Physics with Foundation Year BSc (Hons) - 2024/5
Awarding body
University of Surrey
Teaching institute
University of Surrey
Framework
FHEQ Level 6
Final award and programme/pathway title
BSc (Hons) Physics with Foundation Year
Subsidiary award(s)
Award | Title |
---|---|
Ord | Physics with Foundation Year |
DipHE | Physics with Foundation Year |
CertHE | Physics with Foundation Year |
Professional recognition
Institute of Physics (IOP)
Recognised by the Institute of Physics (IOP) for the purpose of eligibility for Associate Membership.
Modes of study
Route code | Credits and ECTS Credits | |
Full-time | UCK10014 | 360 credits and 180 ECTS credits |
Full-time with PTY | UCK10028 | 480 credits and 240 ECTS credits |
QAA Subject benchmark statement (if applicable)
Other internal and / or external reference points
For further information relating to FHEQ levels 4, 5 and 6 and the professional training year, including learning outcomes, aims and module information please view the BSc (Hons) Physics programme specification.
Faculty and Department / School
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences - Mathematics & Physics
Programme Leader
HARRISON Richard (CS & EE)
Date of production/revision of spec
11/12/2024
Educational aims of the programme
- Students will be guided and progressively empowered to become confident, independent learners and begin to understand and develop desirable professional qualities associated with digital capabilities, global and cultural capabilities, resourcefulness and resilience, employability and sustainability.
- Students will begin to understand the social and cultural dimensions of learning and grow the capacity to undertake and evidence their learning with integrity. They will be able to recognise the value of collaborative learning and the importance of inclusivity with due consideration to differences in individual values, strengths and weaknesses.
- Students will develop a broad and in-depth working knowledge of the discipline area fundamentals, necessary for successful academic transition to their chosen undergraduate programme specialisation
- Students will develop an awareness of factors that may influence their educational development and gain familiarity with the mechanisms of support that operate within the Foundation Year and throughout the institution. They will be encouraged to take responsibility in identifying if and when their progress is being adversely impacted and engaging with the pastoral support systems, as appropriate.
- Students will develop learning skills in a variety of contexts and have exposure to multiple types of assessment to effectively achieve successful outcomes in the many and varied learning and assessment scenarios on their undergraduate programmes.
- Students will gain a wide range of transferrable academic skills enabling them to communicate their ideas and display their knowledge and understanding through different media and in a variety of authentic contexts.
- Students will, through working towards the above collective aims, grow personal qualities and a positive mindset geared towards the pursuit of success and the achievement of their full potential in transitioning to their undergraduate career and beyond.
Programme learning outcomes
Attributes Developed | Awards | Ref. | |
Students will be able to design and safely carry out laboratory experiments to investigate fundamental engineering and scientific principles and present their results in a report. | KCPT | ||
Students will develop general academic skills such as time-management, planning and organising their work, reading effectively, research and note taking. | CPT | ||
Students will have developed the learning skills necessary to be able to work independently and to work productively as part of a multi-cultural team. They will have the capability to reflect on and manage their own learning and progress, responding effectively to setbacks and challenges. | CPT | ||
Students will have developed skills and knowledge in numeracy and basic mathematics and be able to apply mathematics to solving real-world problems in engineering & science. | KCPT | ||
Students will be able to apply scientific theories, principles and formulae to solving problems, in science and engineering design. They will develop an awareness of the technological implications of problem solving and design processes as well as the impact that the activities of engineers and scientists has on society, the environment and our progress towards a more sustainable future. | KCPT | ||
Students will develop proficiency in digital skills, including the use of a variety of software tools and learning elementary programming. They will be able to create online content, formulate simple computer models and use their creativity and innovation to solve authentic, unfamiliar problems. They will be able to describe some key technological developments and begin to appreciate the ubiquity of software and how, from our daily lives through to global commercialisation the advancing world is built on software foundations. | KCPT | ||
Students will be able to communicate their work effectively and in a form appropriate to their audience, in writing and orally through poster and slide presentations, in both individual and group working scenarios. | CPT | ||
Students will display integrity in assessing the appropriateness and credibility of the information and techniques that they use in the problem-solving process and in the articulation of their work and their learning output to others (including assessments.) They will be able to follow assessment guidelines and work according to academic and professional regulatory standards as applicable to their disciple areas. | CT | ||
Students will evolve strategies and develop resourcefulness to overcome difficulties in problem solving, including techniques for verification, fault finding and be able to revise their approach to achieve a positive outcome. | KCPT |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Programme structure
Full-time
This Bachelor's Degree (Honours) programme is studied full-time over four academic years, consisting of a Foundation Year and 360 credits (120 credits at FHEQ levels 4, 5 and 6). All modules are based on a 15-credit tariff
Possible exit awards include:
- Bachelor's Degree (Ordinary) (300 credits)
- Diploma of Higher Education (240 credits)
- Certificate of Higher Education (120 credits)
Full-time with PTY
This Bachelor's Degree (Honours) programme is studied full-time over five academic years, consisting of a Foundation Year, an optional professional training year and 360 credits (120 credits at FHEQ levels 4, 5 and 6). All modules are based on a 15-credit tariff
Possible exit awards include:
- Bachelor's Degree (Ordinary) (300 credits)
- Diploma of Higher Education (240 credits)
- Certificate of Higher Education (120 credits)
Programme Adjustments (if applicable)
N/A
Modules
Year 0 - FHEQ Level 3
Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
---|---|---|---|---|
ENG0011 | MATHEMATICS A | Compulsory | 15 | 1 |
ENG0013 | PRINCIPLES OF ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCE | Compulsory | 15 | 1 |
ENG0018 | COMPUTER LABORATORY | Compulsory | 15 | 1 |
ENG0012 | MATHEMATICS B | Compulsory | 15 | 2 |
ENG0015 | PHYSICS A | Compulsory | 15 | 2 |
ENG0016 | PHYSICS B | Compulsory | 15 | 2 |
ENG0014 | ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES LABORATORY AND PROJECT | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Year 0 - FHEQ Level 3
For further information on FHEQ levels 4, 5 and 6 please view the programme specification for the full-time BSc (Hons) Physics programme.
Year 0 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 3
Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
---|---|---|---|---|
ENG0011 | MATHEMATICS A | Compulsory | 15 | 1 |
ENG0013 | PRINCIPLES OF ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCE | Compulsory | 15 | 1 |
ENG0018 | COMPUTER LABORATORY | Compulsory | 15 | 1 |
ENG0012 | MATHEMATICS B | Compulsory | 15 | 2 |
ENG0015 | PHYSICS A | Compulsory | 15 | 2 |
ENG0016 | PHYSICS B | Compulsory | 15 | 2 |
ENG0014 | ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES LABORATORY AND PROJECT | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Year 0 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 3
For further information on FHEQ levels 4, 5 and 6 and professional training year please view the programme specification for the full-time with PTY BSc (Hons) Physics programme.
Opportunities for placements / work related learning / collaborative activity
Associate Tutor(s) / Guest Speakers / Visiting Academics | N | |
Professional Training Year (PTY) | N | |
Placement(s) (study or work that are not part of PTY) | N | |
Clinical Placement(s) (that are not part of the PTY scheme) | N | |
Study exchange (Level 5) | N | |
Dual degree | N |
Other information
The University of Surrey is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This programme is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:
Digital capabilities: Students develop skills and confidence in using a variety of software tools, and they are encouraged as well as supported in organising and setting up their own social network groups. Examples include: Students are introduced to Microsoft Teams as part of their group projects, and working with these tools in a professional versus social setting is explored. Programming languages such as Matlab, Javascript and Python are introduced. The students become conversant with working within the university VLE (SurreyLearn) through dedicated training sessions which are reinforced with embedded activities in specific modules (which may use different aspects of SurreyLearn functionality, particularly for different assessment styles.) All students learn to use tools such as the similarity checker Turnitin and debating the use of generative AI tools is now a learning objective within the Computer Laboratory module. Further applications that students need to develop competency in for producing academic output include using MS Office tools such as Word, Excel and Power point.
Employability: Students learn to use industry standard software packages such as MS Office suite, MATLAB and introductory programming with Python (the industry standard for Data Science and numerous other application domains.) Engineering and Physical Sciences students undertake a group project. We liaise with the University Student Enterprise team to provide mentoring and guidance, as well as being part of the Engineers in Business Competition that provides opportunities for prize money and links with the Sainsbury's Management Fellows for mentorship.
Global and cultural capabilities: The student cohort has a diverse spectrum of social and cultural backgrounds. Students are encouraged to work together, particularly in lab and tutorial sessions where they gain exposure to different points of view, approaches and experiences. On a practical level students encounter scenarios where for instance they have to change the usage of familiar language, such as the use of reserved words in Matlab. The programming language was constructed using American English so simple commands using the word colour will not work and students have to use the word color instead. This can be a source of frustration but provides a useful exemplar of how different cultural points of view, in this case the choice of spellings for reserved words, forces us to adjust our way of working. Students also learn for example that engineers work to different standards in different countries and that design codes and health and safety regulations may evolve as a function of location. For instance, structural design codes and building regulations in Japan consider the impact of earthquakes - clearly this is not a consideration when building new homes in the UK.
Resourcefulness and resilience: All of the modules are designed in such a way as to encourage and support the progressive development of independent thinking and resourcefulness through scaffolded activities and assessments. Students are exposed to challenging authentic scenarios which invariably lead to setbacks and frustration. They are encouraged to reflect and fault find and to question their strategy if the outcome of a problem-solving process is not as expected. Students learn how to seek verification of their output through independent research or peer collaboration and how to respond constructively to formal and informal feedback.
Sustainability: When students join the FYP they often have a very mechanical approach to problem solving, accepting facts and applying them without question and without consideration of the implication for society or for the environment. Through the introduction of more complex and connected scenarios, such as within independent research projects, the students begin to appreciate that there are often many ways of approaching the same problem and the solutions have differing impacts on society and the environment. UN sustainability goals are considered and discussed as a part of the group project work. Societal and environmental impact, and real-world examples are included in module teaching and learning.
Quality assurance
The Regulations and Codes of Practice for taught programmes can be found at:
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2024/5 academic year.