With an ongoing shortage of people to fill STEM roles, pursuing subjects such as Physics can lead to excellent employment prospects after university. Even if you don't go on to become a physicist, learning to think like one will equip you with excellent problem-solving skills in particular.
Physicists look for the hidden laws as to why all matter and energy exists, where it comes from and its behaviour. These laws can then be used to develop new materials and technologies to improve our lives and explore further into everything from the tiniest particles to stars and the universe.
If you are interested in the limits of space, the beginning of time and everything in between this is the subject for you.
Physics is one of the Russell Group universities' 'facilitating' subjects — so called because choosing them at A-level allows a wide range of options for degree study.
What will you study during Physics A-level?
Specific content covered within A-level Physics may vary from school to school, and depending on the exam board followed. Within the AQA specification however, topics covered include measurements and their errors, particles and radiation, waves, mechanics and materials, electricity, thermal physics, fields and their consequences, nuclear physics, astrophysics, medical physics and engineering physics.
What skills will you get from studying Physics?
Physics trains your brain to think beyond boundaries. The subject combines practical skills with theoretical ideas. Analytical, mathematical and problem - solving skills become highly developed through Physics A-level.
What careers can studying Physics lead to?
Physics A Level and degree courses not only provide you with excellent career opportunities in the Sciences, Medicine, Engineering, Cosmology, Computing industry and Geology, but also in a host of other disciplines such as Management, Law, Banking and Finance.
Top 20 universities for Physics and Astronomy
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023
| 1 | University of Cambridge |
| 2 | University of St Andrews |
| 3 | Durham University |
| 4 | University of Oxford |
| 5 | Lancaster University |
| 6 | University of Birmingham |
| 7= | University of Warwick |
| 7= | University of Manchester |
| 9 | University of Glasgow |
| 10 | University of Edinburgh |
| 11 | University of Strathclyde |
| 12 | Imperial College London |
| 13 | University of Bristol |
| 14 | University of Nottingham |
| 15 | University of Exeter |
| 16 | Cardiff University |
| 17 | University College London |
| 18 | University of Sheffield |
| 19 | University of Bath |
| 20 | Heriot-Watt University |
Below are real-life examples of what university degrees studying A-level Physics, in combination with other subjects, can lead to.
| Physics/ Economics/ Maths | University of Warwick | Engineering Management |
| Physics/ Economics/ Maths | University of Oxford | |
| Physics/ Art/ Maths | Newcastle University | Architecture |
| Physics/ Art/ Maths | University of Edinburgh | |
| Physics/ Maths/ Further Maths | Aston University | Computer Science |
| Physics/ Chemistry/ Maths | University of Birmingham | Chemistry |
| Physics/ Economics/ Maths/ Further Maths | UCL | Physics |
| Physics/ Economics/ Maths | Imperial College London | Civil Engineering |
| Physics/ Economics/ Maths | University of Bristol | Mechanical Engineering |
| Physics/ Maths/ Chinese | University of Manchester |
Find out more about taking A-level Physics and other subjects at Kings here
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