Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
The Foundation Year in Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering has been specifically designed to allow you to enhance your knowledge and skills of core mathematics as well as of core physics and electrical engineering principles.
Taught by a specialist team of academics, this course consists of six modules and is organised in two pathways. The core modules will cover key aspects which lie at the foundation of all mathematical, physical, and technological disciplines. The sixth module is the pathway module, differentiating mathematics students from physics and electrical engineering students.
During the programme, you will develop fundamental research skills and independent learning skills through specialised and research-informed modules. You will build a broad range of mathematical and scientific competences addressing real-world problems and develop key employability skills that will prove invaluable when you enter the workplace. During laboratory and IT sessions, you will apply the theories taught in lectures and acquire practical experience to enhance your understanding of the teaching material.
Delivered in industry-leading facilities by our highly experienced team, you will be supported at every step of your course to ensure an enjoyable experience that will enhance your learning and future employment prospects.
Successful completion of this course will provide you with the knowledge required for your subsequent undergraduate degree. You will be able to progress onto one of the following BSc or BEng courses of your choosing:
Physics with Astrophysics BSc (Hons),
Electrical and Electronic Engineering BEng (Hons).
Teaching Quality: Physics & Astronomy at Northumbria is ranked 1st in the UK for Teaching Quality & Student Experience (Times Good University Guide, 2025).
Research Powerhouse: Engineering is ranked 25th for research power in the UK out of 89 submissions (REF, 2021). This is a rise of 8 places compared to 2014.
UCAS Code
F233
Level of Study
Undergraduate
Mode of Study
1 year Full Time followed by a further 3 years Full Time or 4 years with a placement (sandwich)/study abroad
Department
Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering
Location
City Campus, Northumbria University
City
Newcastle
Start
September 2025
Fees
Fee Information
Modules
Module Information
Find out more about our department, facilities and what other students are taking part in.
Facilities
See our range of specialist and general use equipment
Study
Explore electronic technologies
NUSTEM
Inspiring with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
Our current and future projects work towards establishing the North East as a world-renowned hub for agile, dynamic, cutting-edge space research and development.
Find out what our Maths, Physics and Electrical Engineering students and staff are taking part in and achieving.
Brighter, cheaper blue light could revolutionise screen technology.
Read the news story.
Northumbria academic helps develop contact lens that can detect glaucoma.
Read the news story.
Northumbria academic receives award for research breakthrough.
Read the news story.
Northumbria to host Isaac Newton Institute Satellite Programme event.
Read the news story.
This course is eligible for a scholarship
find out more →
We are an enthusiastic, committed, knowledgeable and likeable staff team, who are here to motivate you and propel you through your degree and beyond.
Take a look at the facilities for the Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering department.
At the heart of each Northumbria campus, our libraries provide a range of study space and technology to suit every learning style.
From statistics to complex and nonlinear phenomena, astrophysics to smart materials, and communications to renewable energy, the pioneering research in the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering focuses on a wide range of issues.
Visit an Open Day to get an insight into what it's like to study Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering. Speak to staff and students from the course and get a tour of the facilities.
80 UCAS Tariff points
From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.
Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator
Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo
Subject Requirements:
There are no specific subject requirements for this course.
GCSE Requirements:
Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or an equivalent.
Additional Requirements:
There are no additional requirements for this course.
International Qualifications:
We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.
If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English Language Requirements:
International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications
UK Fee in Year 1: £9,535
* You should expect to pay tuition fees for every year of study. The University may increase fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift, as decided by the UK Government, up to the maximum amount for fees permitted by UK law or regulation for that academic year. To give students an indication of the likely scale of any future increase, the UK government has recently suggested that increases may be linked to RPIX ( Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments)
International Fee in Year 1:
ADDITIONAL COSTS
There are no Additional Costs
* At Northumbria we are strongly committed to protecting the privacy of personal data. To view the University’s Privacy Notice please click here
Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
KL3004 -
Applications of Physics (Core,20 Credits)
This module will introduce you to key physics topics through a range of industrial and practical contexts. The contexts will include space technology and astrophysics, medical applications including bioengineering and non-invasive testing, music, renewable energy technologies, geophysics and the history of physics.
The physics topics studied in this module are:
- waves and oscillations including reflection, refraction, polarisation, stationary waves, simple harmonic motion and damping.
- material properties including flow of liquids and viscosity, properties of materials and Young modulus
- particle and nuclear physics including the structure of the atom, radioactive decay, nuclear fusion and fission, luminosity of stars and blackbody radiators.
- nature of light including wave-particle duality, photoelectric effect, photovoltaic cells, absorption and emission spectra, and energy levels
KL3005 -
Introduction to Logic and Algorithms (Core,20 Credits)
In this module you will learn the principles of mathematical logic and algorithms. In particular you will learn to
• learn basic types of mathematical proofs, such as proof by induction, by contradiction and by contrapositive
• use a formal language for mathematical statements that allows compact and convenient notation and how to translate it into the natural language
• offer clear and unambiguous interpretation of such statements
• implement mathematical statements into algorithms
• test your understanding using the Python programming language and the Jupyter Notebook software
• learn the methods of numerical and symbolic computations, elements of data analysis and visualization in Python
Upon completion of the module you will have acquired fundamental knowledge that is valuable in itself and will serve as the foundation in mathematics and physics, and it will also constitute an important foundation for applications. For example, software engineers strongly rely on mathematical logic theories in their work. Indeed, when dealing with applied problems, researchers have to switch between the descriptive language, mathematical language, the language of numerical methods and algorithms, and specific programming languages. The language of mathematical logic and algorithms offers a great opportunity to practice this translation between languages and is used as a powerful formalised tool for problem solving and composing mathematical proofs.
KL3008 -
Foundation Trigonometry and Calculus (Core,20 Credits)
You will learn about basic calculus such as graphs and equations of common functions, including trigonometric functions. The module further shows you how these mathematical concepts can be used in a variety of ways to help you in understanding and solving physical problems.
You will learn the below highlighted topics which is indicative rather than prescriptive:
1. You will learn to use of Pythagoras’ Theorem. Calculation of areas and volumes of common solids
2. You will learn to use Cartesian coordinates and simple coordinate geometry. Linear graphs.
3. You will learn to use the derivative related to the rate of change. Differentiation of standard functions. The second derivative. Maximum and minimum values of a function.
4. You will learn integration as the inverse of differentiation. Integration of standard functions. Area and definite integrals.
5. You will learn measurement of angles: degrees and radians. Right angled triangles: Pythagoras’ Theorem. Definition of sine, cosine, and tangent in a right angled triangle. Application problems. Graphs of sine and cosine functions over one cycle. Sine and cosine rules.
6. You will learn the definition of secant, cosecant, cotangent. Arc length and sector area. Definition of sine and cosine as co-ordinates on a unit circle (of angles in all quadrants). Graphs of sine, cosine, and tangent to emphasise their periodic nature. General solution to elementary trigonometric equations. Phase angle. Use of standard trigonometrical identities (Pythagorean, compound angle, double angle), in manipulation of expressions and their use in solving trigonometrical equations.
KL3011 -
Foundation Algebra and Statistics (Core,20 Credits)
You will learn about elementary algebra and statistics necessary to embark on a mathematics or physics degree. You will learn the below highlighted topics which is indicative rather than prescriptive:
ALGEBRA:
You will learn:
• arithmetical operations on signed numbers: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and exponentiation.
• square roots. Fractions. Removing brackets. The order of operations.
• substitution and evaluation of algebraic expressions.
• plotting linear and quadratic functions.
• simplification of algebraic expressions, removing brackets.
• multiplication of polynomials.
• exponents - including negative and fraction exponents.
• factorising expressions including quadratics, difference of squares.
• addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of algebraic fractions.
• solution of linear and quadratic equations - including simultaneous equations.
• the exponential and log functions.
• arithmetic and geometric sequences and series.
• the binomial series.
STATISTICS:
You will learn
• representation of various types of data.
• frequency distributions: histogram, frequency polygon.
• cumulative frequency, cumulative frequency polygon.
• the mean, the mode, median.
• range, mean deviation, variance, standard deviation.
KL3012 -
Principles of Electricity (Optional,20 Credits)
This module will introduce you to the fundamental principles of electricity. You will learn about the application of electrical circuits analysis theory to solve electrical problems, such as resistor networks, voltage dividers, RC circuits and rectifiers. You will consider Ohm’s Law, Joule’s Law and Kirchhoff’s law extensively to assist your understanding of electrical circuit analysis. You will learn about the basic concepts and application principles of DC circuits. Topics include terms and symbols, basic electrical and electronic components/devices, electrical measurement instruments and the laws of DC circuits, including series and parallel connections. You will cover how Ohm’s law and Joule’s law are used to calculate the power supply of batteries and power consumption of resistors. You will also learn about A.C. circuits including topics like safety, terms and symbols, sine waves, AC electrical theory and AC measurement instruments. You will understand about Digital logic circuits and numbering systems: These topics include principles of NOT/AND/OR/XOR gates, terms and symbols, combinational gates, Boolean expression, truth table and circuit schematics. These topics are foundations for the generation and use of electricity in a range of applications.
More informationKL3013 -
Introduction to Mechanics and Energy (Core,20 Credits)
You will learn about the principles of mechanics such as the concepts of rigid body, degrees of freedom, displacement, velocity, acceleration, linear momentum, standard constant acceleration equations, motion under gravity, vectors motion of a projectile, moments, couples, addition of forces, Newton’s Theory of Gravitation, angular momentum, equilibrium, free body diagrams and friction. You will explore the principles of energy transfer, including work and power (including electrical energy), conservation of energy; and thermal physics including ideal gases, specific heat capacity and latent heat capacity, conduction, convection and radiation. The module will provide an opportunity for enhancing your study skills: you will learn how to achieve effective learning, working in groups and managing time. You will also be engaging with the theoretical knowledge through experimental work by learning to record observations concisely, produce diagrammatic information and graphical data representation as part of this module.
More informationKL3014 -
Modelling (Optional,20 Credits)
This module provides a first course in mathematical and statistical modelling. You will solve a variety of real-life problems
using a wide range of mathematical and statistical techniques. You will gain experience in tackling real world problems 'from
scratch’, working individually as well as within a group. You will use programming languages such as Matlab or Python to
solve a variety of challenging problems.
OUTLINE SYLLABUS
Principles of modelling: formulation, solution and validation of data-driven models (e.g. data fitting using linear and quadratic
models);
Discrete models: use of difference equations;
Modelling with differential equations: exponential growth/decay models and logistic models;
Developing modelling skills: simulation, dimensional analysis
Modelling a wide range of case studies: formulation and solution ab initio.
To start your application, simply select the month you would like to start your course.
Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the University, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the course(s) you are interested in.
Information about all of our tuition fees, funding and scholarships.
Get an insight into life at Northumbria at the click of a button! Come and explore our videos and 360 panoramas to immerse yourself in our campuses and get a feel for what it is like studying here using our interactive virtual tour.
Back to top
