King's College London

Our integrated Master's degree in Physics & Philosophy provides a robust foundation in both subjects. It enables you to explore the fascinating connections between these two subjects, which are at the forefront of expanding human knowledge and understanding.

You will study the fundamental aspects of physics, including relativity, quantum mechanics, fields and waves, electromagnetism and nuclear physics. Studying philosophy will help you to develop your understanding of reality and our knowledge of it, as well as develop skills in reasoning and argument.

Ours is one of the few physics and philosophy joint honours courses that follows an integrated approach to the two subjects, with modules in the philosophy of physics and philosophy of science, offering you a deeper understanding of some of the conceptual puzzles that you will encounter in your physics courses.

In your final year, you will undertake an in-depth physics research project and write a philosophy dissertation, exploring your own academic interests. You will also be able to choose from a wide range of modules from either discipline, including modules offered by other University of London universities.

Accreditation

Our physics and philosophy degrees are recognised by the Institute of Physics (IOP). Graduates of recognised degrees are seen by the IOP as fully meeting the academic requirements for membership and as a route to professional qualifications like Chartered Physicist (CPhys).

We have designed our joint honours Physics & Philosophy MSci to offer you the opportunity to study both subjects at master’s level. The course is initially split equally between physics and philosophy modules, with the opportunity to specialise in one discipline in your final years if you choose.

The physics section of the course covers core theoretical aspects of physics, including areas such as relativity, quantum mechanics, fields and waves, electromagnetism and nuclear physics. In your third year you will have more opportunity to specialise, choosing from an array of different modules. You will gain important numerical and analytical skills, as well as preparing you for further study in theoretical physics. By taking appropriate module options and project choices, you could also pursue further study in experimental physics should you wish to do so.

In the philosophy section of the course you will learn to address difficult questions about the world, our knowledge of it and our values. This will give you highly transferable and valuable skills in reasoning and argument. Your first year will give you a good grounding in a range of important philosophical concepts. In your later years, you will be free to choose from an exceptionally broad range of philosophical topics. At the same time, modules in the philosophy of spacetime physics, the philosophy of quantum mechanics and the philosophy of science offer you the opportunity to apply your reasoning skills to understanding and exploring some of the fascinating problems at the heart of modern physics.

In your fourth year, you get to choose from a huge array of modules for both physics and philosophy, including from other University of London universities. You will then spend up to six months tackling an advanced physics project, and researching and writing a philosophy dissertation.

You’ll develop key workplace skills including project management, creative thinking, working as a team, and communication and presentation skills, which will be tested through a viva presentation to peers and senior academics. For some students, the MSci project has led to opportunities for communicating research outside King's at conferences and even publishing papers.