Good Reasons to Choose Physics at Salford
Outstanding Teaching Quality
- In the last official UK University Subject Review, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
awarded the Joule Physics Laboratory 23/24 points for the Quality of its Teaching.
This score, corresponding to 96%, is the same as that achieved by the University of Cambridge.
The score means that our courses, our teaching, and the learning environment that we provide
are amongst the best in the country.
Separately, in the 2010 National Students Survey Physical Sciences at Salford University gained an outstanding 96% score in Student Satisfaction.
- Overall Teaching Quality at the University of Salford has also recently been ranked very highly. In a paper published in the Quality in Higher Education journal, and reported in the Times Higher Education Supplement, Salford University was ranked ninth in the country - alongside Universities such as Oxford and Leeds - and ranked top in the North-West for the Quality of its Teaching. The findings were reported in tables that summarised more than 1,000 teaching quality inspection results. In their paper, the researchers adjusted overall scores to take into account factors such as grade inflation over time and variations in performance between different subject groups. The researchers concluded that some of the more widely-publicised performance tables 'had been successful at little more than measuring institutional wealth'.
- All of our Physics degrees are Accredited by the Institute of Physics. For more information on course accreditation, what this means for your career, and why this is important, go to the Institute of Physics Accreditation Pages.
- The Joule Physics Laboratories include a comprehensive suite of Dedicated Teaching Laboratories. These are new, and purpose-built, facilities that were only recently opened (in fact, officially opened in May of 2005).
- Read what our current students have to say.
Within a recent independent and formal University Review Process,
16 of our current students attended a Consultation Meeting (held on 26 November 2008), and were quizzed about studying in
the Joule Physics Laboratory.
The students agreed on 12 main things that were good about Physics at Salford. These were:
i) good relationship between students and staff - staff very accessible and a good atmosphere
ii) good range of degrees
iii) range of topics covered in modules
iv) quality of teaching materials
v) induction arrangements for foundation and first year
vi) division of teaching into lectures and tutorials
vii) group size in Physics classes
viii) support networks (including the role of some PhD students)
ix) mathematics support
x) 'Frontiers of Physics' lecture series
xi) IT suites and Physics social space
xii) the Physics Society
To see further comments from our students, please look at the Student Profiles section.
International Research Excellence
- The Joule Physics Laboratory supports a broad range of both theoretical and
applied Physics research, ranging from
Mathematical Physics to
Applied Materials Physics.
All full-time academic Physics staff are members of Salford University's
Materials & Physics Research Centre,
and all of these staff were submitted for assessment in the UK-wide Research
Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008).
- Our Research was awarded an impressive 85% score in International Standing in the recent UK Research Assessment Exercise, with 50% of our Research rated as World-Leading or Internationally Excellent. In our subject specialism of Materials Physics, we are ranked as 2nd in the North West and 8th in the UK. Further details are available.
- Our excellence in Research is reflected in our Extensive Research Facilities, which are housed in the three adjacent Maxwell, Cockcroft and Newton Buildings.
Engaging with Employers
- Enterprise, and Engaging with Employers, is a long-standing tradition of the University of Salford as a whole.
While pure academic research is not overlooked, the Joule Physics Laboratory has a strong history of applying and exploiting research in real-world contexts. Our connections with potential graduate employers thus goes far beyond just good networking
practice - we actually work with employers
and we have excellent support centres to make things happen.
- Optional student work placements have played a key role for many years in engaging our
students with prospective employers and in enhancing their focus and motivation in studies.
Our history of real-world research and employer engagement thus facilitates a good choice of
appropriate placements for our students.
We have also now extended this scheme, to allow work placements both in the UK and abroad.
- New and significant developments are underway at the Joule Physics Laboratory, in which we bring employment opportunities, and even the employers themselves, closer to our students. Salford Physics has worked closely with the Institute of Physics, under the Stimulating Physics Project, as the sole UK physics department including a strong careers theme in their undergraduate physics programmes. Our goals are to add new dimensions to the study of physics, through introduction of real-world contexts and employer participation directly into the syllabus - to further stimulate, motivate and network our students. Developments within this exciting project are underway - we have introduced new real-world elements into a selection of first year Physics modules. Further information on these developments can be found in the PhysicSalford Open Day Pages.
