UBSCHCPY-2023-4-O - L-Università ta' Malta

Course Title

Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Computational Physics

MQF Level

Duration and Credits

3 Years

180 ECTS

Mode of Study

Full-time

Information for International applicants

Refer to the list of country-specific qualifications

A pass at Advanced Level at Grade C or better in Pure Mathematics and a pass at Intermediate Level at Grade C or better in Physics.

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Applications for our February and October intakes have been officially open since the third week in November. You can submit your application online. The deadlines for submission of applications vary according to the intake and courses. We encourage all international applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible. This is especially important if you require a visa to travel and eventually stay in Malta.

You can compare your national qualifications to the local requirements by visiting our qualifications comparability webpage. Access more information about our admission process and English language requirements.

The University of Malta has student accommodation on campus called Campus Hub. Campus Hub is just a 2-minute walk from the main campus. For more information, visit the accommodation website.

Our dedicated team at the student recruitment office is here to support you every step of the way. From the moment you start your application to the moment when you receive your decision letter, we're here to assist you. If you have any questions or need further information, don't hesitate to reach out to us. You can contact us at info@um.edu.mt, and our team will be more than happy to help.

After you receive an offer from us, our International Office will assist you with visas, accommodation and other related issues.

The degree covers foundation topics in mathematical, physical and computation required to model a process both theoretically as well as numerically. The teaching methodology emphasises the interlinking between these three aspects through both theoretical and practical applications. Computational practical sessions are carried out with the theoretical physics lectures while physical applications are used in the computational classes' assignments so as to create a continuous transition between mathematical, physical and numerical analysis. We will provide you with mathematics topics to understand and work with the physical laws as well as numerical techniques; physical laws that govern the way the universe evolves, together with their mathematical and numerical formulation; programming methodologies so as to write software that efficiently implements algorithms; various numerical techniques, highlighting their potential use as well as their limitations; and the practical implementation of the theoretical concept through numerical computation laboratory sessions.

Communication and Academic Skills Programme

The communication and academic skills programme complements students’ main course of study. It introduces them to writing and presenting as situated within academic contexts sensitive to specific disciplines and develops their competences for future careers.


Year (This/these unit/s start/s in Semester 1 and continue/s in Semester 2)

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

PHY1197	Introduction to Classical Mechanics and Waves	6 ECTS


Semester 1

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

CPS1011	Programming Principles in C	5 ECTS
MAT1091	Mathematical Methods	4 ECTS
MAT1511	Analytical Geometry	4 ECTS
MAT1611	Introductory Mechanics	4 ECTS
PHY1125	Mathematics for Physicists 1	4 ECTS
PHY1135	Introduction to Computational Physics	6 ECTS
PHY1193	Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory	4 ECTS


Semester 2

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

CPS1012	Operating Systems and Systems Programming 1	5 ECTS
ICT1018	Data Structures and Algorithms	5 ECTS
LIN1063	Academic Reading and Writing in English	2 ECTS
PHY1116	Computational Physics Practical 1	5 ECTS	(NC)
PHY1145	Electricity and Magnetism and Optics	6 ECTS

Requirement for regular progression to Year II: 60 ECTS credits


Year (This/these unit/s start/s in Semester 1 and continue/s in Semester 2)

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

PHY2124	Experimental Practice in Physics	5 ECTS	(NC)
PHY2145	Electromagnetism	4 ECTS
SOR1201	Probability, Sampling and Estimation	4 ECTS


Semester 1

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

CCE2203	Signals and Systems	5 ECTS
MAT2512	Vector Analysis 1	4 ECTS
PHY2116	Computational Physics Practical 2	6 ECTS	(NC)
PHY2195	Classical and Relativistic Mechanics	6 ECTS


Semester 2

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

CPS2008	Operating Systems and Systems Programming 2	5 ECTS
ICS2210	Data Structures and Algorithms 2	5 ECTS
MAT2513	Vector Analysis 2	4 ECTS
PHY2140	Quantum Mechanics	6 ECTS
PHY3102	Computational Physics Practical 3	6 ECTS	(NC)

Requirement for regular progression to Year III: 60 ECTS credits


Year (This/these unit/s start/s in Semester 1 and continue/s in Semester 2)

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

PHY3145	Statistical Mechanics	5 ECTS
PHY3232	Nuclear and Particle Physics	6 ECTS


Semester 1

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

CCE3206	Digital Signal Processing	5 ECTS
CPS2004	Object Oriented Programming	5 ECTS
CPS3236	Concurrency, HPC and Distributed Computing	5 ECTS
ICS2207	Machine Learning: Introduction to Classification, Search and Optimisation	5 ECTS
PHY3130	Atomic Physics	4 ECTS
PHY3225	Fluid Mechanics	4 ECTS


Semester 2

Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)

PHY3110	Physical Optics	4 ECTS
PHY3155	Solid State Physics	5 ECTS
PHY3205	Short Review Paper and Seminar	4 ECTS
PHY3206	Computational Physics Practical 4	8 ECTS	(NC)

Requirement for successful completion of Year III: 60 ECTS creditsRequirement for award of B.Sc.(Hons) in Computational Physics: 180 ECTS credits

This programme of study is governed by the General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2019 and by the Bye-Laws for the award of Bachelor of Science – B.Sc. and Bachelor of Science (Honours) – B.Sc.(Hons.) under the auspices of the Faculty of Science.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

Solve physical problems using mathematical techniques
Identify and quantify the limits of the numerical results
Validate numerical results and determine their reliability
Use existing, and develop new, simulation and numerical software
Optimize computational programs for different computer architectures
The range of skills acquired during the course includes analytical analysis, physical and mathematical modelling, computational modelling, quantitative and qualitative interpretation of data and problem-solving skills. The ability to carry out unsupervised work is fostered through the provision of a variety of projects. You will also be able to seamlessly mathematically model a system and then solve the governing equations using computational techniques.

Non EU Applicants:

Fee per academic year: Eur 10,800

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As a graduate in Computational Physics (Honours), you will be able to pursue a career as a computational physicist. Your transferable skills will also allow you to engage in diverse problems spreading over a wide range of areas including but not limited to:

Computational problems, such as iGaming, that requires understanding of the underlying physics apart from the ability of programming
Banking and finance, where computational finance has for a very long time absorbed computational physicists
Physics problems, which nowadays makes increasing use of computation in data analysis and simulation.
If you would like to pursue an academic career, you can enrol in one of our local postgraduate programmes in the University of Malta.