Overview

Students may enter Second Science from the First Science Area of Study Physics and Astrophysics (CK408), and may proceed to a BSc Single Honours Degree in Astrophysics, Science Education (Physics Route only) (for students who entered prior to 2023/24) or Physics, or a Joint Honours Degree in Mathematical Sciences and Physics.

BSc Single Honours Degree

To progress to Second Science Single Honours Physics students must have passed the First Science Examination overall.

Students registered for the BSc Single Honours Degree in Physics may re-register for the BSc Single Honours in Astrophysics programme (or vice versa) at the end of their First or Second Years, subject to having passed the First Science Examination overall.

Students in the Physics and Astrophysics Area of Study (CK408) wishing to proceed to the Chemical Physics degree programme must have taken either CM1006 (10 credits) or CM1007 (15 credits) from the list of electives for CK408 and passed First Science in order to be eligible for entering the Chemical Physics degree programme.

BSc Joint Honours

Students in the Physics and Astrophysics Area of Study (CK408) who have passed First Science are eligible to enter the Joint Honours programme in Mathematical Sciences and Physics.

Students from the Mathematical Sciences Area of Study (CK407) who have taken the Physics modules PY1052 and PY1053 in First Science, and who pass First Science, will be eligible to enter the Joint Honours programme in Mathematical Sciences and Physics.

The programme structures for Physics are shown in Table 7.

Table 7 - Physics

 
BSc Single Honours - Physics or Astrophysics

Notes:

1. At most 35 credits can be taken in any one Semester.
2. The substitution of taught modules by Project modules requires special permission from the Head of the Department.
3. Other Elective modules may be selected from outside the Physics Department with the approval of the Head of Department.
4. Individual elective modules may occasionally not be offered in some calendar years.

Examinations

Single Honours

Students who pass the Third University Examination and qualify to proceed into Fourth Science may opt instead to be conferred with a BSc Ordinary Degree.

Students who pass the Third University Examination in Science, but do not qualify to proceed into Fourth Science will be awarded a BSc Ordinary Degree.

Joint Honours

Students who pass the Third University Examination in Science (Physics) and who qualify to proceed into Fourth Science may opt instead to be conferred with a BSc Ordinary degree.

The Fourth Science Research Project must be passed for the award of a BSc (Hons) Degree. There is no Autumn Supplemental Examination in the Research Project module which, if failed, must be repeated in a repeat year.

BSc Ordinary Degree - NFQ Level 7, Major Award

Students who pass Third Year may choose not to proceed to Fourth Year and may opt instead to be conferred with a BSc Ordinary Degree.

Programme Requirements

For information about modules, module choice, options and credit weightings, please go to Programme Requirements. 

Programme Requirements

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If AM3062 is not taken in Third Science then it must be taken in Fourth Science.

Examinations

Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards Book and for each module in the Book of Modules.

Programme Learning Outcomes

Programme Learning Outcomes for BSc (Hons) in Physics (NFQ Level 8, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Derive and apply solutions from knowledge of physics and mathematics;
• Identify, formulate, analyse and solve physics problems;
• Design an experiment to test a hypothesis or theory in physics;
• Prepare written laboratory reports that provide a description of the experiment, explain the experiment and reasoning clearly, and provide an appropriate conclusion;
• Communicate effectively with the physics community.

*** Only for Incoming First Years, Repeat First Years, Second Years and Repeat Second Years 2025/2026 ***
*** Click here for Marks and Standards for all other years ***

Marks and Standards

These Marks and Standards should be read in conjunction with the Programme Requirements and the Book of Modules.

Fitness to Practise

All students on programmes subject to Fitness to Practise in UCC will be required to comply with the Fitness to Practise Policy and meet the relevant Fitness to Practise standards, in order to progress to the next year of his/her/their programme. Click here for a list of programmes subject to the Fitness to Practise Policy.

First Year - Marks and Credits

Students are required to take modules to the value of 60 credits.
Total Marks for year: 1200.

First Year - Pass and Progression Criteria

To pass first year and progress to second year, students must achieve:

1. An aggregate mark of 40% across all modules,
2. A pass mark in modules to the value of at least 50 credits, and
3. A module mark of at least 30% in any remaining modules.

Pass by Compensation: Students who satisfy each of the above criteria are allowed to compensate in modules to the value of 10 credits and pass the year overall.

Second Year - Marks and Credits

Students are required to take modules to the value of 60 credits.
Total Marks for year: 1200.

Second Year - Pass and Progression Criteria

To pass second year and progress to third year, students must achieve:

1. An aggregate mark of 40% across all modules,
2. A pass mark in modules to the value of at least 50 credits, and
3. A module mark of at least 30% in any remaining modules.

Pass by Compensation: Students who satisfy each of the above criteria are allowed to compensate in modules to the value of 10 credits and pass the year overall.

Award of Honours in the Degree Award

Honours are only awarded in the final year of the degree.

Examination Boards

• Provisional marks for Semester 1 examinations are released in January/February of each year. These marks are subject to approval at the University Examination Board.
• Marks for all modules taken in Semester 1 and 2, including those wholly assessed by Continuous Assessment, will be presented to the University Examination Board at the end of Semester 2.

Supplemental Examinations and Assessment

• Students who fail to achieve the progression standard for the year at the Summer Examination Board must complete Supplemental Examinations and/or Continuous Assessment for those specific module(s), where there is provision to do so.
• Please refer to the Book of Modules for requirements governing the Supplemental Examination and Assessment for individual modules. Note: For some modules there is no Supplemental Examination and Assessment.
• The marks achieved in the Supplemental Examinations and/or Continuous Assessment of a repeat module are considered at the Autumn Examination Board.
• The actual mark achieved by the candidate in the Supplemental or Repeat Year Examination will be recorded on the student record (Academic Transcript).
• The maximum mark that will be taken into account for aggregation and progression purposes is a pass level, unless the student has been granted a cap waiver or deferral by the University Mitigation Committee, or a University Examination Board, or has been approved to defer the previous attempt by the University Mitigation Committee.
• At the Autumn Examination Board, marks from all passed modules approved at the Summer Examination Board are carried forward and are combined with the marks achieved in Supplemental Examinations and/or Assessments. The pass and progression criteria are applied to the aggregate mark achieved.

Note: The mark achieved at the last examination/assessment attempt is the mark that is included in the calculation of the aggregate mark for pass and progression purposes.

Study Abroad

• When students study abroad as part of his/her/their degree programme, they will be assessed by his/her/their host university.
• To pass the study abroad period and progress to the subsequent year, a student must achieve a pass standard as applied by the host institution.
• A Pass/Fail judgement will be presented to the UCC Examination Boards:
  • At the Summer Examination Board for students spending Semester 1 abroad.
  • At the Autumn/Winter Examination Board for students spending the full academic year abroad or Semester 2 only.
• For students failing to achieve a pass mark, Supplemental Assessment will be prescribed by the School in UCC, and these results will be presented at a Winter Examination Board.

Exemptions

All passed modules carry an exemption, which is limited to a period of five academic years (or two in the case of Computer Science modules) subsequent to the award of the exemption.

Repeat Year Examinations

Students repeating the year may do so choosing one of the following mechanisms:

1. Students retain module exemptions, if any, and must repeat all failed/absent modules, including those modules where the failing mark previously achieved was greater than the level of compensation (≥ 30%) but who failed to achieve the progression standard for the year (see above). The pass and progression criteria are then applied to the combination of full marks achieved in modules passed at the first attempt, plus capped marks achieved in modules in the Repeat Year Examinations.​

Note: For students selecting different modules not previously taken, there are no restrictions on the marks awarded for those modules at the first attempt in a repeat year. The selection of different modules by the student means that the student foregoes any previous marks achieved in the original modules (including previously passed modules).

2. Students may forego all module exemptions achieved and repeat the year choosing modules to the value of the full 60 credits. In determining pass and progression, there is no restriction on the marks awarded for modules taken at the first attempt of the Repeat Year. Modules taken at the subsequent Supplemental Examination and Assessment are capped at the pass mark.

Subject to capacity, all students - whether they have failed or passed - are allowed to choose this second option, in an attempt to improve his/her/their grade.

Students repeating the final year are eligible for the award of Honours in the first Repeat Year only. Final year students wishing to repeat the year with a view to improving his/her/their degree result may do so only if they have not been conferred.

Three Year Rule

Students must pass/progress within three academic years of the date of first registration for a year, otherwise they cannot continue in the programme.

Terms and Definitions

Programme Description

• The programme description is outlined in the Programme Requirements tab.

Module Descriptions/Assessment

• Module descriptions, including the pass standard for a module, special requirements to pass a module, and assessment elements and their weightings, are contained in the Book of Modules.

Marks and Credits

• A maximum of 100 marks may be awarded for every five credits of a programme.
• Some modules are assessed on a Pass/Fail basis only, i.e. marks are not awarded.

Pass and Progression

• Progression is defined as the permission granted to a student to register in the subsequent academic year for the next set of modules within his/her/their programme of study.
• Compensation is defined as the process by which a student, who fails to satisfy some of the regulations for credit in a specific module, is nevertheless recommended for credit to be awarded on the grounds that the failure is offset by his/her/their performance in the other modules on his/her/their programme of study.