Swansea University

Applied Physics and Materials, MSc by Research

Swansea UniversitySingleton Park Campus, United Kingdom

Course overview

Start dates: MSc by Research - 1st October, 1st January, 1st April & 1st July. The MSc by Research in Applied Physics and Materials allows you to undertake a year-long individual programme of personally and professionally enriching research. Your applied physics and materials research project will be shaped by participation in research activities such as seminars, workshops, laboratory activity and fieldwork, as well as your involvement in one of our established research groups.

We have three main research groups. Applied Physics and Materials Group (APM) is supported by grants from the European Union, Welsh Government, National Science Foundation, Australian Research Council, Welsh European Funding Office, and EPSRC. The areas of research include: Biophotonics: Nano- and micro-structured materials, biomimetics, analyte sensing and light-tissue interaction Nanomedicine Sustainable Advanced Materials: next-generation semiconductors, bioelectronic materials and devices, optoelectronics including photodetection, solar energy conversion, advanced electro-optics and transport physics of disordered solids Atomic, Molecular and Quantum Physics Group (AMQP) is supported by grants from EPSRC, the EU, The Royal Society, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and various industrial and government sources.

The areas of research are: Analytical laser spectroscopy, Ultrafast Dynamics, Imaging and Microscopy, Optomechanics Antihydrogen, positronium and positrons Cold atom physics Nano-scale physics and the life sciences Particle Physics And Cosmology Theory Group (PPCT) is one of the five largest particle physics groups in the UK. It is supported mainly by STFC, but also has grants from EPSRC, the EU, the Royal Society and the Leverhulme Trust. The areas of research include: Amplitudes in gauge and supergravity theories Hot and Dense matter, High-performance computing Gauge/string duality, Higher spin holography, Integrability, Large-N gauge theories, supersymmetry and duality Holography and lattice theories in physics beyond the Standard Model Quantum fields in curved spacetime and t heoretical cosmology We are ranked: Top 201-250 in the World (QS World University Rankings 2025)

Key highlights

  • Year-long individual research project within an established research group
  • Research training through seminars, workshops, laboratory activity and fieldwork
  • Research areas include biophotonics, nanomedicine and next-generation semiconductors
  • Atomic and quantum physics research spans antihydrogen, positronium and cold atoms
  • Particle physics group is one of the five largest in the UK
  • Four start dates a year: October, January, April and July

Entry requirements

  • Degree: 2:1 — or above

Scholarships

  • Chevening Scholarships

  • International Postgraduate Alumni Bursaries

    First Class - £5,000 per year; Second Class, First division - £3,000 per year; Second Class, Second division - £1,000 per year; Taught Masters to Research Degree - £3,000 per year subject to satisfactory progress.

  • Swansea University International Postgraduate Research Excellence Scholarship (SUIPRES)

    The SUIPRES Scholarship covers the difference between the International and the Home tuition fee rate for the duration of the PhD/Professional Doctorate programme.

Careers this course leads to

  • Research Physicist
  • Materials Scientist
  • Research Scientist
  • Optoelectronics Engineer
  • Laboratory Research Technician
  • Data Scientist

Cost of study

UK/Home: £5,238 per year | International: £24,550 per year

Admission

Applications are made through AHZ at no cost. Share your transcripts, English test scores and personal statement, and your AHZ Counsellor will review your profile, submit your application to Swansea University, and guide you through interview, offer, CAS and visa — right up to enrolment.

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