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Physics Summer School

Join our Physics Undergraduate Summer School, gaining confidence and core skills while improving your academic prospects.

About the school

The Physics Undergraduate Summer School has been running for over 20 years.

It's an intensive programme that uses small group sizes, dedicated laboratory classes, interactive engagement and concept focused learning to develop confidence and problem-solving skills at undergraduate level.

Browse our modules

There are two modules: Introductory Physics 1 and Introductory Physics 2. Each module is a self-contained, credit-bearing unit of study. You will have a set of learning outcomes and assessments throughout.

Each module carries 15 credits and lasts for four weeks (one session). You take one module per session.

Session One

• Introductory Physics 1

  Module code: ISP01

  This calculus-based module will provide a firm foundation in physical concepts and principles, covering kinematics and dynamics, fluids, elasticity, wave motion, sound, ideal gases, heat and thermodynamics. Applications of physical concepts will be stressed, particularly those related to biological and medical phenomena as well as those forming the basis of much of modern technology. You gain further insight into the physics taught by carrying out a series of laboratory experiments and learning how to analyse and interpret the data.

  Recommendation: This is an intensive module, requiring good mathematical skills, including algebra and trigonometry and a knowledge of vectors and of differential and integral calculus. We also recommend that you view our  and . Please check with your home institution that your mathematics is at an appropriate level.

  Note: This is an intensive academic module. For a 15-credit module taken over four weeks you need to do about 85 hours of self-study over and above the scheduled 65 contact hours. This means that you should be working for about 20-25 hours per week, on average, in addition to attending classes. You need to bear this in mind when planning trips and travel and outside class. 

  Learning outcomes:

  • Have a basic knowledge of the physics topics covered in the course.
  • Be able to solve physics problems at the appropriate level which requires use of this knowledge.
  • Be able to demonstrate familiarity with simple scientific equipment, make accurate measurements, keep records of observations, analyse and interpret data and write scientific reports on experiments.

  Teaching method: Laboratory, lectures and workshops
  Assessment: 65% Exams, 25% Practical Laboratory Reports, 10% In-class tests
  Contact hours: 65 hours, with 37 hours additional support
  Credits: 15 Sussex Credits
  Level: 4
  Labatory Fees: £300

Session Two

• Introductory Physics 2

  Module code: ISP02

  Note: You can only take Introductory Physics 2 if you have completed Introductory Physics 1.

  This calculus-based module will provide a firm foundation in physical concepts and principles, covering electric forces and electric fields, continuous charge distributions, Gauss’s Law, electric potential, capacitance and dielectrics, current and resistance, DC circuits, magnetic fields, force on a charge moving in a magnetic field, charged particle moving in electric and magnetic fields, sources of the magnetic field, Faraday’s law and induction, AC circuits, EM waves, the nature of light and principles of ray optics, image formation and lenses, wave optics and diffraction patterns, introduction to quantum physics, the uncertainty principle, atomic physics, nuclear physics and radioactivity. Applications of physical concepts will be stressed, particularly those related to biological and medical phenomena as well as those forming the basis of much of modern technology. You gain further insight into the physics taught by carrying out a series of laboratory experiments and learning how to analyse and interpret the data.

  Recommendation: This is an intensive module, requiring good mathematical skills, including algebra and trigonometry and a knowledge of vectors and of differential and integral calculus. We also recommend that you view our  and . Please check with your home institution that your mathematics is at an appropriate level.

  Note: This is an intensive academic module. For a 15-credit module taken over four weeks you need to do about 85 hours of self-study over and above the scheduled 65 contact hours. This means that you should be working for about 20-25 hours per week, on average, in addition to attending classes. You need to bear this in mind when planning trips and travel and outside class. 

  Learning outcomes:

  • Have a basic knowledge of the physics topics covered in the course.
  • Be able to solve physics problems at the appropriate level which requires use of this knowledge.
  • Be able to demonstrate familiarity with simple scientific equipment, make accurate measurements, keep records of observations, analyse and interpret data and write scientific reports on experiments.

  Teaching method: Laboratory, lectures and workshops
  Assessment: 65% Exams, 25% Practical Laboratory Reports, 10% In-class tests
  Contact hours: 65 hours, with 37 hours additional support
  Credits: 15 Sussex Credits
  Level: 4
  Laboratory Fees: £300

Not sure how to choose?

Follow our top tips for choosing your modules. You can also find out about our teaching structure, assessment process and how your credits transfer back to your home institution.

Find out more.

I wanted to continue improving myself and practice being independent by studying abroad.” AN NGUYEN
Physics Summer School student - University of California, Irvine

Which school will I study in?

You'll study in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, part of the School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences.

As a leading research university, Sussex has a wide range of specialist labs that operate at the intersections between life sciences and physics. It is home to the Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

You’ll learn from world-leading physics faculty working at the forefront of fundamental physics, ranging from quantum information processing, quantum optics, and cold atom physics through a programme of top-rated particle physics experiments, to the theoretical understanding of space, time and matter.

The modules are tailored for our international students, many whom will be studying university physics for the first time, and who continue onwards to achieve their goal of studying at graduate medical school.

Our physics and astronomy research

Our researchers are working on theoretical and experimental applications of fundamental physics. This work includes developing quantum sensors for biomedical imaging and understanding nanomaterials to develop applications including biosensors.

Our research influences the way we teach, and you'll learn from academics at the top of their fields.

You might also be interested in:

• fees and costs
• entry requirements
• how to apply.