Oxford physics course handbook Updated 2025-03-28 +Created 1970-01-01
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The normal navigation to them was paywalled, but the static files are served without login checks if you know their URL. One way to go about it is to search by prefix on the Wayback Machine: web.archive.org/web/*/https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/contentblock/2011/06/03/*
The last handbooks we can find are 2020/2021, they might have move to a new more properly paywalled location after that year.
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Physics course of the University of Oxford Updated 2025-03-28 +Created 1970-01-01
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From the 2020/2021 Oxford physics course handbooks we can determine the following structure:
  • Year 1 (CP, "Coure Preliminaries", "Prelims"). Take all of:
    • CP1 Classical mechanics, Special relativity
    • CP2 Electromagnetism, circuit theory and optics
    • CP3 Mathematical methods 1. Complex Numbers and Ordinary Differential Equations. Vectors and Matrices.
    • CP4 Mathematical methods 2. Multiple Integrals and Vector Calculus. Normal Modes, Wave Motion and the Wave Equation.
  • Year 2 (Part A). Take all of:
    • A1 Thermal physics. Kinetic Theory, Heat Transport, Thermodynamics.
    • A2 Electromagnetism and optics
    • A3 Quantum physics. Quantum Mechanics and Further Quantum Mechanics.
    • Short options: at least one of:
      • Mathematical Methods
      • Probability and Statistics
      • S01 Functions of a Complex Variable
      • S07 Classical Mechanics
      • S10 Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy
      • S13 Teaching and Learning Physics in Schools
      • S14 History of Physics
      • S20 History of Science
      • S21 Philosophy of Science
      • S22 Language Options
      • S25 Climate Physics
      • S27 Philosophy of Space-Time
      • S29 Exploring Solar Systems
      • S33 Entrepreneurship for Physicists
  • Year 3 (Part B). Take all of:
  • Year 4 (MPhys). Select two from:
Trinity term, the third and final term of each year, contains mostly revision from the previous two terms, after which students take their final exams, which basically account for their entire grade. Trinity is therefore a very tense part of the year for the students. After that they have summer holidays, until coming back for the next year of madness.
The official external course landing page: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/course-listing/physics. 2021 archive: web.archive.org/web/20221208212856/https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/course-listing/physics) In those pages we see the rough structure, except that it does not have the course codes "A1" etc., and some courses are missing.
At web.archive.org/web/20221229021312/https://www2.physics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2011-06-03/course_v3_pdf_80151.pdf page 11 we can see the global course structure giving the two options, 3 year BA or 4 year Oxford physics masters:
Year 1
(Prelims)
|
|
v
Year 2
(Part A)
|
+-----------+
|           |
v           v
Year 3 BA   Year 3 (MPhys)
(Part B)    (Part B)
|           |
|           |
v           v
BA          Year 4
            (Part C)
            |
            |
            v
            MPhys
Practical courses notes: www-teaching.physics.ox.ac.uk/
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