Undergraduate Teaching
The main undergraduate course has a three- or four-year structure with over 80% of the students opting to complete the fourth year and to obtain an MSci. Our objective is to teach and train undergraduates in the complete spectrum of experimental and theoretical physics at the highest level and to ensure that they are exposed to the many ways in which physics can bring new insights and advances in cognate fields of research.
Physics at undergraduate level is offered through the Natural Sciences Tripos (NST) in conjunction with other physical and biological sciences, and allows specialisation to occur as the students progress through the Tripos.
The undergraduate course is highly regarded and exceptionally comprehensive, ranging from theoretical research to new interdisciplinary subjects such as the physics of the life sciences. Physics students are able to develop their enthusiasm and ingenuity through the challenges provided by the course. In the later years of the course, students can gain examination credit in non-traditional physics areas such as entrepreneurship and education. Each year, typically, over 100 students graduate from the four-year course.
Prospective Undergraduates
Current Undergraduates
Postgraduate Teaching & Training
The Laboratory offers postgraduate students from all over the world the opportunity to study with world-class researchers across, effectively, the complete spectrum of physics, from studies of the very early universe, over quantum and condensed-matter physics, to the physics of medicine.
There are taught programmes on Data Intensive Science, Scientific Computing and Nanotechnology as well as as research-based courses, where students interact closely with the academic staff members and a large group of post-doctoral workers and research fellows in an intellectually stimulating environment. About 70-80 postgraduate students join the Laboratory each year, resulting in a cohort of about 400 students within the Laboratory at any one time. The courses lead to a PhD after 3-4 years or an MPhil after one year.
The Master of Advanced Study (MASt) degree in Physics allows students from outside Cambridge to study the fourth year of the undergraduate degree course for a standalone Masters.