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Best universities in the UK for physical science degrees 2024

Explore the best universities for physical science degrees in the UK, using data from the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024

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October 31 2023
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Top 10 universities in the UK for physical science degrees 2024

Scroll down for the full list of best universities in the UK for physical science degrees

UK physical science rank 2024  Physical science rank  2024  University City/town
1  5  University of Cambridge Cambridge
2  8  University of Oxford Oxford
3  11  Imperial College London London
4  41  UCL London
5  44  University of Edinburgh Edinburgh
6  51  University of Manchester Manchester
7  =62  University of Bristol Bristol
8  81  University of Southampton Southampton
9  93  King’s College London London
10  98  University of Leeds Leeds

The physical sciences include mathematics, statistics, physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, environmental sciences and Earth and marine sciences. Courses in the physical sciences differ across universities and countries, but the core focus is on the understanding and application of mathematics in the natural world through practical and lab work.

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In the UK, the physical sciences are also known as natural sciences, and courses at the undergraduate level typically run over three or four years.

In the UK, most university courses cover one discipline, such as chemistry, but some institutions offer a broader undergraduate course in the natural sciences. In these broader courses, students tend to study foundational topics in physics, maths and chemistry in the first two years before specialising from the third year onwards. 

At postgraduate level students can choose between a taught master’s in a particular field or a research programme in which they undertake research in their chosen field and complete a written thesis. 

These are the best universities in the UK for physical science degrees 2024. 

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5. University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh's school of physics and astronomy offers a wide range of undergraduate programmes in physics, astrophysics, theoretical physics, mathematical physics and many others. 

Students are also able to study joint honours degree within the physical sciences, such as physics with maths or maths and statistics.

The school also offers taught master's programmes in theoretical physics, mathematical physics and particle and nuclear physics. Students also have the option to continue their studies and conduct a PhD within these fields. 

The mathematics undergraduate course starts off with a common core of mathematics modules, then providing the option for students to specialise as they proceed throughout their degree.

4. UCL

The natural sciences BSc at UCL is a three-year course and allows students to combine science subjects, referred to as “streams”.

Students can gain a breadth of knowledge across scientific disciplines before specialising in two core streams.

All natural sciences students at UCL take a common mathematics module as well as three foundation modules in their first term. Students then narrow these down to two by their second term. Foundation modules can be chosen from the following: chemistry, Earth sciences, life sciences, statistics, physics and astronomy, or science and technology studies.

Second-year streams include more specialised options such as medical physics, organic chemistry and astrophysics. Students learn through lectures, practical sessions and small-group tutorials. Practical work is assessed throughout the year, while theory is assessed in year-end exams.

The faculty offers a range of postgraduate options in newer academic areas as well as more traditional ones. The faculty encourages cross-disciplinary learning with joint projects across faculties. 

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3. Imperial College London

Imperial College London, founded in London in 1907, teaches a range of physical sciences degrees.

The Faculty of Natural Sciences offers courses in chemistry, mathematics, physics, and environmental policy.

The faculty has several global institutes to aid its research endeavours, including the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, the Energy Futures Lab and the Data Science Institute.

Physical sciences undergraduate students at Imperial can choose between six physics programmes and are able to transfer between courses if they wish. The department has an Industry Club that facilitates links with industry, exchange programmes with MIT in the US and an annual industry fair.

A number of streams are available to students wishing to pursue a postgraduate degree in the physical sciences. These include physics, mathematics and finance, optics and photonics, quantum fields and fundamental forces, and statistics.

2. University of Oxford

The University of Oxford offers a range of physical sciences programmes including courses in chemistry, geology, engineering, scientific geography, materials science and physics.

Alumni include geometry professor Edmund Halley, who successfully predicted the return of Halley’s Comet; and Edwin Hubble, the astronomer renowned for establishing the fields of extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology.

Students on the four-year undergraduate chemistry course spend the first three years in lectures, laboratory sessions and a problems class. The final year consists of full-time work with a research group, a distinctive feature of the course since 1916.

Geology is a three-year course. Students mostly split their time between lectures and practical sessions, with the third year focused slightly more on the theoretical side. Small-group tutorials include two to four students.

Physics at Oxford can be taken as a three-year (BA) or four-year (MPhys) course. The first year is divided equally between mathematics and physics in laboratories, lectures and tutorials. The second and third years are spent in tutorials and small groups, and the fourth year is spent taking two modules alongside the MPhys project.

1. University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge School of Physical Sciences offers the natural sciences course at the undergraduate level.

This three- or four-year programme is the framework within which most science subjects are taught at the university. 

The first year is broad, allowing students to gain foundational knowledge across scientific disciplines. Students can then narrow down their specialisation to physics, chemistry or mathematics from the second year, with total specialisation from the third year onwards.

Postgraduate courses are available in areas including maths, physics, chemistry and Earth science. 

The University of Cambridge is particularly renowned for its supervisions, in which students discuss their work with a leading researcher in the field each week. This system of teaching happens in small groups of usually no more than three, so students can get highly personalised mentorship on their academic progress.

Alumni of Cambridge’s science programmes include Isaac Newton, Francis Crick and Stephen Hawking.

Top universities in the UK for physical sciences degrees 2024

Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2024 profile

UK physical science rank 2024  Physical science rank  2024  University City/town
1  5  University of Cambridge Cambridge
2  8  University of Oxford Oxford
3  11  Imperial College London London
4  41  UCL London
5  44  University of Edinburgh Edinburgh
6  51  University of Manchester Manchester
7  =62  University of Bristol Bristol
8  81  University of Southampton Southampton
9  93  King’s College London London
10  98  University of Leeds Leeds
=11  101–125  University of Reading Reading
=11  101–125  University of Warwick Warwick
=13  126–150  University of Birmingham Birmingham
=13  126–150  Durham University Durham
=13  126–150  University of Exeter Exeter
=13  126–150  University of Glasgow Glasgow
=13  126–150  University of Liverpool Liverpool
=13  126–150  University of Sheffield Sheffield
=13  126–150  University of St Andrews St Andrews
20  151–175  University of Nottingham Nottingham
=21  176–200  Cardiff University Cardiff
=21  176–200  Queen Mary University of London London
=21  176–200  Queen’s University Belfast Belfast
=24  201–250  University of Aberdeen Aberdeen
=24  201–250  Lancaster University Lancaster
=24  201–250  University of Leicester Leicester
=24  201–250  Royal Holloway, University of London Surrey
=24  201–250  University of Surrey Guildford
=24  201–250  University of Sussex Brighton
=30  251–300  Bangor University Bangor
=30  251–300  Brunel University London London
=30  251–300  University of East Anglia Norwich
=30  251–300  Newcastle University Newcastle
=30  251–300  University of Portsmouth Portsmouth
=30  251–300  Swansea University Swansea
=30  251–300  University of York York
=37  301–400  Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth
=37  301–400  University of Bath Bath
=37  301–400  University of Greenwich Greenwich
=37  301–400  Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh
=37  301–400  University of Hull Hull
=37  301–400  Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool
=37  301–400  Loughborough University Loughborough
=37  301–400  University of Plymouth Plymouth
=37  301–400  University of Stirling Stirling
=37  301–400  University of Strathclyde Strathclyde
=47  401–500  Coventry University Coventry
=47  401–500  University of Hertfordshire Hatfield
=47  401–500  University of Lincoln Lincoln
=47  401–500  London School of Economics and Political Science London
=47  401–500  Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester
=47  401–500  Northumbria University Northumbria
=47  401–500  Nottingham Trent University Nottingham
=54  501–600  University of the West of England Bristol
=54  501–600  University of the West of Scotland Paisley
=56 601-800 Birkbeck, University of London London
=56  601–800  Keele University Keele
=56  601–800  University of Kent Kent
=56  601–800  Kingston University London
=56  601–800  The Open University Nationwide

 

Editor's note: This table was updated in December 2023 to retroactively include Birkbeck, University of London based on their provided data submission. More information on the university's inclusion can be found here

 

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