Program Overview

An International Foundation Year at our International Study Centre prepares you for your degree at Lancaster University. You will focus on English language, university-level study skills, and academic modules that relate to your degree subject.

Supporting your progression to the University
At the International Study Centre, we take every measure to ensure you are supported in your academic journey. Our programmes allow for increased time spent learning, researching and developing your skills. By studying with us, you will benefit from:

• Formal assessments at the end of each term.
• An improved English language module, Academic English Skills, providing greater opportunity for informal assessments and feedback.
• Combining and reducing the number of module assessments allowing more time to prepare.
• A personal tutorial system with a focus on your academic progress at key points of the academic year, creating action plans based on your performance and progession options.

Engineering and Computing
An International Foundation Year in Engineering and Computing leads to a choice of degrees in the Faculty of Science and Technology. To prepare for your degree you will study core English language modules, and subject modules for Engineering and Computing Foundation Year. Degree options include Chemical Engineering, Natural Sciences and Physics.

You will develop your understanding of Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Physics. Areas of study include number theory and graph theory (Pure Mathematics); vectors and variable acceleration (Applied Mathematics); and induction and inductors (Physics).

Theoretical Physics
Quite possibly the most astonishing aspect of the world around us is that so much of it can be understood by using a relatively small number of physical laws. Theoretical physicists devote themselves to uncovering the most appropriate mathematical laws for deducing the essence of physical phenomena on all scales, from the quantum world of microscopic matter and nanomaterials to the geometry of curved space-time and the large scale structure of the cosmos.

The core curriculum includes subjects such as Quantum Physics and Electromagnetism in your first year, Quantum Mechanics and Relativity in your second year, and Particle Physics, Atomic Physics and Condensed Matter Physics in your third year. In addition, in years two and three you take specialised modules on Quantum Theory, Electromagnetism, Condensed Matter Physics, Gravitation and Cosmology, and Elementary Particle Physics. You also have a choice of options such as Quantum Information and Advanced Gravity and Relativity.

In the final year of our four year MPhys course you can choose from a range of topics for your extended project including gravitational waves, quantum computation, physics of graphene, photonic crystals, and geometry and electrodynamics.