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Studies & Degrees in Physics

Choose where you would like to study Physics:

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Physics Study Programs

Level: Undergraduate Bachelors     Location: Madrid
Level: Undergraduate Bachelors     Location: Villanueva de la Cañada

Physics is a science applying scientific methodologies to understand fundamental principles in nature. This includes the understanding of fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics; mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes; as well as knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, and their interrelationships.

There are a great number of areas that physics cover, while physicists usually fall within one of three most common roles. There are physicists, who deal with the theoretical part of the subject. This involves developing theories or models of how various aspects of the world work. There are also experimental physicists, who are concerned with testing these theories, attempting to determine their limits and suggest different approaches. Finally, there are the applied physicists, who actually apply all the findings in practical settings – in industry and with the introduction of new technologies.

Personal Qualities

An early drive towards sciences is probably the most important quality you should have if you wish to thrive in this subject area. Concepts can be complicated, requiring a lot of patience and attention to detail, so here are some other qualities you could consider:

  • Great analytical skills and ability to solve problems
  • Taking joy in research
  • Ability to visualize and communicate complex ideas and information
  • Ability to perform well both individually and as a part of a team.

Study Options

If you feel truly driven to physics, you can definitely look for an undergraduate physics course that will give you a good depth into the subject, and will also introduce you to courses like advanced mathematics and computer science. When researching the institutions that offer such degrees, it would be a good idea for you to carefully study whether the course they offer specifically prepares you for a given profession, or is a general physics course.

Such a degree will also open to you great opportunities to participate in unique research and even have your work published in various academic journals. Most of these are provided in postgraduate level of study, though, and continuing their education after completing an undergraduate degree is not uncommon for physics students. At the master’s level students normally decide to specialize in areas like nuclear physics, geophysics, nanotechnologies, etc. For this reason, the research record of the school you are choosing is crucial, together with the years of study it takes to complete the program and the success rate of graduates.

Career Options

Usually physicists work in the sectors of government agencies, private firms, or universities. Within these three areas, work encompasses research, product development, or both. Government agencies offer amazing opportunities to work on both the application and development of new technologies. An interesting option for you may be to pursue a job within the space or defense department of a given country, as it will most surely involve both research and development in a wide pool of areas.

As far as the private sector is concerned, it most typically employs physicists in manufacturing and engineering services firms. The career prospects in this sector are a bit more limited, due to the expense of the equipment required for long-term research projects.

To end with, some roles within the physicists world you might with to explore before taking a final decision are astrophysicist (exploring the solar system, starts and galaxies); environmental physicist (the interaction of the different aspects of the environment); medical and health physicist (involving the development of medical radiation therapy equipment); nanotechnologies, nuclear technologies, optical physicists, etc.