Physicist

You can do a degree to start your career in physics. The course you choose will depend on your area of interest.

Course examples include:

• physics
• astrophysics
• mathematics
• medical physics
• computer science
• engineering physics

If you do not have the required entry qualifications to do a physics degree, you may be able to do a 1-year physics foundation course before moving onto a degree.

Some physics degrees combine an undergraduate course with a postgraduate master's qualification, like an MPhys or MSci. On these, you'll do more independent research, and courses can lead to further study for a PhD.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including maths and physics

• a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
• university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

You could apply for a Degree Apprenticeship work-based training scheme. There are a lot of options available to develop your skills in physics.

Examples include:

• Robotics Engineer Level 6
• Nuclear Scientist Level 6
• Space Systems Engineer Level 6
• Scientist Level 6
• Research Scientist Level 7

These apprenticeships take between 3 and 5 years to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• apprenticeship levels|https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/apprentices/about-apprenticeships#UnderstandingApprenticeshiplevelsandqualifications
• guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

You may be able to apply for a place on a graduate training scheme with a commercial company, government department or university, after completing your degree or postgraduate qualification.

Career Tips

Try to get some work experience to find out more about job roles and the areas where you could apply your knowledge and skills as a physicist. Look out for:

• internships and vacation schemes
• EDT work placements

Further Information

You can find out more about careers in physics through the Institute of Physics .

As a physicist, you could:

• design and conduct experiments, and supervise research
• solve problems, make new discoveries and develop products
• analyse data and build computer simulations, using mathematical modelling
• develop theories to explain observations and predict natural phenomena
• publish and present research findings

We've identified this as a potential green job

For a physicist to be a green job, you could:

• help climate researchers to understand atmospheric and oceanic physics to predict environmental changes
• reduce pollution with a physics based process like plasma technology to treat waste
• gather and interpret environmental data using satellites

Find out more about green careers

You could work at a research facility, in a laboratory or at a university.

Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time and you may spend nights away from home.

You may need to wear protective clothing.