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Bachelor of Science (Honours) Philosophy and Physics


Important entry information

Entry to first year is the standard entry route, and the route which can provide the broadest education, and which can give most flexibility in final choice of degree. Students who are aiming for a degree in Physics or Astrophysics and who enter with good Advanced Highers or A-levels or equivalent in Physics and Mathematics may apply for an accelerated entry route to the programme, which can reduce the length of the BSc Honours programme to three years and the MPhys programme to four years. The special Physics and Astronomy (Gateway) first year allows subsequent progression to the second year of all the single-honours degree programmes in the School, and the joint degrees with the School of Mathematics.

Programme Requirements

BSc (Hons) Philosophy (Joint Honours): First year
Code Module name Credits
PY1012 Reasoning 20 AND
View list Between 0 and 60 credits from Module List: PY1000 - PY1999 AND
PY1010 Mind and World 20
PY1011 Moral and Political Controversies 20
PY1012 Reasoning 20
PY1013 The Enlightenment 20
PY1801 Ethical Issues (by Distance Learning) 20
PY1802 Reasoning and Knowledge (by Distance Learning) 20
PY1901 Morality and Human Nature 20
Note:
- Not all modules are available in every academic year and/or semester
- Individual modules may have requisites to satisfy to be eligible to select them

For further details, see the module catalogue entry for each individual module above
Remaining credits from Level 1000 options

Further requirements

Choose 120 credits in the academic year

First and Second Year Philosophy (BSc Joint Honours) Programme Requirements:

20 credits: PY1012;
20 credits: PY2010 and/or PY2012;
20 further credits: 1000- or 2000-Level PY modules;

Please balance your choices across the academic year.

BSc (Hons) Physics (Joint Honours): First year
Code Module name Credits
PH1011 Physics 1A 20 AND
PH1012 Physics 1B 20 AND
MT1002 Mathematics 20 AND
Remaining credits from Level 1000 options

Further requirements

Choose 120 credits in the academic year

Students without prerequisite for MT1002 will take MT1001 in Semester 1.
BSc (Hons) Philosophy (Joint Honours): Second year
Code Module name Credits
* View list Between 20 and 40 credits from Module List: PY2010, PY2012 AND
PY2010 Intermediate Logic 20
PY2012 Meaning and Knowing 20
Note:
- Not all modules are available in every academic year and/or semester
- Individual modules may have requisites to satisfy to be eligible to select them

For further details, see the module catalogue entry for each individual module above
View list Between 0 and 40 credits from Module List: PY1000 - PY1999, PY2000 - PY2999 (excluding Distance Learning and Evening Language Modules) AND
PY1010 Mind and World 20
PY1011 Moral and Political Controversies 20
PY1012 Reasoning 20
PY1013 The Enlightenment 20
PY2010 Intermediate Logic 20
PY2011 Foundations of Western Philosophy 20
PY2012 Meaning and Knowing 20
PY2013 Moral and Aesthetic Value 20
Note:
- Not all modules are available in every academic year and/or semester
- Individual modules may have requisites to satisfy to be eligible to select them

For further details, see the module catalogue entry for each individual module above
Remaining credits from Levels 1000 and 2000 options

Further requirements

Choose 120 credits in the academic year
Choose a minimum of 80 Level 2000 credits

First and Second Year Philosophy (BSc Joint Honours) Programme Requirements:

20 credits: PY1012;
20 credits: PY2010 and/or PY2012;
20 further credits: 1000- or 2000-Level PY modules;

Please balance your choices across the academic year.

Automatic entry to Honours requires

  • pass at grade 11 or better in at least 1 of the modules marked *
BSc (Hons) Physics (Joint Honours): Second year
Code Module name Credits
^ PH2011 Physics 2A 30 AND
^ PH2012 Physics 2B 30 AND
~ MT2501 Linear Mathematics 15 AND
~ MT2503 Multivariate Calculus 15 AND
Remaining credits from Levels 1000 and 2000 options

Further requirements

Choose 120 credits in the academic year
Choose a minimum of 80 Level 2000 credits

Automatic entry to Honours requires

  • pass and have an average grade 11 or better in modules marked ^
  • pass and have an average grade 11 or better in modules marked ~

Automatic entry to Honours requires grade 11 in

  • Mean over passing grades in PH2011 and PH2012
  • [Mean over passing grades in MT2501 and MT2503] OR [Mean over passing grades in [MT2501 and MT2503 and one or more module from MT2502, MT2504-MT2508)]

    • BSc Honours

    The general requirements are 480 credits over a period of normally four years (and not more than five years) or part-time equivalent, of which the final two years form an approved Honours programme of 240 credits, of which 90 credits are at 4000 level and at least a further 120 credits at 3000 and/or 4000 levels.

    BSc (Hons) Philosophy (Joint Honours): Third year
    Code Module name Credits
    PY3100 Reading Philosophy 1: Texts in Language, Logic, Mind, Epistemology, Metaphysics and Science 30 AND
    View list At least 30 credits from Module List: PY3200, PY4000 - PY4689, CL4500 - CL4520, ID4801, ID4859
    PY3200 Reading Philosophy 2: Texts in Ethics, Metaethics, Religion, Aesthetics and Political Philosophy 30
    PY4601 Paradoxes 30
    PY4606 Contemporary Epistemology 30
    PY4607 Continental European Philosophy from Descartes to Leibniz 30
    PY4608 Political Philosophy in the Age of Revolutions 30
    PY4609 Philosophical Methodology 30
    PY4610 Philosophy of Perception 30
    PY4611 Classical Philosophy 30
    PY4612 Advanced Logic 30
    PY4614 Philosophy of Mind 30
    PY4615 Metaphysics 30
    PY4616 Freedom and Action 30
    PY4618 Animals, Minds and Language 30
    PY4622 Kant's Critical Philosophy 30
    PY4624 Philosophy of Art 30
    PY4625 Philosophy and Public Affairs: Global Justice 30
    PY4626 Life and Death 30
    PY4632 Contemporary Philosophy of Language 30
    PY4634 Philosophy of Logic 30
    PY4635 Contemporary Moral Theory 30
    PY4638 Philosophy of Religion 30
    PY4639 Philosophy of Creativity 30
    PY4640 Medieval Philosophy 30
    PY4643 Philosophy of Law 30
    PY4644 Rousseau on Human Nature, Society, and Freedom 30
    PY4645 Philosophy and Literature 30
    PY4646 Reasons for Action and Belief 30
    PY4647 Humans, Animals, and Nature 30
    PY4648 Conceptual Engineering and its Role in Philosophy 30
    PY4649 Core Works in Continental Philosophy 30
    PY4650 Philosophy, Feminism and Gender 30
    PY4651 Effective Altruism 30
    PY4652 The Philosophy of Human Rights 30
    PY4653 Toleration in the Early Modern Period 30
    PY4654 Responsibility, Praise, and Blame 30
    PY4655 Advanced Metaethics 30
    PY4656 The Philosophy of Love and Sex 30
    PY4657 Philosophy of Economics 30
    PY4658 Timely Topics in Political Philosophy 30
    PY4659 Why Does The World Exist? 30
    PY4660 Work, Entitlement, and Welfare 30
    PY4661 The Philosophy of the Climate Crisis 30
    PY4662 Critical Theory 30
    PY4663 Artificial Intelligence and Philosophy 30
    PY4664 Ethics of Conversation 30
    PY4665 First Contact 30
    CL4500 Pleasure, Goodness and Happiness: Hellenistic Ethics 30
    CL4504 Justice, politics and the good life: Plato's Republic and its critics in the ancient world 30
    ID4801 Human Rights, Poverty and Security 30
    Note:
    - Not all modules are available in every academic year and/or semester
    - Individual modules may have requisites to satisfy to be eligible to select them

    For further details, see the module catalogue entry for each individual module above

    Further requirements

    Choose 120 credits in academic year

    Third and Fourth Year Philosophy (BSc Joint Honours) Programme Requirements:

    30 credits: PY3100
    60 - 90* credits - PY3200, PY4000 - PY4689, (PY4698 or PY4699 or PY4794 - in Fourth Year only), CL4500 - CL4520), ID4801, ID4859, (PY4701 with ID4002 - in Fourth Year only)

    *Across the two Honours years up to 30 PY Honours credits may be substituted for credits from another subject area and/or level (dip-across or dip-down), provided that permission is obtained from the relevant Head of School.

    A minimum of 90 PY credits must be achieved across the two Honours years.

    In total over both subjects, 210 credits must be achieved at 3000 and 4000 level, including at least 90 credits at 4000-level.

    BSc (Hons) Physics (Joint Honours): Third year
    Code Module name Credits
    PH3007 Electromagnetism 15 AND
    PH3061 Quantum Mechanics 1 10 AND
    PH3062 Quantum Mechanics 2 10 AND
    PH3080 Computational Physics 10 AND
    PH3081 Mathematics for Physicists 15

    Further requirements

    Choose 120 credits in academic year
    BSc (Hons) Philosophy (Joint Honours): Fourth year
    Code Module name Credits
    View list Credits from Module List: PY3200, PY4000 - PY4689, CL4500 - CL4520, ID4801, ID4859, PY4698, - PY4699, PY4794, (PY4701 and ID4002)
    PY3200 Reading Philosophy 2: Texts in Ethics, Metaethics, Religion, Aesthetics and Political Philosophy 30
    PY4601 Paradoxes 30
    PY4606 Contemporary Epistemology 30
    PY4607 Continental European Philosophy from Descartes to Leibniz 30
    PY4608 Political Philosophy in the Age of Revolutions 30
    PY4609 Philosophical Methodology 30
    PY4610 Philosophy of Perception 30
    PY4611 Classical Philosophy 30
    PY4612 Advanced Logic 30
    PY4614 Philosophy of Mind 30
    PY4615 Metaphysics 30
    PY4616 Freedom and Action 30
    PY4618 Animals, Minds and Language 30
    PY4622 Kant's Critical Philosophy 30
    PY4624 Philosophy of Art 30
    PY4625 Philosophy and Public Affairs: Global Justice 30
    PY4626 Life and Death 30
    PY4632 Contemporary Philosophy of Language 30
    PY4634 Philosophy of Logic 30
    PY4635 Contemporary Moral Theory 30
    PY4638 Philosophy of Religion 30
    PY4639 Philosophy of Creativity 30
    PY4640 Medieval Philosophy 30
    PY4643 Philosophy of Law 30
    PY4644 Rousseau on Human Nature, Society, and Freedom 30
    PY4645 Philosophy and Literature 30
    PY4646 Reasons for Action and Belief 30
    PY4647 Humans, Animals, and Nature 30
    PY4648 Conceptual Engineering and its Role in Philosophy 30
    PY4649 Core Works in Continental Philosophy 30
    PY4650 Philosophy, Feminism and Gender 30
    PY4651 Effective Altruism 30
    PY4652 The Philosophy of Human Rights 30
    PY4653 Toleration in the Early Modern Period 30
    PY4654 Responsibility, Praise, and Blame 30
    PY4655 Advanced Metaethics 30
    PY4656 The Philosophy of Love and Sex 30
    PY4657 Philosophy of Economics 30
    PY4658 Timely Topics in Political Philosophy 30
    PY4659 Why Does The World Exist? 30
    PY4660 Work, Entitlement, and Welfare 30
    PY4661 The Philosophy of the Climate Crisis 30
    PY4662 Critical Theory 30
    PY4663 Artificial Intelligence and Philosophy 30
    PY4664 Ethics of Conversation 30
    PY4665 First Contact 30
    PY4698 Dissertation (Whole Year) 30
    PY4699 Dissertation in Philosophy 30
    PY4794 Joint Dissertation (30cr) 30
    CL4500 Pleasure, Goodness and Happiness: Hellenistic Ethics 30
    CL4504 Justice, politics and the good life: Plato's Republic and its critics in the ancient world 30
    ID4801 Human Rights, Poverty and Security 30
    PY4701 Philosophy and Pedagogy 15
    ID4002 Communication and Teaching in Arts and Humanities 15
    Note:
    - Not all modules are available in every academic year and/or semester
    - Individual modules may have requisites to satisfy to be eligible to select them

    For further details, see the module catalogue entry for each individual module above

    Further requirements

    Choose 120 credits in academic year

    Third and Fourth Year Philosophy (BSc Joint Honours) Programme Requirements:

    30 credits: PY3100
    60 - 90* credits - PY3200, PY4000 - PY4689, (PY4698 or PY4699 or PY4794 - in Fourth Year only), CL4500 - CL4520), ID4801, ID4859, (PY4701 with ID4002 - in Fourth Year only)

    *Across the two Honours years up to 30 PY Honours credits may be substituted for credits from another subject area and/or level (dip-across or dip-down), provided that permission is obtained from the relevant Head of School.

    A minimum of 90 PY credits must be achieved across the two Honours years.

    In total over both subjects, 210 credits must be achieved at 3000 and 4000 level, including at least 90 credits at 4000-level.

    BSc (Hons) Physics (Joint Honours): Fourth year
    Code Module name Credits
    PH3012 Thermal and Statistical Physics 15 AND
    PH4040 Nuclear and Particle Physics with Advanced Skills 15 AND
    ( PH4111 Physics Project (BSc) 30 OR
    View list 30 credits from Module List AS3000 - AS4999, PH3000 - PH4109, ID4001,ID5059 )
    AS3013 Computational Astrophysics 15
    AS4010 Extragalactic Astronomy 15
    AS4011 The Physics of Nebulae and Stars 1 15
    AS4012 The Physics of Nebulae and Stars 2 15
    AS4015 Gravitational and Accretion Physics 15
    AS4025 Observational Astrophysics 15
    AS4103 Astrophysics Project (BSc) 30
    PH3007 Electromagnetism 15
    PH3012 Thermal and Statistical Physics 15
    PH3014 Transferable Skills for Physicists 15
    PH3061 Quantum Mechanics 1 10
    PH3062 Quantum Mechanics 2 10
    PH3074 Electronics 15
    PH3080 Computational Physics 10
    PH3081 Mathematics for Physicists 15
    PH3082 Mathematics for Chemistry / Physics 20
    PH3101 Physics Laboratory 1 15
    PH4026 Signals and Information 15
    PH4027 Optoelectronics and Nonlinear Optics 15
    PH4028 Advanced Quantum Mechanics: Concepts and Methods 15
    PH4031 Fluids 15
    PH4032 Special Relativity and Fields 15
    PH4034 Principles of Lasers 15
    PH4035 Principles of Optics 15
    PH4036 Physics of Music 15
    PH4038 Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Dynamics 15
    PH4039 Introduction to Condensed Matter Physics 15
    PH4040 Nuclear and Particle Physics with Advanced Skills 15
    PH4041 Atomic, Nuclear, and Particle Physics 15
    PH4042 Concepts in Atomic Physics and Magnetic Resonance 15
    PH4043 Studies in Physics and Chemistry 5
    PH4044 Advanced Condensed Matter Physics 15
    PH4045 Data Processing for Biomedical Imaging and Sensing 15
    PH4105 Physics Laboratory 2 15
    ID4001 Communication and Teaching in Science 15
    ID5059 Knowledge Discovery and Datamining 15
    Note:
    - Not all modules are available in every academic year and/or semester
    - Individual modules may have requisites to satisfy to be eligible to select them

    For further details, see the module catalogue entry for each individual module above

    Further requirements

    Choose 120 credits in academic year

    PH4111 is chosen unless one of CS4098, CS4796, PY4699 is taken.

    Further credits may be taken from AS3000 - AS4999, PH3000 - PH4109, ID4001 or modules in other subjects with the approval of the Adviser of Studies.

    Accreditation

    All the BSc, MSci, and MPhys single and joint Honours degrees in which Physics or Astrophysics is in the title are accredited by the UK Institute of Physics.

    Study abroad

    In the case of students who spend part of the Honours programme on a recognised Study Abroad scheme, the Programme Requirements will be amended to take into account overseas courses which are approved by the relevant St Andrews School in the Learning Agreement (see www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/study-abroad/academic ).