#

0

Physics with Business Studies BSc (FN31)

0a

Explore our Physics with Business Studies degree at Warwick

0c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5fkxT-thSs

0-revisions

---

---

Page updates

We have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history.

2a

FN31

2b

Bachelor of Science (BSc)

2c

3 years full-time

2d

26 September 2022

2e

Department of Physics

2f

University of Warwick

3a

Developing your skills in analytical thinking, data analysis, logical thinking and practical computing - all highly valued by employers - our Physics with Business Studies degree will provide a broad education in both subjects.

3b

In your first two years, you will concentrate on Physics modules, with the addition of a second-year Business module.

For your final year, you will transfer completely to WBS (Warwick Business School), where you will develop a critical understanding of how organisations work, how they are managed, and how they interact with local, national and international environments. You may, for example, take modules covering markets, marketing and strategy, finance, and entrepreneurship.

There is flexibility to switch into or out of the Physics and Business Studies stream onto one of our other courses at any time within your first two years.

3c

In the first two years, you will concentrate on physics modules with the addition of an appropriate business module in the second year.

Your final year in WBS is designed to develop a critical understanding of how organisations work, how they are managed, and how they interact with local, national and international environments. You may, for example, take modules covering markets, marketing and strategy and understanding organisational behaviour.

There is flexibility to switch into or out of this stream at any time in your first two years.

3d

We provide a supportive and friendly environment in which to study. You will learn not just from the lectures and laboratories but also from interacting with others on the course, research students and your friends from outside physics.

3e

Lecture size will naturally vary from module to module. The first year core modules may have up to 350 students in a session, whilst the more specialist modules in the later years will have fewer than 100.

The core modules in the first year are supported by weekly classes, at which you and your fellow students meet in small groups with a member of the research staff or a postgraduate student.

Tutorials with your personal tutor are normally with a group of 5 students.

3f

You should expect to attend around 12 lectures a week and spend 7 hours on supervised practical (mainly laboratory and computing) work.

For each 1-hour lecture, you should expect to put in a further 1-2 hours of private study.

3g

Assessment is via end-of-year examinations, which make up about 70% of the year's mark. Laboratory and project work, computing, and coursework associated with core modules, are assessed by final reports and oral presentations.

The weighting for each year's contribution to your final mark is 10:40:50 for the BSc courses.

3h

Study abroad

We support student mobility through study abroad programmes. BSc students have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated year abroad at one of our partner universities.

The Study Abroad Team offers support for these activities. The Department's Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance.

3i

Placements and work experience

All students can apply for research vacation projects - small research projects supervised by a member of academic staff. BSc students can register for the Intercalated Year Scheme, which involves spending a year in scientific employment or UK industry between their second and final year.

---

4a

A level typical offer

A*AA to include A in Mathematics (or Further Mathematics) and Physics

A level contextual offer

We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is A*AB including A*, A in A Level Maths and Physics (any order). See if you’re eligible.

General GCSE requirements

Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.

4b

IB typical offer

38 to include 6 in Higher Level Mathematics (Analysis and Approaches only) and Higher Level Physics

IB contextual offer

We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is 36 including 6 in Higher Level Mathematics ('Analysis and Approaches' only) and 6 in Higher Level Physics. See if you’re eligible.

General GCSE requirements

Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.

4c

We welcome applications from students taking a BTEC qualification alongside A level Maths and Physics.

We may consider a BTEC qualification in a relevant Science or Engineering subject alongside A level Maths only on an individual basis.

5a

Year One

Mathematics for Physicists

All scientists use mathematics to state the basic laws and to analyse quantitatively and rigorously their consequences. The module introduces you to concepts and techniques which will be assumed by future modules. These include: complex numbers, functions of a continuous real variable, integration, functions of more than one variable and multiple integration. You will revise relevant parts of the A-level syllabus, to cover the mathematical knowledge to undertake first year physics modules, and to prepare you for mathematics and physics modules in subsequent years.

Classical Mechanics and Special Relativity

You will study Newtonian mechanics emphasizing the conservation laws inherent in the theory. These have a wider domain of applicability than classical mechanics (for example they also apply in quantum mechanics). You will also look at the classical mechanics of oscillations and of rotating bodies. It then explains why the failure to find the ether was such an important experimental result and how Einstein constructed his theory of special relativity. You will cover some of the consequences of the theory for classical mechanics and some of the predictions it makes, including: the relation between mass and energy, length-contraction, time-dilation and the twin paradox.

Physics Foundations

You will look at dimensional analysis, matter and waves. Often the qualitative features of systems can be understood (at least partially) by thinking about which quantities in a problem are allowed to depend on each other on dimensional grounds. Thermodynamics is the study of heat transfers and how they can lead to useful work. Even though the results are universal, the simplest way to introduce this topic to you is via the ideal gas, whose properties are discussed and derived in some detail. You will also cover waves. Waves are time-dependent variations about some time-independent (often equilibrium) state. You will revise the relation between the wavelength, frequency and velocity and the definition of the amplitude and phase of a wave.

Electricity and Magnetism

You will largely be concerned with the great developments in electricity and magnetism, which took place during the nineteenth century. The origins and properties of electric and magnetic fields in free space, and in materials, are tested in some detail and all the basic levels up to, but not including, Maxwell's equations are considered. In addition, the module deals with both dc and ac circuit theory including the use of complex impedance. You will be introduced to the properties of electrostatic and magnetic fields, and their interaction with dielectrics, conductors and magnetic materials.

Physics Programming Workshop

You will be introduced to the Python programming language in this module. It is quick to learn and encourages good programming style. Python is an interpreted language, which makes it flexible and easy to share. It allows easy interfacing with modules, which have been compiled from C or Fortran sources. It is widely used throughout physics and there are many downloadable free-to-user codes available. You will also look at the visualisation of data. You will be introduced to scientific programming with the help of the Python programming language, a language widely used by physicists.

Quantum Phenomena

This module explains how classical physics is unable to explain the properties of light, electrons and atoms. (Theories in physics, which make no reference to quantum theory, are usually called classical theories.) It covers the most important contributions to the development of quantum physics including: wave-particle 'duality', de Broglie's relation and the Schrodinger equation. It also looks at applications of quantum theory to describe elementary particles: their classification by symmetry, how this allows us to interpret simple reactions between particles and how elementary particles interact with matter.

Astronomy

The Universe contains a bewildering variety of objects - black-holes, red giants, white dwarfs, brown dwarfs, gamma-ray bursts and globular clusters - to name a few. The module introduces these, and shows how, with the application of physics, we have come to know their distances, sizes, masses and natures. The module starts with the Sun and planets and moves on to the Universe as a whole.

Physics Laboratory

The Physics Laboratory introduces experimental science. There are experiments in six areas: i) The measurement of fundamental constants including h, c and e/m for an electron; ii) Wave phenomena; iii) Electricity and Magnetism, iv) Matter, v) Geometrical Optics and vi) Astronomy. The experiments can help give a different and more 'tangible' perspective on material treated theoretically in lectures. They illustrate the importance of correct handling of data and the estimation of errors, and provide experience in using a range of equipment. The module also teaches the 'art' of writing scientific reports.

Year Two

Statistical Mechanics, Electromagnetic Theory and Optics

Any macroscopic object we meet contains a large number of particles, each of which moves according to the laws of mechanics (which can be classical or quantum). Yet we can often ignore the details of this microscopic motion and use a few average quantities such as temperature and pressure to describe and predict the behaviour of the object. Why we can do this, when we can do this and how to do it are discussed in the first half of this module.

We also develop the ideas of first year electricity and magnetism into Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism. Establishing a complete theory of electromagnetism has proved to be one the greatest achievements of physics. It was the principal motivation for Einstein to develop special relativity, it has served as the model for subsequent theories of the forces of nature and it has been the basis for all of electronics (radios, telephones, computers, the lot...).

Quantum Mechanics and its Applications

In the first part of this module you will use ideas, introduced in the first year module, to explore atomic structure. You will discuss the time-independent and the time-dependent Schrödinger equations for spherically symmetric and harmonic potentials, angular momentum and hydrogenic atoms. The second half of the module looks at many-particle systems and aspects of the Standard Model of particle physics. It introduces the quantum mechanics of free fermions and discusses how it accounts for the conductivity and heat capacity of metals and the state of electrons in white dwarf stars.

Physics Skills

This module develops experimental skills in a range of areas and includes the design and testing of a functional electronic circuit. The module also introduces the concepts involved in controlling an experiment using a microcomputer. The module explores information retrieval and evaluation, and the oral and written presentation of scientific material.

Mathematical Methods of Physicists

You will review the techniques of ordinary and partial differentiation and ordinary and multiple integration. You will develop your understanding of vector calculus and discuss the partial differential equations of physics. (Term 1) The theory of Fourier transforms and the Dirac delta function are also covered. Fourier transforms are used to represent functions on the whole real line using linear combinations of sines and cosines. Fourier transforms are a powerful tool in physics and applied mathematics. The examples used to illustrate the module are drawn mainly from interference and diffraction phenomena in optics. (Term 2)

Appropriate Business modules

Year Three

In the third year you will select from an extensive list of WBS modules. Some may be linked to prerequisite modules. For example, if you would like to study International Marketing, generally you will need to have also chosen the Marketing module earlier in the year.

5b

• Environmental Physics
• Computational Physics
• Stars and the Solar System
• Modern Foreign Language
• Hamiltonian and Fluid Mechanics

• Marketing
• Supply Chain Management
• Company Law
• Business Data Analytics
• Accounting in Context
• Design in Business
• Principles of Finance