Campus tours
Join a campus tour this summer and get a feel for life at Sussex. With award-winning campus food, a National Park setting and buzzing Brighton on our doorstep, our location and facilities are hard to beat.
Book your visit
On campus - in person
You’ll study for this degree on our campus, joining our academics and fellow students. With in-person contact time, digitally supported educational resources, library collections and independent study, this course is designed to give you an inclusive education. Your learning experience may also include work placements, field trips, studying abroad and internationalisation experiences.
Find out about our beautiful campus
Virtual tour
Want to learn more about life at Sussex?
Our 360° virtual tour has been designed to introduce you to life in our diverse, supportive and inclusive community. Join our students for an immersive experience as they reveal why Sussex offers a space to follow your passions, find your voice, and discover people and places that will inspire you.
Begin your tour
As a founding partner of ResearchPlus, a collaboration of research-focused universities, we engage with government, industry and civil society to support economic growth, prosperity and wellbeing across the whole of the UK.
Find out more
Modules
This is a major/minor course, enabling you to study in depth in a core area (your major subject: taking up 75% of your time), while also exploring an additional area (your minor subject: taking up 25% of your time). Find out more from our guide to undergraduate study
-
Silver
The student experience and student outcomes are typically very high quality.
This rating was awarded in 2023, for four years. (Teaching Excellence Framework 2023)
Find out more about our approach to teaching and supporting you to thrive
-
Year 1 at Sussex
Your modules
Core modules
Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.
Autumn teaching
- Foundations of Data Analysis
- Introduction to Astrophysics
- Mathematical Methods for Physics 1
- Mechanics
- Physics Study Success
Spring teaching
- Data Structures & Algorithms
- Mathematical Methods for Physics 2
- Physics Year 1 Laboratory
- Waves and Fields
Your degree
In your first year, you’ll explore classical and modern physics. You’ll use mathematics to solve problems in physics and find out about the programming language Python.
Teaching
Teaching methods typically include:
60%: Lecture
40%: PracticalAssessment
Assessment methods typically include coursework and examination.
Contact hours and workload
This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 420 hours of contact time and about 780 hours of independent study.
Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course.
-
Year 2 at Sussex
Your modules
Core modules
Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.
Autumn teaching
- Applying Physics Skills
- Electrodynamics
- Mathematical Methods for Physics 3
- Physics Year 2 Laboratory
Spring teaching
Your degree
In Year 2, you’ll use your developing problem-solving skills to solve more complex issues. You’ll work on laboratory experiments or data analysis projects.
Teaching
Teaching methods typically include:
50%: Lecture
20%: Seminar
30%: PracticalAssessment
Assessment methods typically include coursework and examination.
Contact hours and workload
This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 320 hours of contact time and about 880 hours of independent study.
Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course.
-
Experience Year
Study abroad (optional)
Apply to study abroad – you’ll develop an international perspective and gain an edge when it comes to your career. Find out where your course could take you
If your application to study abroad is successful, you’ll have to meet the academic requirements at Sussex and also at the partner university. Find out more about studying abroad as a Sussex student
Placement (optional)
To help you gain experience and increase your employability, you can apply for an optional placement as part of your course. You’ll be responsible for applying for and securing your placement. Our dedicated careers team can provide you with information and advice. If you’re successful in obtaining a placement, this will form part of your course.
Find out more about placements and internships
An industrial placement gives you the chance to spend an additional year working with an organisation, in an area relevant to your course, while being paid. It’s a proven way to fast-track your career.
You develop your technical, team-working and transferable skills, and apply what you have learnt in your studies to a business environment.
SEPnet Employer Programme
We are a core part of the SEPnet (South East Physics Network) consortium, which gives us links to universities and industries across the region. SEPnet’s Employer Programme creates opportunities for our students to apply for funded summer placements.
Please note that if you’re receiving – or applying for – USA federal Direct Loan funds, you can’t transfer to the version of your course with an optional study abroad period in any country or optional placement in the USA if the number of credits for the placement/internship exceeds 25% of the total credits for your course. Find out more about American Student Loans and Federal Student Aid
-
Year 3 at Sussex
Your modules
Core modules
Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.
Autumn teaching
Spring teaching
Options
Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.
While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.
Spring teaching
- Financial Derivatives
- Lasers and Photonics
- Neural Networks
- Particle Physics
- Semiconductors and Nanomaterial Devices (L6)
- Stellar and Planetary Physics
Your degree
In Year 3, you’ll apply the knowledge you’ve gained to longer and more complex projects. You’ll cement your core physics knowledge with solid state, atomic and nuclear physics, and also take forward your own interests.
Teaching
Teaching methods typically include:
59%: Lecture
9%: Seminar
32%: PracticalAssessment
Assessment methods typically include coursework and examination.
Contact hours and workload
This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 420 hours of contact time and about 780 hours of independent study.
Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course.
-
Year 4 at Sussex
Your modules
Core modules
Core modules are taken by all students on the course. They give you a solid grounding in your chosen subject and prepare you to explore the topics that interest you most.
Autumn and spring teaching
Options
Alongside your core modules, you can choose options to broaden your horizons and tailor your course to your interests. This list gives you a flavour of our options, which are kept under review and may change, for example in response to student feedback or the latest research.
While it’s our aim for students to take their preferred combinations of options, this can’t be guaranteed and will be subject to timetabling. Options may be grouped and if so, students will be able to choose a set number of options from the selection available in any particular group.
Autumn teaching
- Algorithmic Data Science
- Atom Light Interactions
- Cosmology
- Data Analysis Techniques
- Data Science Methods Autumn (L7)
- Galactic Astrophysics
- General Relativity
- Quantum Computing
- Quantum Field Theory
- Quantum Optics and Quantum Information
Spring teaching
- Advanced Cosmology
- Advanced Natural Language Processing
- Advanced Quantum Field Theory
- Astrophysical Processes
- Beyond the Standard Model
- Electrons, Cold Atoms & Quantum Circuits
- Frontiers in Particle Physics
- Image Processing
- Machine Learning
- Monte Carlo Simulations (L7)
- Practical Quantum Technologies
- Wider Topics in Data Science (L7)
Your degree
In your integrated Masters year, you’ll work at the forefront of research. You’ll take the lead on a self-directed project, supported by a supervisor. You’ll also choose options relevant to your project to support you in the discovery process.
Teaching
Teaching methods typically include:
52%: Lecture
48%: PracticalAssessment
Assessment methods typically include coursework, examination, practical work and written assessment.
Contact hours and workload
This year of study includes approximately 1,200 hours of work. This breaks down into about 300 hours of contact time and about 900 hours of independent study.
Engage and actively participate throughout your studies to get the most out of your course.
Spirit of Sussex Award
Feel involved in life at the University, make friends and enrich your experience with us – the Spirit of Sussex Award is our way of recognising your extracurricular and voluntary achievements.
-
Video transcript
Hi everyone! As I'm sure you've all heard by now, the Spirit of Sussex Award is now live.
Students across the Sussex community are already earning their points
What will you do to earn yours?
There's so many ways to get involved.
Head over to the website to start your Spirit of Sussex journey.
Text: The Spirit of Sussex Award is an exciting new programme designed to recognise and celebrate the things you do outside your course.
Participating in the Award makes it easy and fun for you to get involved and make the most of university life.
We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2026/27. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.
We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints mean it may not be possible to take some module combinations. The structure of a small number of courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.
Find out more about studying Physics at Sussex, including astrophysics, theoretical physics and particle physics
Our experts
Prof Antonella De Santo
Professor Of Physics RSW Research MeritAward Holder
Careers
- 86% of Sussex undergraduates have completed work experience by the end of their course (University of Sussex Career Readiness data at point of graduation 2023/24)
We are a core part of the SEPnet (South East Physics Network) consortium. This gives us links to universities and industries across the region.
On your course, you’ll develop versatile and transferable skills. This prepares you for finding jobs in industry or academia. You could progress into a diverse range of graduate jobs including:
- data scientist or data analyst
- software engineer
- investment analyst
- financial trader
- game designer
- CAD technician
- teacher.
During your course, you’ll get dedicated careers and CV advice. With careers fairs, forums and a dedicated careers officer, we support your career development from day one. You’ll have opportunities to meet potential employers.
You’ll have a wide range of paid work opportunities within the Department – from teaching and research opportunities in the summer, to outreach roles throughout the year.
Where do our graduates work now?
Surveyed 15 months after finishing their courses, our recent graduates from the Department of Physics and Astronomy worked for employers including:
- Babcock
- EDF
- Frenetic
- KPMG
- National Physical Laboratory
- NHS
- Transport for Greater Manchester
- Deloitte
- BAE Systems.
And our recent graduates from the Department of Mathematics worked for employers including:
- British Airways
- Bupa Global
- Morgan Stanley
- Nestlé
- PwC
- Sky
- TGI Fridays
- The Body Shop
- The Telegraph
- Uber Eats
- Unilever.
(Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-2022)
Working while you study
Our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can help you find part-time work while you study. Find out more about career development and part-time work
Design your future at Sussex
Taking the next step in your career can feel daunting, but we’ll help you to explore, connect and flourish throughout your studies and beyond.
As a Sussex student, you’ll learn how to tackle real-world challenges and have access to tailored programmes of careers support:
- our Career Lab helps you to explore your options, build key skills and connect with employers. Take part in internships, community consultancy projects and insight visits, where you can learn about life at organisations such as Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, the Knepp Rewilding Project, and fashion brand Puig
- one-to-one appointments with your Faculty Careers Consultant can enable you to identify your career goals, write an effective CV and prepare for future interviews
- entrepreneurship initiatives like StartUp Sussex and Ideas Lab can empower you to turn your concepts into reality.
Explore how our Careers and Entrepreneurship team can support you
-
Winner
Entrepreneurship Catalyst Award
National Enterprise Educator Awards 2024
-
Winner
Supporting Student and Graduate Employability Award
AGCAS Awards for Excellence 2024
-
Top 50
Best Universities for Work Experience in the UK
2025 Higherin Awards
Entry requirements
Find your place in Clearing
This course will be available in Clearing. Explore your options at Sussex – right here, right now.
Fees
Note that your fees, once they’re set, may be subject to an increase on an annual basis. Find details on our Tuition fees page.
Home students
£9,790 per year
Channel Islands and Isle of Man students
£9,790 per year
On 19 March 2026 the UK Parliament set out that the tuition fee cap for 2026 entry will be £9,790. As the University of Sussex keeps fees for Home students and Channel Islands and Isle of Man students in line with UK Government-approved levels, fees will be £9,790 in 2026. In line with our terms and conditions, the University charges fees at the maximum levels set by the UK Government.
International students
£27,300 per year
Study abroad
Find out about grants and funding, tuition fees and insurance costs for studying abroad
Placement
Living costs
We know the rising cost of living is on everyone’s mind, and affects us all in different ways. Our guide to living costs has been designed to help you plan and budget for life as a Sussex student.
Learn more about typical living costs
Scholarships
Our goal is to ensure that every student who wants to study with us is able to regardless of financial barriers, so that we continue to attract talented and unique people.
-
Chancellor's International Scholarships
£5,000 in the first year of full-time study
-
Climate Leaders Scholarship
£3,000 cash per year of full time study.
Scholarships recipients will be supported to develop a high level project plan and provided with mentoring support.
-
Emily O Akinluyi Scholarship
£5,000 cash award
-
Sanctuary Scholarship (Undergraduate)
- Full 'Overseas' tuition fee waiver
- £16,440 per year of undergraduate study (up to 4 years)
- Sussexsport membership
- Guaranteed continuation of housing
-
Sussex Bursary
£1,000 in your first year of study (either Year 1 or Foundation Year).
£500 in your subsequent years of study.
-
Sussex Pakistan Scholarship (Undergraduate)
£4,000 discount on the first year of tuition fees
-
Sussex Türkiye Scholarship (Undergraduate)
£4,000 discount on the first year of tuition fees
-
Undergraduate Enrichment Award
£6,000 over 3 years of study
Contact us
Ask a student
Chat to Sussex students online via the UniBuddy chat platform.
Prospectus
What do you want to do next?
Legal information
We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described in this prospectus. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to government or regulatory requirements, or unanticipated staff changes, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.