Astrophysics with a Foundation Year
Swansea University
UCAS Code: F51F | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Swansea University
UCAS Code: F51F | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
CDD to include Mathematics and Physics however applicants with relevant qualifications or professional experience will also be considered.
Access to HE Diploma
Must include merits in all Mathematics and Physics modules.
Will be considered depending on subjects studied, and applicants will be expected to demonstrate significant knowledge of Physics and Mathematics well beyond GCSE standard.
UCAS Tariff
Should include Mathematicss and Physics however applicants with relevant qualifications or professional experience will also be considered.
Swansea University accepts the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales as fully equivalent to x1 A-Level.
Requirements are as for A levels where you can substitute the same non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Level Core Grade.
About this course
If you don’t attain the grades needed to enrol on the BSc in Astrophysics, then this 4-year programme, with a Foundation Year, could be for you.
The Foundation Year, which covers core concepts in Physics and Mathematics, is a great way to gain the knowledge and skills needed for your Astrophysics undergraduate degree. The Foundation Year is integrated, meaning you’ll be taught in the same department on the Singleton Campus throughout your four years.
On completion of the Foundation Year, you will spend three years studying towards your undergraduate degree, which will take you on a journey to unlock the mysteries of the Universe!
You will go beyond lectures, with hands-on practical experience using telescopes and detectors, and analysing real astronomical data. Your final year project allows you to conduct your own independent research in an astrophysics area, potentially using data from an observatory field trip.
Our programme aims to create well-rounded astrophysicists equipped with not only the necessary scientific knowledge and skills but also the critical thinking, communication, and adaptability to thrive in the ever-evolving world of scientific exploration and discovery.
Physics at Swansea University is ranked:
• 3rd in the UK for Teaching Quality (Guardian University Guide 2025)
• 5th in the UK for Teaching (NSS 2024)*
• 11th in the UK Overall (Guardian University Guide 2025)
• Top 201-250 in the World (QS World University Rankings 2024), and
• 92% of Graduates are in Employment, Study and/or Study, or Doing other Activities such as Travelling, 15 Months after Leaving Swansea University (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023)
*Based on the average positivity score across questions 1 to 4 in the NSS 20234 when ranked against universities featured in the Times Good University Guide
Why Swansea?
Physics at Swansea University is a highly regarded department that attracts students from across the world. Our student & staff space, the Event Horizon, overlooks spectacular views of Swansea Bay, provides an ideal location for quiet study, informal discussions and lunches.
The Physics department and the Swansea University Physics Society sponsor frequent social and academic events such as departmental colloquia and lectures to bring students and staff together. Elected student reps for each year and for the Swansea University Physics Society ensure that every student voice is heard through regular meetings with the programme director.
Our world-leading research groups in Particle Physics and Cosmology Theory, Applied Materials, and the ALPHA anti-matter collaboration with close ties to CERN, ensure that our teaching is informed by the latest research. Students have the opportunity to do a summer internship or undertake a final year project with the ALPHA group at CERN in Geneva.
Our graduates have become data scientists, AI engineers, demand forecasters, quantitative finance analysts, electromagnetic signature analysts, cost draftsmen, patent examiners and software engineers in sectors which include government research, the private sector, aerospace, defence, energy, engineering and space exploration. A significant percentage of our graduates go on to pursue postgraduate studies and research with a wide variety of specialisations.
Modules
Your first year of study will be your Foundation Year, which covers a mix of key themes in Physics and Mathematics, such as Mechanics, Atoms, Nuclei and Particles, and Foundation Mathematics for Physicists.
On successful completion of your Foundation Year, you will spend a further three years working towards your BSc.
Year 2 is predominantly made up of compulsory modules, covering more in-depth topics such as Astronomy and Cosmology, and Quantum Mechanics.
Your third year also comprises of compulsory modules, building on your existing knowledge with modules covering a range of topics including Stellar Astrophysics, Electromagnetism and Thermal and Statistical Physics.
The fourth and final year compounds your existing knowledge with a range of specialist modules, covering Galactic Dynamics, Frontiers of Nucleic Physics and Advanced Astronomical Techniques.
Assessment methods
Throughout the programme, you will be assessed through a range of diverse assessments, from reports and scientific posters to exams and presentations, allowing you to showcase your skills in communication, teamwork, research and more.
The Uni
Singleton Park Campus
Faculty of Science and Engineering
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Physics
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Astronomy
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Physics
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Although the subject has seen a bit of resurgence in recent years, the UK is still felt to be short of physics graduates, and in particular physicists training as teachers. If you want a career in physics research — in all sorts of areas, from atmospheric physics to lasers - you'll probably need to take a doctorate, and so have a think about where you would like to do that and how you might fund it (the government funds many physics doctorates, so you might not find it as hard as you think). With that in mind, it's not surprising that just over a fifth of physics graduates go on to take doctorates when they finish their degree, and well over a third of physicists take some kind of postgraduate study in total. Physics is highly regarded and surprisingly versatile, which is why physics graduates who decide not to stay in education are more likely to go into well-paid jobs in the finance industry than they are to go into science. The demand and versatility of physics degrees goes to explain why they're amongst the best-paid science graduates.
Astronomy
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Not a lot of people study astronomy as a first degree, and if you want to be one of the small number of people who start work as an astronomer - often overseas - every year, you will need a doctorate — so at least a third of graduates go into further study. Astronomy graduates, however, are versatile, going into all parts of the jobs market - their good technical, data and maths skills taking them into IT and business especially. However, if you want to find out more specifically about the prospects for your chosen subject, it might be a good idea to go on open days and talk to tutors about what previous graduates from your chosen subject went on to do.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Physics
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£24k
£30k
£32k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Astronomy
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£24k
£30k
£32k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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