Studying at the Tait Institute
Here at the Tait Institute we run a range of Mathematical Physics degree programmes designed to give our students a thorough grounding both in the fundamental theories of physics and the mathematical concepts needed to formulate, understand and develop them.
People have been interested in Mathematical Physics for centuries, and their ideas largely formed our present perception of the world. Moreover, addressing the Big Questions about nature often requires inventing new mathematical concepts.
Modern research in Mathematical Physics covers a very broad range of subjects: for example string theory, cosmology, particle physics, physics of materials, complex systems and computational physics. We currently have staff actively researching in all these areas, in both the School of Physics & Astronomy and the School of Mathematics, and can thus offer a rewarding but also demanding degree programme which can take you all the way to the cutting edge.
To describe in detail all the rich variety of physical phenomena which make up modern physics would take a lifetime. In Mathematical Physics what we offer you instead is the opportunity to learn the tools – mathematical, computational and intuitive – with which you can solve problems and grasp fundamental principles in depth. With the skills thus acquired – in particular precise, logical, critical thinking – you are then ready to specialise in whatever area of physics you choose, either theoretical or experimental. Indeed these skills also prove invaluable in many other areas outside physics, in particular engineering, computing, finance, business and management, so our graduates are rarely unemployed!
Our degree programmes take students to a higher level than most comparable British degrees outside Cambridge, and are similar both in content and style to many of the best European undergraduate degree programmes in Physics. If you are ambitious and looking for a challenge, Mathematical Physics at Edinburgh might be the degree for you.
Peter Higgs
