Physics Summer School

Join us for the 30th anniversary of the Physics Undergraduate Summer School. Gain confidence, develop skills and improve your academic prospects.

Explore space, time and matter

At our Physics Summer School you’ll learn from academics working at the forefront of physics, from groundbreaking quantum computing to theoretical understandings of space, time and matter.

Our modules are tailored for international students, many of whom will be studying physics at university level for the first time.

Read Hao Chun’s Summer School story.

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Modules you can study

We offer two modules: Introductory Physics 1 and Introductory Physics 2. Each module is a self-contained, credit-bearing unit of study.

Each module carries 15 credits and lasts four weeks (one session). You take one module per session.

You can only take Introductory Physics 2 if you have completed Introductory Physics 1.

Session One

• Intensive Introductory Physics for Life Sciences (1)

  Module code: ISP01

  This module is suitable for those on Life Sciences, Engineering and Medical pathways. It is also suitable for other pathways with appropriate pre-requisites.

  This calculus-based module will provide a firm foundation in physical concepts and principles, covering kinematics and dynamics, fluids, elasticity, wave motion, sound, ideal gases, heat and thermodynamics. Applications of physical concepts will be stressed, particularly those related to biological and medical phenomena as well as those forming the basis of much of modern technology. You gain further insight into the physics taught by carrying out a series of laboratory experiments and learning how to analyse and interpret the data.

  Recommendation: This is an intensive module, requiring good mathematical skills, including algebra and trigonometry and a knowledge of vectors and of differential and integral calculus. We also recommend that you view our Maths preparation and Excel training. Please check with your home institution that your mathematics is at an appropriate level.

  Note: This is an intensive academic module. For a 15-credit module taken over four weeks you need to do about 85 hours of self-study over and above the scheduled 65 contact hours. This means that you should be working for about 20-25 hours per week, on average, in addition to attending classes. You need to bear this in mind when planning trips and travel and outside class. 

  Learning outcomes:

  • Have a basic knowledge of the physics topics covered in the course.
  • Be able to solve physics problems at the appropriate level which requires use of this knowledge.
  • Be able to demonstrate familiarity with simple scientific equipment, make accurate measurements, keep records of observations, analyse and interpret data and write scientific reports on experiments.

  Teaching method: Laboratory, lectures and workshops
  Assessment: 65% Exams, 25% Practical Laboratory Reports, 10% In-class tests
  Contact hours: 82 hours, with 28 hours additional support, totalling 110 hours
  Credits: 15 Sussex Credits
  Level: 4
  Labatory Fees: £300

Session Two

• Intensive Introductory Physics for Life Sciences (2)

  Module code: ISP02

  You can only take this module if you have completed Intensive Introductory Physics for Life Sciences (1).

  This calculus-based module will provide a firm foundation in physical concepts and principles, covering electric forces and electric fields, continuous charge distributions, Gauss’s Law, electric potential, capacitance and dielectrics, current and resistance, DC circuits, magnetic fields, force on a charge moving in a magnetic field, charged particle moving in electric and magnetic fields, sources of the magnetic field, Faraday’s law and induction, AC circuits, EM waves, the nature of light and principles of ray optics, image formation and lenses, wave optics and diffraction patterns, introduction to quantum physics, the uncertainty principle, atomic physics, nuclear physics and radioactivity. Applications of physical concepts will be stressed, particularly those related to biological and medical phenomena as well as those forming the basis of much of modern technology. You gain further insight into the physics taught by carrying out a series of laboratory experiments and learning how to analyse and interpret the data.

  Recommendation: This is an intensive module, requiring good mathematical skills, including algebra and trigonometry and a knowledge of vectors and of differential and integral calculus. We also recommend that you view our Maths preparation and Excel training. Please check with your home institution that your mathematics is at an appropriate level.

  Note: This is an intensive academic module. For a 15-credit module taken over four weeks you need to do about 85 hours of self-study over and above the scheduled 65 contact hours. This means that you should be working for about 20-25 hours per week, on average, in addition to attending classes. You need to bear this in mind when planning trips and travel and outside class. 

  Learning outcomes:

  • Have a basic knowledge of the physics topics covered in the course.
  • Be able to solve physics problems at the appropriate level which requires use of this knowledge.
  • Be able to demonstrate familiarity with simple scientific equipment, make accurate measurements, keep records of observations, analyse and interpret data and write scientific reports on experiments.

  Teaching method: Laboratory, lectures and workshops
  Assessment: 65% Exams, 25% Practical Laboratory Reports, 10% In-class tests
  Contact hours: 82 hours, with 28 hours additional support, totalling 110 hours
  Credits: 15 Sussex Credits
  Level: 4
  Laboratory Fees: £300

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Read Sidney’s Summer School story.

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You might also be interested in:

• fees and costs
• entry requirements
• how to apply.