Key information about the Physics Graduate School

• Warwick Physics PhD students must obtain 6 graduate credits during the first two years of study.
• Decide the modules you will take for credit in agreement with your Supervisor (you may take more than 6 if appropriate).
• Most modules will take place online
• Suitable graduate-level modules are offered by the Midland Physics Alliance Graduate School (MPAGS) as well as other modules offered by the Departments of Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Engineering at Warwick as part of our taught Masters degrees. See the tabs on choosing MPAGS modules and other Warwick modules.
• Some external courses, such as summer schools, or tutorials at major conferences, may be used for credit: see external courses.
• As a PhD student, it is your responsibility to record the credits that you have obtained.
• If you have already completed substantial graduate level training in Physics or a related discipline (e.g. a two-year Masters degree, or equivalent) then you may be exempt from some or all of this course requirement. Please contact the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS).

Recording your credits

• Please complete the self-certification form for every course that you wish to count towards your graduate credits (this includes all MPAGS courses). Your module convenor will email you directly to confirm you have passed the course.
• Typically an external course will provide a certificate of attendance. (You should also record these in your Skillsforge portfolio).
• You should keep an accurate record of your progress through the Physics Graduate School. You will be asked to confirm your graduate credits during progress reviews towards the end of year 1 and at the end of year 2.

Choosing modules from the Midland Physics Alliance Graduate School

• The physics departments of Warwick, Nottingham and Birmingham have formed the Midlands Physics Alliance Graduate School (MPAGS) to provide internationally excellent graduate physics training across a wide range of topics.
• Each MPAGS module is worth 1 credit. A typical module lasts for 5 weeks with 2 hours of lectures per week and is assessed on a pass/fail basis via problem sheets or short assignments. This will require, on average, an additional 2 days work.
• MPAGS modules will run online in 2024/25 (certain modules may take place in person) , once registered your module convenor will contact you with details. Modules offered and how to sign up are on the Midlands Physics Alliance Graduate School website.

• Click here for a full list of MPAGS modules available in different areas of physics.

• To sign up for an MPAGS module please use the MPAGS sign-up form.

Choosing other modules from Warwick

• Please check the Module Catalogue for suitable current modules, these will usually be PG modules from Physics (PX4XX or PX9XX) Chemistry (CH4XX or CH9XX) and Maths (MA4XX or MA9XX). You may also be interested in Institute of Advanced Teaching and Learning (IATL) modules (Please note for IATL modules you are able to register for the course for 10 CATS), or taught modules from a Warwick-based Centre for Doctoral Training, such as the HetSys CDT.
• Modules from our taught degrees have a specific CATS (Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme) weighting.
• The CATS weighting determines the number of graduate credits these modules are worth. The conversion for CATS to graduate credits is: 7.5 CATS=1 graduate credit; 15 CATS=2 graduate credits; Most CDT modules = 1.5 graduate credits if assessed, otherwise 1 graduate credit. In other cases please contact the DGS for an assessment of how many credits the course is worth.
• To sign up for a Warwick taught module:
  1. Contact the Module Leader and request they "audit" your completion of their course.
  2. Determine whether there is any assessed component to the course (it is not necessary to take the final University-administered examination).
  3. Where there are assessments discuss whether the Module Leader would be willing to mark the assessments, in which case passing the assessed components could provide additional graduate credit(s).
  4. Where there are no assessed components, or the Module Leader would not have the capacity to mark your assignments, or you do not wish to take the assessments; you should provide a 2 page written summary of the module content focusing its relevance to your research topic and submit this to your supervisor for approval.