How to Apply to Physics at the University of Strathclyde: A Four-Year BSc or Five-Year MPhys, a Department-Taught Maths Course and Refurbished Laboratories, and Requirements for Home, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

The University of Strathclyde is in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Physics is taught by the Department of Physics in the Faculty of Science. A Scottish honours degree normally takes four years and an integrated master’s five, unlike a three-year BSc and four-year MPhys in England. This guide follows the website for September 2027 entry and speaks in turn to home applicants, international applicants (with a separate section for applicants from China) and transfer students.

1. Which physics degrees are offered

• Physics BSc (Honours): UCAS code F300, four years. The page says both Year 1 and Year 2 entry are available; it describes an integrated maths curriculum “taught by physicists for physicists”, a focus on theoretical, computational or experimental physics from Year 3, and the option to transfer to other physics courses, including the MPhys, if grades are sufficient.
• Physics MPhys: UCAS code F303, a five-year integrated master’s. The page says the extra year includes a semester embedded in a research group, there is an opportunity for an international research placement, and in the final years you can add a named specialism: Photonics, Nanoscience, Quantum Optics or Solid-State Physics.
• Physics with Advanced Research (MPhys): UCAS code F3F3, five years. It extends the MPhys with further specialisation and an extended 80-credit final-year project that starts between Years 4 and 5 (over the summer) and ends in December; options include photonics, nanoscience, quantum optics, plasma physics and solid-state physics.
• Physics with Teaching: UCAS code F3XC, a four-year BSc with school experience in Year 4; applicants who receive an offer must attend and pass an interview.
• Mathematics & Physics (GF13) is a joint honours degree run with Mathematics & Statistics and is only mentioned in passing.
• The key facts of all these physics courses list accreditation by the Institute of Physics. What that accreditation covers is not given on the pages used; check the website.

2. How admission works: direct entry to physics

• You apply to the subject: the BSc, MPhys, MPhys with Advanced Research and Physics with Teaching each have their own UCAS code; the pages do not describe a common first year with later streaming. The pages say both Year 1 and Year 2 entry are available.
• Moving between courses: the pages say you can transfer between physics courses, including into the MPhys if grades are sufficient; the grade threshold is not given on the pages used (contact science-ug-admissions@strath.ac.uk).
• What the years contain: Year 1 covers mechanics and waves, fundamental electromagnetism and quantum physics taught by the Department of Physics, a supporting maths course, Python, and a first mini project and a team project in the teaching laboratory. Year 2 continues the maths course, begins computational physics models in Python and extends experimental skills. Year 3 moves to the quantum realm, thermodynamics and solid-state physics with optional modules. In Year 4 you do an independent open-ended project in a research group over both semesters, with options from nanoscience, photonics and plasma physics to enhanced quantum physics. The MPhys has taught classes only in Semester 2 of Year 5 plus a semester-long research project. The website says the experimental laboratories have had a multimillion-pound refurbishment.
• Admissions test or interview: the course pages do not mention a physics admissions test (such as PAT) or an interview for physics (Physics with Teaching excepted); this is not given on the pages used, so ask admissions.
• Deferred entry: the pages for the BSc, MPhys, MPhys with Advanced Research and Physics with Teaching say deferred entry is accepted.

3. Prerequisites and grades

These come from the “Entry requirements” section of each course page, which the physics pages label 2027/28. The pages describe the standard requirements as normally the minimum level, and entry is competitive.

• Physics BSc (F300): Highers standard AABB or ABBBB (Physics B, Maths B); minimum BBBB (Physics B, Maths B). Advanced Highers for Year 2 entry: AB (Physics and Mathematics). A-levels: Year 1 BBB (Physics and Mathematics), Year 2 ABB. IB: Year 1 30 (Physics HL5, Mathematics HL5), Year 2 32 (Physics and Mathematics, at least one at HL5 and one at HL6). HNC/HND are considered individually; contact the university. The page adds that Scottish students continuing into S6 are advised to take both Advanced Higher Physics and Advanced Higher Mathematics.
• Physics MPhys (F303): Highers standard AAAB or AABBB (Physics B, Maths B), minimum ABBB; Advanced Highers for Year 2 entry AB; A-levels Year 1 ABB (Physics, Mathematics), Year 2 AAB; IB Year 1 32 (Physics HL5, Mathematics HL5), Year 2 34.
• Physics with Advanced Research (F3F3): Highers standard AAAA or AAABB (Physics A, Maths A), minimum AABB (Physics B, Maths B); Advanced Highers for Year 2 entry AA; A-levels Year 1 ABB (with A in Physics or Mathematics), Year 2 AAB (Physics A and Mathematics A); IB Year 1 32, Year 2 34.
• Physics with Teaching (F3XC): Highers standard AABB or ABBBB (Physics B, Maths B, English C), minimum BBBB; A-levels Year 1 BBB (Physics B, Maths B, GCSE English Language and Literature 4/C), Year 2 ABB; IB Year 1 30 (Physics HL5, Mathematics HL5, English SL6), Year 2 32.
• Mathematics & Physics (GF13): Highers Year 1 AABB / ABBBC (Maths A, Physics B), A-levels BBB (Maths B, Physics B), IB 30 (Mathematics HL5, Physics HL5).
• Lower contextual offers: see section 4; the “minimum entry requirements” row is used for eligible applicants, and the number of such places is not given on the pages used.
• AP and the US high school diploma: not on the course pages; ask admissions.

4. Home applicants

• How to apply: UK applicants use UCAS; Strathclyde’s UCAS code is S78, and for 2027 entry the application fee is £34.50 for up to five choices. The page says applicants who apply by the “January deadline” will get a decision by the end of March where possible; the exact date is not given, so check UCAS.
• Interviews: the application page says most courses make offers from the UCAS application, a few may ask for an interview or portfolio (stated in the entry requirements), and applicants outside the UK are interviewed by telephone where possible.
• Applying directly to Year 2: the page says that, depending on your qualifications, you may be able to apply straight to Year 2 or even Year 3; speak to the named contact for the course.
• Qualifications: Highers and Advanced Highers (Scotland), A-levels and the IB are covered above. BTEC and Irish qualifications are not mentioned on the course pages; ask admissions.
• Tuition fees: for Scottish students the fee is shown as “to be confirmed” by the Scottish Funding Council; eligible Scottish students may apply to SAAS to have tuition fees paid by the Scottish Government and may be eligible for a bursary and loan for living costs. Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland pay £9,790 a year for 2026/27; 2027/28 is “to be confirmed” (subject to Parliamentary approval). Irish citizens meeting the residence rules are treated as England, Wales and Northern Ireland for fee status.
• Funding: the course pages say students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland can receive the Strathclyde Access Bursary, Excellence Scholarship and Accommodation Bursary without a separate application; eligibility is assessed once the place is confirmed. The Excellence Scholarship is for new undergraduates from England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland or Wales who pay £9,790 and achieve AAB at A-level or equivalent: £1,000 in each year of study, identified automatically, usually notified by the end of October. Physics is on the list of eligible subjects.
• Contextual admissions: the university uses five kinds of contextual information; applicants in any one are considered against the “minimum entry requirements”, which are lower than the standard ones: a Scottish postcode in SIMD quintile 1 or 2; an England, Wales or Northern Ireland postcode in POLAR4 quintile 1 (a one-grade concession in a non-essential A-level subject); attendance at a listed target school; time in care (a guaranteed offer on most courses for those who meet or are studying towards the minimum requirements); caring responsibilities; and rural educational disadvantage in Scotland. Meeting a criterion does not guarantee an offer. The target-school list for 2027 entry is on that page.

5. International applicants

• How to apply: the “Apply” tab on the course pages says international applicants applying to more than one UK university may use UCAS, or they can use Strathclyde’s Direct Applications service, with separate entries for September 2027 entry into Year 1 and Year 2 (some courses list Year 1 only). The Direct Applications deadline is not given; apply early to leave time for a visa.
• English: the English language page gives the university standard as IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no band below 5.5, and for the Faculty of Science 6.0 overall with no band below 5.5; some programmes differ, so check the course page. The physics course pages do not state their own IELTS requirement. English courses are available if you need to improve your level.
• Qualifications: requirements by country are on the international entry requirements page; A-level and IB grades are in section 3.
• Tuition fees: the course pages give international fees for the Physics BSc and MPhys of £29,350 a year for 2026/27 and £31,100 for 2027/28; the MPhys with Advanced Research page shows only £31,100 for 2027/28. Strathclyde says fees are revised annually by no more than 10%, with a 6% increase given as the 2027/28 example. Course materials: the department provides free access to the recommended first-year textbook (the BSc page says free electronic access for up to three years) and core module material is on the online learning platform. Visa and immigration costs are extra.
• Scholarships: the course pages say there are scholarships for international students and send you to the scholarship search tool. Which scholarships physics applicants can get, whether they are automatic and how much they are worth is not given on the pages used for this guide; check the website.
• Pathway programme: Applicants who do not meet the direct-entry requirements can use pathway programmes at the University of Strathclyde International Study Centre (run by a third party). The course pages describe the undergraduate foundation programme as being in Business and Social Sciences, while the English language page says it leads to the second year of a business and social sciences, or engineering and sciences-related, degree. The two descriptions differ and neither says which of these degrees it connects to, so check with the Study Centre and admissions.

6. Applicants from China

• What the China page says (undergraduate, not subject-specific):
  • Year 1 entry (four years to an Honours degree): Huikao average of 80% with at least 80% in the required subjects; in provinces without Huikao, an 80% average over six subjects including the required ones.
  • Year 2 entry (three years): the same, plus a Gaokao score of at least 525/750, or at least 70% where the total is not 750.
  The page does not say which subjects are “required” and does not explain how these percentages map to the subject requirements for the courses in this guide; this is not given on the pages used, so ask admissions. The Highers, A-level and IB grades on the course pages are for applicants following those systems.
• Chinese applicants taking A-levels or the IB: apply on the grades shown on the course pages.
• Pathway programme: Applicants who do not meet the direct-entry requirements can use pathway programmes at the University of Strathclyde International Study Centre (run by a third party). The course pages describe the undergraduate foundation programme as being in Business and Social Sciences, while the English language page says it leads to the second year of a business and social sciences, or engineering and sciences-related, degree. The two descriptions differ and neither says which of these degrees it connects to, so check with the Study Centre and admissions.
• Interviews and recognised agents: the China page lists representatives for postgraduate enquiries only; whether undergraduate Chinese applicants have a special interview or agent is not given on the pages used for this guide; check the website.
• Routes with Chinese partner universities: the course list shows BSc routes in Physics for Donghua University and Shanghai Normal University, described as open only to students of those universities. They are not general entry routes; ask your home university or Strathclyde for details.

7. Transfers and Year 2 entry

• Transfers from another university: the course pages do not give transfer conditions, credit recognition or how required modules are assessed; this is not given on the pages used, so ask admissions. The application page only says that, depending on your qualifications, you may be able to apply directly to Year 2 or Year 3 and should speak to the named course contact.
• Year 2 entry: the BSc asks for Advanced Highers AB (Physics and Mathematics), A-levels ABB or IB 32; the MPhys AB / AAB / 34; the MPhys with Advanced Research AA / AAB / 34 (see section 3).
• HNC/HND: the BSc and Physics with Teaching pages say they are considered individually, so contact the university; the MPhys page has no HNC/HND entry.
• Credit recognition for university physics and calculus, and AP/IB credit, are not given on the pages used.

8. Overseas study and placements

• The key facts for the BSc, MPhys, MPhys with Advanced Research and Physics with Teaching all list opportunities for overseas study; partner universities, timing and costs are not given on the physics pages. The MPhys page mentions an international research placement in Year 5.
• The course pages do not describe a paid placement year; Physics with Teaching includes school experience in Year 4.

9. Timeline (September 2027 entry)

• UCAS January deadline (the website says only “January deadline” without a date; check UCAS): applications made by then get a decision by the end of March where possible.
• The Direct Applications deadline for international applicants and the interview dates for Physics with Teaching are not given.

Application checklist

Home applicants:

• Physics BSc: Highers AABB or ABBBB (Physics B, Maths B), A-levels BBB (Physics and Maths) or IB 30 (Physics HL5, Mathematics HL5); the MPhys asks for more
• UCAS institution code S78, Physics F300 and MPhys F303, submitted by the January deadline; contextual offers in section 4

International applicants:

• A-level or IB as above; IELTS 6.0 (no band below 5.5) for the Faculty of Science
• Tuition £31,100 a year for 2027/28; look up scholarships on the official search page

Applicants from China:

• Country page: Huikao 80% with required subjects at 80%; Year 2 entry adds Gaokao 525/750; which subjects count as “required” is not given
• The International Study Centre pathway is an option if you fall short

Transfer students:

• Year 2 entry: Advanced Highers AB, A-levels ABB or IB 32 (BSc); contact admissions for other qualifications

Sources: University of Strathclyde, Physics BSc; Physics MPhys; Physics with Advanced Research MPhys; Physics with Teaching; Mathematics & Physics; Courses A-Z; How to apply; Entry requirements by country; English language requirements; Excellence Scholarship; Contextual admissions. Pages read on 28 October 2026; some course pages label their entry requirements 2027/28, others carry no year, so check the latest on the website.