Undergraduate degrees
- Undergraduate physics courses
- Scholarships available to undergraduate students
Through the Physics Education Centre, the Research School of Physics and Engineering offers a range of coursework programs at undergraduate and graduate level with a range of Majors and Specialisations.
Majors
- Physics
- Theoretical Physics
- Photonics Systems (offered in the Engineering program only)
Specialisations
- Advanced Physics
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Earth Physics
- Mathematical Physics
- Optics
We also offer a Physics Minor for those students wishing to pursue some physics to complement a major in another discipline.
ANU has some of the best physics educators in Australia, with several national award-winning teachers as well as an active program of physics education research and development. Our program is distinctive in our ability to offer individual attention to all our students - with over 150 academic physicists and class sizes of around 40-80 in second year and 10-30 in third year, you can be sure that staff and students really get to know each other. This allows us to provide you with continuous, tailored advice throughout your studies, and to offer opportunities for all to engage with our research activities.
The Research School of Physics and Engineering is one of Australia's largest and most varied sites for physics research, with cutting edge research being undertaken in fields as diverse as Cosmology, Nuclear and Plasma Physics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, Non-linear Physics, Quantum Cryptography, Gravity Wave Detection and Electronic Materials Engineering - so there are plenty of ways to get involved, and research projects to suit all tastes and interests.
We have well-equipped undergraduate laboratories, an excellent staff to student ratio in labs and tutorials and a strong Peer Assisted Learning program to help those in first year adjust to University study.
For those interested in research-focused or advanced degrees such as the Bachelor of Philosophy or the Bachelor of Science (Advanced), we have a long history of engaging with these programs to provide special opportunities and experiences throughout your degree.
For further information on courses that you can study go to http://students.anu.edu.au/ and http://programsandcourses.anu.edu.au/Catalogue and enter Physics or Photonics. Use the Show All Results to see the full list of Major, Minors, Specialisations and individual courses. You can also email pec@physics.anu.edu.au to contact a physicist.

Our undergraduate students can benefit directly from the world class research being done in the school. Students who enrol in the ANU's innovative PhB in Physics undertake a flexible tailored degree program which includes a substantial research component throughout the degree.
Special courses are offered in 3rd year for highly motivated students to complete a research project.
Fourth year honours enables undergraduate students to work with any of the research groups within the school to undertake a piece of original research
The school also runs a summer research scholarships program for third and fourth year students who wish to undertake a research project within the school over the summer break.