Top 10 universities in the UK for physical science degrees 2024
Scroll down for the full list of best universities in the UK for physical science degrees
| UK physical science rank 2024 | Physical science rank 2024 | University | City/town |
| 1 | 5 | University of Cambridge | Cambridge |
| 2 | 8 | University of Oxford | Oxford |
| 3 | 11 | Imperial College London | London |
| 4 | 41 | UCL | London |
| 5 | 44 | University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh |
| 6 | 51 | University of Manchester | Manchester |
| 7 | =62 | University of Bristol | Bristol |
| 8 | 81 | University of Southampton | Southampton |
| 9 | 93 | King’s College London | London |
| 10 | 98 | University of Leeds | Leeds |
The physical sciences include mathematics, statistics, physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, environmental sciences and Earth and marine sciences. Courses in the physical sciences differ across universities and countries, but the core focus is on the understanding and application of mathematics in the natural world through practical and lab work.
In the UK, the physical sciences are also known as natural sciences, and courses at the undergraduate level typically run over three or four years.
In the UK, most university courses cover one discipline, such as chemistry, but some institutions offer a broader undergraduate course in the natural sciences. In these broader courses, students tend to study foundational topics in physics, maths and chemistry in the first two years before specialising from the third year onwards.
At postgraduate level students can choose between a taught master’s in a particular field or a research programme in which they undertake research in their chosen field and complete a written thesis.
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5. University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh's school of physics and astronomy offers a wide range of undergraduate programmes in physics, astrophysics, theoretical physics, mathematical physics and many others. The university regularly ranks as one of the best universities in Scotland.
Students are also able to study joint honours degree within the physical sciences, such as physics with maths or maths and statistics.
The school also offers taught master's programmes in theoretical physics, mathematical physics and particle and nuclear physics. Students also have the option to continue their studies and conduct a PhD within these fields.
The mathematics undergraduate course starts off with a common core of mathematics modules, then providing the option for students to specialise as they proceed throughout their degree.
4. UCL
The natural sciences BSc at UCL is a three-year course and allows students to combine science subjects, referred to as “streams”.
Students can gain a breadth of knowledge across scientific disciplines before specialising in two core streams.
All natural sciences students at UCL take a common mathematics module as well as three foundation modules in their first term. Students then narrow these down to two by their second term. Foundation modules can be chosen from the following: chemistry, Earth sciences, life sciences, statistics, physics and astronomy, or science and technology studies.
Second-year streams include more specialised options such as medical physics, organic chemistry and astrophysics. Students learn through lectures, practical sessions and small-group tutorials. Practical work is assessed throughout the year, while theory is assessed in year-end exams.
The faculty offers a range of postgraduate options in newer academic areas as well as more traditional ones. The faculty encourages cross-disciplinary learning with joint projects across faculties.
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3. Imperial College London
Imperial College London, founded in London in 1907, teaches a range of physical sciences degrees.
The Faculty of Natural Sciences offers courses in chemistry, mathematics, physics, and environmental policy.
The faculty has several global institutes to aid its research endeavours, including the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, the Energy Futures Lab and the Data Science Institute.
Physical sciences undergraduate students at Imperial can choose between six physics programmes and are able to transfer between courses if they wish. The department has an Industry Club that facilitates links with industry, exchange programmes with MIT in the US and an annual industry fair.
A number of streams are available to students wishing to pursue a postgraduate degree in the physical sciences. These include physics, mathematics and finance, optics and photonics, quantum fields and fundamental forces, and statistics.
2. University of Oxford
The University of Oxford offers a range of physical sciences programmes including courses in chemistry, geology, engineering, scientific geography, materials science and physics.
Alumni include geometry professor Edmund Halley, who successfully predicted the return of Halley’s Comet; and Edwin Hubble, the astronomer renowned for establishing the fields of extragalactic astronomy and observational cosmology.
Students on the four-year undergraduate chemistry course spend the first three years in lectures, laboratory sessions and a problems class. The final year consists of full-time work with a research group, a distinctive feature of the course since 1916.
Geology is a three-year course. Students mostly split their time between lectures and practical sessions, with the third year focused slightly more on the theoretical side. Small-group tutorials include two to four students.
Physics at Oxford can be taken as a three-year (BA) or four-year (MPhys) course. The first year is divided equally between mathematics and physics in laboratories, lectures and tutorials. The second and third years are spent in tutorials and small groups, and the fourth year is spent taking two modules alongside the MPhys project.
1. University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge School of Physical Sciences offers the natural sciences course at the undergraduate level.
This three- or four-year programme is the framework within which most science subjects are taught at the university.
The first year is broad, allowing students to gain foundational knowledge across scientific disciplines. Students can then narrow down their specialisation to physics, chemistry or mathematics from the second year, with total specialisation from the third year onwards.
Postgraduate courses are available in areas including maths, physics, chemistry and Earth science.
The University of Cambridge is particularly renowned for its supervisions, in which students discuss their work with a leading researcher in the field each week. This system of teaching happens in small groups of usually no more than three, so students can get highly personalised mentorship on their academic progress.
Alumni of Cambridge’s science programmes include Isaac Newton, Francis Crick and Stephen Hawking.
Top universities in the UK for physical sciences degrees 2024
Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2024 profile
Editor's note: This table was updated in December 2023 to retroactively include Birkbeck, University of London based on their provided data submission. More information on the university's inclusion can be found here
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