Progress & Assessment
As in the first year, a record is kept of your attendance in the laboratory and at tutorials. Any student whose attendance is unsatisfactory will be required to discuss the matter with the Director of Studies.
To pass the year you are required to get an overall mark of at least 40%, and to have passed whole module worth at least 60 CATS as described here. To be eligible to remain on the BScMPhys programme in year 3 you must obtain an overall 2i classification and a CATS weighted average mark of 60% over the examined physics modules taken.
Credit
As you know, we operate a credit accumulation scheme whereby your performance in all years of your course counts towards your final degree classification. The actual scheme used depends on the programme you are following as described elsewhere.
Assessed Modules
The Physics core lectured modules, PX262 Quantum Mechanics and its Applications, PX263 EM Theory and Optics and PX265 Thermal Physics II are assessed by the combination of an examination (85%) and assessed coursework (15%). For PX275 Mathematical Methods for Physicists, the assessment is examination (80%) coursework (20%). The form of the coursework may vary from module to module.
Most other modules have formal examinations but a number are assessed. PX271 Physics Skills and PX277 Computational Physics are both 100% assessed as is the teaching module. Language modules typically have both assessed (40%) and examined (60%) components.
Examinations
The organisation of the formal examinations is given below. In most of the papers set by the Physics Department each section of an examination examines a 7.5 CATS module. All year 2 physics examination papers will consist of compulsory questions only, i.e. there will be no choice. The configuration and timetable of the Physics papers are as follows:
Week 30
- PX275 Mathematical Methods for Physicists (2 hours)
- PX266X
- A - PX266 Geophysics
- B - PX273 Physics of Electrical Power Generation
Weeks 35 to 38
- PX262 Quantum Mechanics and its Applications (2 hours)
- PX263X
- A - PX263 Electromagnetic Theory and Optics
- B - PX265 Thermal Physics II
- PX264X
- A - PX264 Physics of Fluids
- B - PX267 Hamiltonian Mechanics
- PX268 Stars
- PX274 Experimental Particle Physics
The examinations for any language module will be held in May/June.
The examination results are expected to be available on the last day of Term 3.