Physics in University College Dublin, Ireland

Physics in University College Dublin

Physics is about the fundamental laws of the universe that govern living as well as non-living systems. It is a fundamental science involving a deep understanding of nature derived from mathematical and experimental insights. Physics is the subject that constantly asks 'why?', questioning why matter and energy exist and act as they do, and discovering the underlying rules that govern their behaviour. Physicists now believe that all phenomena observed in the universe can be explained in terms of a handful of forces: gravity, electricity, magnetism, weak nuclear and strong nuclear interactions.

X-rays, radioactivity and particle beams have led to advances in medicine. The invention of lasers and solid-state transistors by physicists paved the way for computers, DVD players and iPods. Understanding physical principles and discovering new laws that explain our universe at an even deeper level are the challenges that confront physicists in the 21st century.

Recent Physics graduates have pursued careers in the following:

• Energy technology
• Medical physics
• Meteorology
• Advanced materials (e.g. semiconductor industry)
• Geoscience
• ICT and financial industries
• Semi-state bodies such as the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland
  
  Graduates are also eligible to apply for MSc programmes in Nanobio Science, Space Science & Technology, Nanotechnology, Medical Physics or Meteorology, or for PhD programmes in Ireland and abroad in diverse areas such as Radiation Physics, Physics of Advanced Materials, Atomic Physics, Particle Physics and Astrophysics.