Physics Summer School

Join our Physics Undergraduate Summer School, gaining expert knowledge in the field and improving your academic prospects.

Register your interest and we'll let you know once the 2025 programme is available to view.

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Our Physics Undergraduate Summer School teaches two modules. A module is a self-contained, credit-bearing unit of study. You will have a set of learning outcomes and an assessment at the end.

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

Session One

• Introductory Physics 1

  Module code: ISP01

  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 preperation 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 100 hours of self-study over and above the scheduled 48 contact hours. This means that you should be working for about 25 hours per week 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: 98 hours 
  Credits: 15 Sussex Credits
  Level: 4
  Labatory Fees: £300

Session Two

• Introductory Physics 2

  Module code: ISP02

  Note: You can only take Introductory Physics 2 if you have completed Introductory Physics 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 preperation 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 100 hours of self-study over and above the scheduled 48 contact hours. This means that you should be working for about 25 hours per week 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: 98 hours
  Credits: 15 Sussex Credits
  Level: 4
  Labatory Fees: £300

I wanted to continue improving myself and practice being independent by studying abroad.” AN NGUYEN
Physics Summer School student - University of California, Irvine

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