Student Profile: Physics

Read what one of our students, Deen, Rehan (3rd year Physics), says about life at Mansfield.

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Physics is a subject which seeks to understand the mechanism behind the workings of elementary particles, atoms, forces and even the Universe itself.  The Physics course at Oxford University is designed to help students appreciate the ideas which underpin our understanding of physical processes and take them to the boundaries of current research areas.  The Department of Physics is one of the largest in the country and is located very close to the College.

For physics, there is both a 3-year course leading to the BA and a 4-year course leading to the MPhys.

Lectures and laboratory work are organised by the Department of Physics, and take place in one or other of the Physics laboratories (these are just a few minutes walk away from Mansfield, as is the Radcliffe Science Library). The College tutorials are designed to supplement these, and to ensure that students really understand the material presented in lectures and are able to use it. In most of the first three years, students normally have two tutorials or classes a week. When studying the options chosen in the four-year course, students are taught in classes organised by the Physics Department.

Subjects studied at A level or equivalent should be Physics, Mathematics and most usually Chemistry, and/or Further Mathematics.

Professor Blundell, Dr Sukumar and Professor Biller will be happy to answer any queries prospective applicants may have.  Further information concerning the Physics course can be found on the Department of Physics web page (http://www.physics.ox.ac.uk).

Candidates applying in Physics will not be required to submit written work. 

Candidates will be asked to sit the Physics Aptitude Test (PAT). All candidates applying to Oxford to read physics will be taking the same test (see the web-page www.physics.ox.ac.uk/admissions for more details). Applicants to Mansfield will also be given two thorough, but friendly, interviews and will also receive an interview at a second college.  The main purpose of these interviews is to test the ability to think clearly and to solve problems, rather than the depth of knowledge. 

Useful Links

• Department of Physics
• University Course Detail