Honours Programmes involving Physics and Astronomy, June 2017 Page 1

Entering Level-5 within Physics and Astronomy and Joint Degrees - 2017

This document aims to give students some advice on module choices when they enter the final year of their

MPhys and MSci programmes. This document should be read in conjunction with the School’s Honours

handbook and the University’s Course Catalogue.

Some details of the modules open to you are in the University’s Course Catalogue, but there is rather more

information in the module synopses that you can access from the School’s Students and Staff web pages.

These synopses are updated each summer.

New for the coming session are the introduction of an optional level five module on Nanophotonics. Students

on the joint degree programme Mathematics and Theoretical Physics may from session 2017-18 choose to do

the 65 credit project module, which allows some students a better way to reach 120 level five credits.

I expect any additional changes (other than the module teaching staff) to be modest between this session and

next, and I do not expect any major changes in the lists of recommended books that you can access from the

School’s module synopses.

The timetable for 2017-18 is not yet available, but the intention is that for the most part it will be similar to

this year’s timetable.

The Level 5 adviser of studies is Dr Charlie Baily, and you are welcome to contact him or your current adviser

of studies with any queries you have after reading this document.

Module Choices Honours students have core modules and a set of modules from which they can choose, depending on the

flavour of their degree programme. Our honours modules are informed by the research being carried out in

the School in astrophysics, biophysics, condensed-matter physics, millimetre-waves, photonics, and

theoretical physics, as well as on-going work on physics education. There are opportunities to get directly

involved in this research, for example through summer internships and the final year project.

The biggest choice you had in our degree programmes was associated with the degree title. Depending on the

degree title there are different modules that are compulsory in your level-5 programme. Please see the

School’s Honours Handbook and the University Course Catalogue for module requirements etc.

Of particular note for your choice of modules may be the form of assessment. Some of our level-five modules

are entirely continuously assessed. This means that the expected 150 hours of study for a 15 credit module

may be expected to be completed before revision week, whereas modules with exams have their 150 hours

spread into the revision and exam weeks. If you choose several modules that are entirely continuously

assessed you may find that your necessary workload during weeks 1 to 11 is larger than you may have

expected. We recommend that you take no more than two modules in semester one with large amounts of

continuous assessment, ie AS5001, PH5014, PH5023 and PH5024.

Honours Programmes involving Physics and Astronomy, June 2017 Page 2

Pre-advising and Advising for entering the Mhys/Sci year

All students are asked to take part in the pre-advising process that happens from the start of the summer. We

accept that students may still choose different modules and programmes when it comes to advising at the start

of level 5, but it is still very helpful to have the pre-advising process completed. This means that students

have considered which modules they wish to do, and have had the chance to talk with their adviser and others

about this, well in advance of the busy start to the final year. It means that the School can look at module

choices and consider modifications to the timetable to reduce timetable clashes. It means that the University

has a better idea about how many students will be in different classes, thus allowing appropriate rooms to be

booked. The remainder of this document looks at how (pre) advising and module choice is done.

Students are asked to realise that choosing their modules for the honours programme is an important

responsibility. You should check degree requirements in this document, the University Course Catalogue

and/or the relevant School Handbooks. You should check, where possible, for timetable clashes. Our School

on its Students and Staff web pages links to the honours module synopses, the School’s honours handbook,

timetables, etc. The normal procedure would be for you to fill in your module choice online and then to get

this approved during the 10-15 minutes advising meeting in September. .

Preadvising

Pre-advising happens in early summer. Please fill in online your module choices for the next session. There

need be no interaction with your adviser of studies at this stage, though the honours advisers may be contacted

should you wish. For students on degree programmes wholly within the School the M-year adviser is Dr

Charlie Baily, and the SH adviser is currently Dr Donatella Cassettari. The School’s Director of Teaching, Dr

Bruce Sinclair, is also willing to discuss matters with students.

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/academic/academic-advising/events/pre-advising/

Pre-advising IS USEFUL FOR STUDENTS: you have more time to make up your mind regarding your future

modules and you can spot well in advance any problems/uncertainties you have with your module choices. If

you wish advice please ask the Adviser of Studies of your relevant future level.

Pre-advising IS USEFUL FOR STAFF: we will have a better idea of the number of students in each module in

advance, and can co-ordinate our teaching better, including tutoring, labs, timetable and room use.

Advising

The September consultation period is organised as follows. First get acquainted with the University and

School Orientation Week timetable – it has a number of interesting events, and provides you with various bits

of useful information. Note: the University requires students to be present in St. Andrews during Orientation

week. Completing the advising process can happen only by meeting your adviser in person, and must be done

during the appropriate time slots in Orientation Week.

During Orientation Week some days are allocated for advising meetings. The advising meetings are normally

run by the respective Adviser of Studies in his/her office. Each student can meet their Adviser for 10-15 min.

You should book your place on a sign-up sheet which has defined time slots. The sign-in sheets are available

either on the Honours notice board or on the office door of the Adviser. Some advisers are now using Doodle

polls for booking appointments, and will contact student by email to alert them to this. Make sure that you

book your meeting in good time, as there is only a limited amount of time allocated for Advising by the

University. You may be faced with late matriculation fees otherwise. Your module choices can be approved

only after you have seen your Adviser IN PERSON, and you can matriculate only after this has happen.

Honours Programmes involving Physics and Astronomy, June 2017 Page 3

Important: you should fill in your module choice online PRIOR to the Advising meeting (and update your

contact details as well). Please try to leave only relatively minor questions for discussion during the advising

session. Please try to discuss all the more complicated issues in advance, either by email or in person.

If there are things that are not clear, please ask us.

Projects

Students will undertake a major project in their final year. This School normally provides a list of possible

project titles early in semester one, and choices are made in the following weeks. You had the opportunity to

see some of the project posters from last year’s MPhys/Sci class at the end of last semester to see the sorts of

areas of science investigation that can be offered. The projects are often hosted within the School’s research

groups. In many ways the projects are run a little like part of a PhD programme, and you may find that your

study time is less structured than when you were doing lecture-based modules. Many students comment

favourably on the open-ended research-focussed nature of this experience. Students are expected to take

responsibility for pushing the project forward, and for consulting with their academic supervisor and possibly

other members of their host research group where appropriate.

The School is in general positive about joint degree students undertaking a PH project module with (pre-

agreed) significant content and supervision from the other school, and about a project hosted in the other

school having (pre-agreed) significant content and supervision from this school

Planning Further Ahead

We have some comments from our graduates about their careers in the Careers section of the School’s

Students and Staff web page. The University Careers Centre has a wealth of information online. The UK

Institute of Physics has some comments at http://www.iop.org/careers/i-am-at-university/index.html and the

“prospects.ac.uk” web site allows you to look at careers options with your subject. Graduates from all our

programmes have acquired a wide range of knowledge and skills in physics, mathematics, and IT skills that

can make them attractive to research/development/sales in physics-based industry, medical physics, patent

agencies, education, computing, financial services, etc. The more general graduate and professional skills that

are developed as part of the degree programme also open up more general “any graduate” career options.

A significant fraction of our students after graduation go into postgraduate study for an MSc or PhD, before

the next stage in their career plans.

Bruce Sinclair, 6 June 2017

There may be errors in this document. The University’s official publications and your adviser should be

consulted. E&OE

Honours Programmes involving Physics and Astronomy, June 2017 Page 4

Appendix A - Modules 2017-18

Information on our honours modules will also be in the new Course Catalogue and the School’s Honours

Module Synopses (recommended). Information is provisional at this stage.

Hons Semester One

Sem 1 cred 16-17 17-18? Comments

AS4025 Observational Astro 15 CC/ASA/ACC Astro 2 pre-req

AS4010 Extragalactic Astronomy 15 VW/KDH Compulsory for Ast

AS4011 Nebulae & Stars 1 15 KW KW Compulsory MPhys Ast

AS5001 Advanced Data Analysis 15 KDH KDH Open to Physicists also

AS5002 Magnetofluids & S.Plasma 15 MMJ MMJ Fluids recommended

AS5003 Contemp Astrophysics 15 ASA/AM/HSZ Astro students only

ID4001 Comms & Teach Sci 15 BDS+ BDS+ Entry by application & interview

PH3061 Quantum Mechanics 1 10 ASK ASK All programmes

PH3074 Electronics 15 PASC PASC Compulsory Phys MPhys

PH3080 Computational Physics 10 MM/ADG MM/ADG Compulsory for most

PH3081 Mathematics for Physicists 15 CRB CRB Compulsory for most

PH3082 Maths for Chem/Phys 20 CRB/MM/ADG CRB/MM/ADG Compulsory (and only) for Chem/ Phys; is PH3081 & half PH3080

PH4027 Optoelectronics & NLO 15 IDWS/MM IDWS/MM

PH4032 Special Relativity & Fields 15 NVK NVK Compulsory TP; EM & L&HD prereq

PH4034 Laser Physics 1 15 FEWK

PH4036 Physics of Music 15 JKemp JKemp

PH4039 Int. Condensed Matter Phys 15 CAH CAH Renamed from “Solid State Physics”

PH4040 Nuc & Particle Phys with advanced skills (M,Phil,CS)

15 ASK/BDS+ ASK/BDS+ Stated Joint degrees only, compulsory for them

PH4041 Atomic, Nuc & Particle Phys 15 ASK/DC ASK/DC Compulsory for many non-astro

PH4105 Physics Laboratory 2 15 CFR+ CFR+ Compulsory Phys

PH5002 Foundations of QM 15 KKW

PH5003 Group Theory 15 JFC

PH5004 Quantum Field Theory 15 JMJK

PH5005 Laser Physics 2 15 BDS/CFR/CTAB/LO’F

Las Phys 1 recommended

PH5011 General Relativity 15 HSZ/MD Special Rel recommended

PH5012 Quantum Optics 15 NVK/FEWK Advanced QM prereq

PH5014 Interacting Electron P 15 GPW/APM

PH5015 Applications of QPhys 15 DC/MM

PH5016 Biophotonics 15 CTAB/CPE/MG Optics or LasPhys1 prereq

PH5023 Monte-Carlo in Rad Trans 15 KW

PH5024 Topics in Cond Matt P 15 PDK/GPW

PH5025 Nanophotonics 15 x AdiF/LO’F

Honours Programmes involving Physics and Astronomy, June 2017 Page 5

Hons Semester Two

Sem 2 16-17 17-18?

AS3013 Computational Astro 15 PW/ChH/KDH Compulsory Ast, available to SH others

AS4012 Nebulae & Stars II ACC/PW Neb&Stars 1 prereq, Compulsory MPhys Ast

AS4015 Gravit & Accret Phys 15 IAB

PH3007 Electromagnetism 15 CRB CRB All programmes JH

PH3012 Thermal & Statistical Phys 15 SLL/IL SLL/IL All programmes, joints may postpone to SH

PH3062 Quantum Mechanics 2 10 ASK ASK All programmes JH

PH3101 Physics Laboratory 1 15 CFR+ CFR+ Compulsory Phys

PH4026 Signals and Information 15 PASC PASC

PH4028 Advanced QM 15 BL BL Compulsory for TP, includes Complex Analysis

PH4031 Fluids 15 MMJ MMJ For astronomers and others

PH4035 Principles of Optics 15 FEWK FEWK

PH4038 Lagrangian & H Dynamics 15 BHB BHB Compulsory all MPhys

PH4042 C in At Phys & Mag Res 15 DC/GMS/JL/GPW

PH4043 Studies in Chem/Phys 15 BDS BDS Compulsory for Chem/Phys students

PH4044 Advanced Cond Matter Phy 15 x New pre-req for some M-level condensed matter modules

Hons Whole Year

AS4103 Astrophysics BSc Project 30 KDH+ Compulsory BSc Ast

AS5101 Astrophysics Mphys Proj 60 KDH+ Compulsory MPhys Ast

PH3014 Transferable Skills for Phys 15 BDS+ BDS+ Compulsory single hons

PH4111 Physics BSc Project 30 PDK+ Compulsory BSc Phys

PH5101 Physics MPhys Project 60 PDK+ Compulsory MPhys Phy

PH5103 Theoretical P. MPhysProj 60 JMJK+ Compulsory MPhys TP

PH5104 Joint Maths/Phys Project 65 x

Staff initials show who was giving the module in 2016-17, and in some cases a first indication of who may be

giving the module in 2017-18. In many cases the same member of staff will be the coordinator as in 2016-17,

though there may be changes due to staff being on research leave, new members of staff joining our

teaching programme, etc.

Not all pre-requisite modules are shown, as many pre-reqs are “standard” modules such as QM1. Not all

“compulsory” modules are listed as such above, due to “choose two out of these three” type requirements.

Note that the University’s Course Catalogue shows the modules being run by each School, and programme

requirements. Some Schools, including ours, have honours handbooks and/or module synopses that also

give useful information.

TBC – To be confirmed