Students who wish to spend a year studying Physics in the UK, for example as the 'Year Abroad' component a degree programme at a non-UK university, will find the Department of Physics at Exeter an excellent place to study:
The University has exchange agreements under the Socrates-Erasmus scheme with a number of institutions:
Students interested in study within this framework should approach their local Socrates-Erasmus Co-ordinator for information about the scheme. The Exeter Study Abroad (Inbound Study) website is a useful source of information about the scheme.
Exeter Physics has exchange arrangements with the following state universities in North America: Iowa, Kansas, New Mexico. Physics students at these institutions who wish to spend their Junior or Senior Year in Exeter should approach their department's study abroad co-ordinator for preliminary advice. JYA applicants from other institutions should consult The University of Exeter Study Abroad Prospectus and follow the application procedures described there.
Students who will not be registering under an exchange scheme should consult the Fees Table in the University Calendar which gives fees for the current year, and then confirm the fee for next year with the University Fees Office (email: email:info.peterchalk@exeter.ac.uk).
Each undergraduate module is assigned a level from 4 to 7 representing the intellectual maturity assumed, and a number of (UK HE) credits representing the commitment of time required to complete satisfactorily. All of our module descriptors conform to a standard template.
Students from France who have completed three years of a five-year physics programme would normally take mainly level 2 modules and possibly some level 3 modules during their year in Exeter. Students from France who have completed their License would normally take mainly level 3 modules and possibly some at level 4 during their Maîtrise year in Exeter.
Students from Germany who have just completed their Diplomvorprüfung Physik, usually take modules at level 3 in Exeter. Also some level 4 modules would be appropriate. The project PHY3138 can sometimes be used as the basis of a Hauptseminar. The combination of modules:
is roughly equivalent to a Theoretical Quantum Mechanics I course at a German university.
Level 7 modules are suitable for German students in the second year of study for their Hauptdiplom, in particular PHYM010 can be used as the basis for a Diplomarbeit.
Spanish who have completed two years of a five-year physics degree would normally take mainly level 5 modules (including PHY2026 and PHY2027 and, and possibly some level 6 modules during their year in Exeter. Students who have completed three years of a five-year physics degree would normally take mainly level 6 modules (including PHY3138) and possibly some level 7 modules during their year in Exeter.
Level 4 modules are suitable for JYA students wishing to take Physics as a minor subject and the material is at the freshman level, building on High School Physics. Level 5 modules are suitable for students who are majoring in Physics and have a good grounding at College Physics level. They presuppose the foundation provided by a major component of Physics in the freshman and sophomore years.
Full-time UK degree programmes comprise 120 UK HE credits (equivalent to 60 ECTS credits) per year and each year is divided into two semesters spread over three terms. The Physics Handbook gives full details of the teaching and examining structure of the academic year.
The odds are approximately 500:1 against a programme constructed from a random selection of 15-ECTS-credit modules having no timetable clashes! The only practical way of selecting modules is for the student to start by identifying a year within one of the standard programmes which most closely matches their requirements. The member of staff responsible for Registration of International U/G Students will be happy to offer advice.
The selected standard programme may contain one or two inappropriate modules, but these can usually be substituted with alternatives. Such changes will need to be agreed with the member of staff responsible for Registration of International U/G Students . (Note: The University Timetable is published on the WWW, it changes from year to year, but is not usually finalised for the next academic year until late August).
Each module descriptor lists the assessment methods that the module will employ. The marks from the various exercises are combined and a single percentage mark calculated for the module. Subject to approval by the Physics and Astronomy APAC (Board of Examiners) and Faculty, this mark will ultimately be included by the University on a transcript of marks that will be sent to the student as their formal record of achievement.
Students from the USA may find the following conversion table a useful guide to interpreting marks.
| Exeter Grade (%) | 73 | 66 | 63 | 60 | 56 | 53 | 50 | 46 | 43 | 40 | 36 | 33 | 30 | 0 |
| Typical US Grade | A+ | A | A− | B+ | B | B− | C+ | C | C− | D+ | D | D− | E+ | E |
| Typical US Grade Points | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | N/A |
Students from New Zealand may find the following conversion table a useful guide to interpreting marks.
| Exeter Grade (%) | 85 | 75 | 70 | 65 | 60 | 55 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 30 | 20 |
| Typical New Zealand Grade | A+ | A | A− | B+ | B | B− | C+ | C | C−/R | D | E |
Universities in Australia normally use a 100-point scale to grade student performance. The criteria they use to award marks is very similar to those used by Physics in Exeter.
Students from Germany find the following conversion table a useful guide to interpreting marks.
| Exeter Grade (%) | 95 | 80 | 65 | 50 | 35 | 20 |
| Typical German Grade | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 |
Marks for students studying under the ECTS scheme will be converted according to the following scheme:
| Module Mark | ECTS Grade | Approximate Percentile | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| >= 70% | A | 10% | Excellent - outstanding performance with only minor errors |
| 60 - 69% | B | 25% | Very Good - above average performance but with some errors |
| 50 - 59% | C | 30% | Good - generally sound work but with a number of notable errors |
| 40 - 49% | D | 25% | Satisfactory - fair but with significant short-comings |
| 35 - 39% | E | 10% | Sufficient - performance meets minimum criteria |
| 30 - 34% | FX | -- | Fail - some more work is required before the credit is awarded |
| < 30% | F | -- | Fail - considerable further work is required |
The University guarantees that University-owned accommodation will be available for all overseas students. Information about accommodation is provided by the Accommodation Office.