At St Anne’s we admit undergraduates to study both the three-year BA and the four-year MPhys courses. Almost all Oxford colleges admit physics undergraduates, and the Department of Physics is one of the largest in the UK.

All Physics lectures and practicals are provided centrally within the Department of Physics. At St Anne’s, during the first three years Patrick Irwin and Neville Harnew teach mathematics, mechanics, optics, electromagnetism and particle physics to all students, with experts called in from the Department and other colleges to provide tutorials in other subjects. In the fourth year, all undergraduates are taught in classes centrally within the Department of Physics.

Physics students at St Anne’s have access to probably the best science library of any Oxford college. We try very hard to provide as many copies of the most modern editions of the all the major textbooks as there are students who want to read them, and we are the envy of physics students in many other colleges for whom book provision is much more limited. Online literature access is a vital part of modern physics, and again St Anne’s provides extensive facilities for this.

St Anne’s is widely regarded as being a very friendly, unpretentious college, and has the added advantage of being situated close to the Department of Physics, which is handy when trying to get to lectures at 9.00 a.m.!

The first year is a preparatory year, which introduces basic elements of mathematics and physics, but which does not count to the final degree. The second year covers the main core building blocks required by physicists, while the third year applies these core ideas to more advanced problems. Students taking the four-year MPhys course study two subjects to advanced level and also undertake an eight-week project.

Whilst at St Anne’s, Physics undergraduates are able to obtain travel grants to broaden their horizons in the vacations and can also apply for Vacation Laboratory Studentships to gain research experience. When not doing physics, undergraduates participate in a large number of extracurricular activities.

St Anne’s Physics graduates carry on to a number of different careers. Many take higher degrees – both here in Oxford and elsewhere. Those not staying for research go on to a wide range of careers, including teaching, the forces, the city and management.

Follow this link for a student's view of Physics at St Anne's.