Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics
Limerick, Ireland
DURATION
4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics
In short, the top reasons for studying applied physics at UL are:
- A pragmatic balance between fundamental and applied aspects of physics.
- Strong emphasis on problem-solving skills making graduates highly desirable as employees in industry, academia and research.
- Strong engagement in research ensuring that graduates are up to date with the latest developments in applied physics.
- Outstanding links with local industry for cooperative placement, collaborative research and employment.
- A friendly, collaborative, and highly collegial environment that stimulates innovative thinking and promotes the highest standard of accomplishment in tackling challenges.
The UL link with industry is one of the strongest in Ireland. With both directly funded and state-sponsored active collaborative research, the Department of Physics at UL is working with companies such as Analog Devices, COOK Medical, Intel, and BorgWarner. In addition to advancing science and developing new products, this engagement also creates employment opportunities for the graduates of the BSc in Applied Physics course. ULs pioneering Cooperative placement program also ensures that the graduates are engaged with industry from an early stage of their career and can adapt to the high levels of skill and professionalism required in industry.
Faculty members teaching this course are deeply involved in research and are continually generating scientific breakthroughs and next generation technologies. The Department has an outstanding track record in scientific publications, patents and generation of intellectual property. Examples of scientific advances and technological innovations pioneered in the Department include piezoelectricity in synthetic bone material, infrared nanoscopy, and vanadium redox flow batteries.
Many of the Departments faculty members are also members of the Bernal Institute, one of the leading research institutes in Ireland, which houses nationally unique microscopy, spectroscopy and process infrastructure. Students gain access to this infrastructure through undergraduate laboratory courses and fourth year projects.
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the university website for more information.
Curriculum
Year 1
Semester 1
Physics Common Semester
Semester 2
- Calculus 2
- Waves/Light/Modern Physics
- Analogue Electronics 2
- Semiconductor Devices
Year 2
Semester 3
- Ordinary Differential Equations
- Optics
- Mechanics
- Forces, Potentials and Fields
Semester 4
- Partial Differential Equations
- Electromagnetism
- Modern Physics
- Thermal Physics
Year 3
Semester 5
- Introduction to Computational Physics
- Quantum Mechanics
- Physics of Solids
- Semiconductors 1
Semester 6
Cooperative Education 1 - continues through the Summer
Year 4
Semester 7
- Solid State Physics 1
- Nanotechnology 1
- Atomic/Molecular/Laser Physics
- Physics of Modern Measurement
- Applied Physics Project 1
Semester 8
- Solid State Physics 2
- Nanotechnology 2
- Semiconductors 2
- Medical Instrumentation
- Applied Physics Project 2
Program Outcome
NFQ Level 8 major Award Honours Bachelor Degree
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Graduate Entry)
- MA in Business Management
- GradDip in Chemical Engineering
- MSc in Applied Physics
- Structured PhD in Physics
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Graduates progressing directly into employment take up a wide variety of roles. The following provides a sample of initial roles listed on the Graduate Outcomes Survey by graduates approximately one year after graduation:
- Quality Control Analyst
- Consultant
- Laboratory Technician
- Tech Support
- Medical Physicist
- Process Engineer
- Research and Development Engineer
- Software Developer/Engineer