MSci degree, which explores physics topics in greater depth and includes a more extensive individually supervised project working at the cutting edge of international research.

Course details

Year 1

Students on the Physics faster route do not undertake Year 1.

Year 2

Core courses

Optional courses

Year 3

Core courses

Optional courses

Year 4

Core courses

Year 5 (MSci students only)

Core courses

Year 4 and 5 optional courses

Indicative list of optional courses open to Year 4 and Year 5 students

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Programme alteration or discontinuation\ The University of Glasgow endeavours to run all programmes as advertised. In exceptional circumstances, however, the University may withdraw or alter a programme. For more information, please see: Student contract.

You will have the opportunity to study abroad at one of our partner universities as part of your degree. This won’t add any extra time to your studies; see Study abroad.

Entry requirements

for entry in 2026

Entry requirements for Physics / Theoretical Physics (faster route)

SQA Higher faster route entry requirements

A-level faster route entry requirements

IB faster route entry requirements

Admissions guidance

English language

For applicants from non-English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Government, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

English language requirements

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)

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Common equivalent English language qualifications for entry to this programme

TOEFL (ibt, mybest or athome)

Tests taken up to 20 January 2026

Tests taken from 21 January 2026

Pearsons PTE Academic

Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE)

Oxford ELLT

LanguageCert Academic SELT

Password Skills Plus

Trinity College Tests

University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses

School Qualifications

International School Qualifications

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Alternatives to English Language qualification

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELT) but we do not require a specific UKVI SELT for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

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Pre-sessional courses

We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:

For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see:

We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:

FAQs

What do I do if...

my language qualifications are below the requirements?

The University's School of Modern Languages and Cultures offers a range of Pre-sessional courses to bring you up to entry level. The course is accredited by BALEAP, the UK professional association for academic English teaching.

my language qualifications are not listed here?

Please contact External Relations

If you require a Tier 4 student visa, your qualification must be one of the secure English language tests accepted by UK Border Agency:

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Visa requirements and proof of English language level

It is a visa requirement to provide information on your level of English based on an internationally recognised and secure English language test. All test reports must be no more than 2 years old. A list of these can be found on the UK Border Agency website. If you have never taken one of these tests before, you can get an initial idea of your level by using the Common European Framework self-assessment grid which gives you a level for each skill (e.g. listening B1/writing B2 etc.) However, please note that this is not a secure English language test and it is not sufficient evidence of your level of English for visa requirements.

Further information about English language: School of Modern Languages & Cultures: English for Academic Study

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Career prospects

The scientific knowledge and mathematical and analytical skills you acquire will equip you to work across a wide range of industries including aerospace, electronics, semiconductors, petroleum, communications, computing, medical physics, education, commerce and the Civil Service.

Accreditation

Our Physics single and joint honours programmes are accredited by the Institute of Physics. Graduating from the MSci programme sets you on the path to becoming a Chartered Physicist.

Degrees and UCAS codes

When applying you will need to know the UCAS code for the subject or subject-combination that you wish to apply to:

BSc (Hons)

Physics (Faster Route): F303 (3 years)

Apply to F303

Theoretical Physics (Faster Route): F345 (3 years)

Apply to F345

MSci

Physics (Faster Route): F302 (4 years)

Apply to F302

Theoretical Physics (Faster Route): F341 (4 years)

Apply to F341

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

How and when you pay tuition fees depends on where you’re from: see Tuition fees for details.

Scholarships

The University is committed to supporting students and rewarding academic excellence. That's why we've invested more than £1m in additional scholarship funding in recent years.

Travel Bursaries

The University of Glasgow is offering travel bursaries to assist with public transport travel costs, to support undergraduate students who could face financial difficulties in taking up their place to study at the University for 2026 entry. The value of the bursary is 50% of your monthly public transport travel costs to get to University, up to a maximum value of £50 per month. Priority is given to new entrants to the Univeristy. Continuing students previously in receipt of the bursary can apply, however, preference will be given to new entrants.

The Scottish Government’s Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel scheme gives free bus travel to young people under 22 years of age. Please note that if you are under 22 years of age and can reasonably travel to Campus by bus, you will not be considered for the travel bursary.

GyanDhan Scholarship

The GyanDhan Scholarship 2026 is a test-based program for students across the globe, reflecting GyanDhan’s commitment to rewarding talent fairly. Open to students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, it supports higher studies in India and abroad, ensuring that ambition isn’t limited by past academic scores.

The Dima Alhaj Scholarship

The Dima Alhaj Scholarship was set up in 2024 in memory of a University of Glasgow alumna. After graduating, Dima worked in Gaza with the World Health Organization as a patient administrator at the limb reconstruction centre, as part of the trauma and emergency team and was tragically killed in Gaza in November 2023.

The University is offering the Dima Alhaj Scholarship to 1 undergraduate applicant and 1 postgraduate taught applicant joining us in September 2026. Please note that you must have a programme application in progress before applying for this scholarship. If you have not yet started a programme application, please submit this first and then return to complete the scholarship application process.

This scholarship is not available to PhD, PGdip, PDGE or part time programmes.

This scholarship can not be combined with any other University of Glasgow scholarship. In the event you are offered 2 scholarships, the lower value scholarship will be removed from your student account.

The scholarships above are relevant to this programme. For more funding opportunities search the scholarships database

How to apply

Full-time students must apply through the Universities & Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

SQA applicants who are eligible for our Widening Participation programmes are encouraged to participate in one or more of these programmes, including Summer School, to support your application and the transition to higher education.

International students to Arts, Engineering, Law, Nursing, Science, and Social Sciencescan also apply using The Common Application: however, if applying to more than one UK university, we recommend using UCAS. Applications to Dentistry, Education, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine must be made through UCAS.

Application deadlines

We do not usually accept any applications after these deadlines.

It's your responsibility to ensure the accuracy of your application before submission. Requests to correct application content, change degree programme or change college of entry, will not be accepted after these deadlines. This policy is in place to ensure fairness and consistency to all applicants, and no exceptions will be made.

ATAS: Academic Technology Approval Scheme

Please note that this programmes in this subject at Masters level require ATAS. If yours is not one of the exempt nationalities,  then you will need to apply for an ATAS certificate before commencing your programme of study and applying for your visa or extension of stay.

Please apply as early as possible as the process can take a number of months to complete.

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) was introduced on 1 November 2007. It is used to help stop the spread of knowledge and skills that could be used in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery. This is in common with other governments around the world.

The ATAS is designed to ensure that people who are applying to study certain sensitive subjects in the UK do not have links to WMD programmes.

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Apply via UCAS

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