Undergraduate student life

As a Physics and Astronomy undergraduate at Exeter you will join an exciting, hands-on, contemporary department. We pride ourselves on providing a challenging academic experience enhanced with state-of-the-art facilities e.g. supercomputers; paid industry placements and study years abroad. We believe that these opportunities contribute to the high ranking of the department – Physics at Exeter is 8th in the UK for world leading and internationally excellent research.

Student societies

We have a large community of Physics students who are encouraged to join, and participate in the running and activities of the physics society- PhySoc. We have around 300 members at present evenly spread across all academic year groups. Social meetings and events are organized throughout the academic year and provide excellent opportunities for getting to know your fellow students outside of academic work time and most importantly having fun!

Social facilities

All undergraduates have unlimited access to social and library areas on campus, as well as communal study areas within each academic building. In particular, physics students can access the physics building’s library, enabling great opportunities for meeting and working with fellow students. Furthermore, social areas in the physics building provide relaxed seating and a variety of food and drink specifically for physics and medical imaging students whether you are working in the building all day or simply passing through between lectures.

Your voice as a student

Our academics and students develop strong working relationships over the course of a degree programme, a factor we feel is important to your success.

SSLC: Student-Staff Liaison Committees

Student-Staff Liaison Committees (SSLCs) are student-run forums for suggestions and feedback to and from the College staff. SSLC's are fairly informal committees, chaired by one of the student representatives, which meets about once a term to discuss a wide range of issues and developments.

SSLCs include representatives from each year and each programme. Their job is to provide a point of contact for the students on their programmes.

MACE: Module and course evaluation

Feedback from students is requested for every module. Module leaders receive this feedback and are required to respond to the scores and comments received via the Annual Module Review process. The responses are subsequently shared with students.

University life and student support

The University provides many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of your studies. The Students’ Guild runs clubs and societies across a whole range of activities and interests and has one of the most advanced student media networks in the country. Our sports facilities are also amongst the best in the country. We aim to make sure our students leave us with memories of their time at university that they will treasure, and benefit from, for a long time after they graduate.

You can find out more about what life is like for students on the Streatham campus and what support is available for you on the student life pages of the Undergraduate Study website. The website also includes student profiles and films, which give a flavour of life on campus.