Master of Physics in Physics and Astrophysics The University of Sheffield, UK

On this course, you’ll spend half your degree studying astrophysics modules, more than most other UK astrophysics courses. You’ll also develop the skills for a career in research, whether you want to help map the universe as an astrophysicist or apply your scientific knowledge to solve problems in industry.

There are two telescopes on the roof of our building, which you’ll be trained to use from your first year. We also run a telescope on La Palma in the Canary Islands, which students use during our annual field trip.

At the start of your course, in lectures and lab classes you’ll cover the essential physics behind everything else you’ll study: heat, motion, electricity, magnetism and quantum mechanics. You’ll also begin studying the fundamentals of astronomy and astrophysics with modules that cover our solar system, stars, galaxies and basic cosmology. There are practical sessions using our telescopes and, in programming classes, you can learn skills that are essential to modern astrophysics and valuable in many graduate careers, from data science to computer game design.

You’ll explore essential physics in even more depth in your second year, and continue to specialise in astrophysics with modules on the structure and evolution of stars and galaxies. You’ll do more practical work with our telescopes and continue to develop your programming skills.

In third year, you can branch out into lots of different areas and complete your own research project in astrophysics. Your core modules will cover topics like cosmology and stellar atmospheres. Optional modules include topics such as dark matter and nuclear astrophysics.

A variety of optional modules are also available in the fourth year, when you’ll also be working on a major research project. You’ll choose a research topic in astrophysics and work closely with a member of academic staff who is an expert in the area you want to explore. The project takes up around half of your final year and can lead to a publication in a scientific journal.