Undergraduate courses Physics Track Physics University preparatory class in Physics
This programme is taught in French.
field(s) of training :
Science, Technology, Health
diploma level :
Bachelor's degree (three-year degree)
duration of the program :
3 years
Course overview
Physics aims at understanding the fundamentals at the core of every empirical phenomenon. With both theoretical and experimental breakthroughs, physics contributes to the evolution of society by creating performing new materials and analytical instruments. As such, the principles, methods and techniques of physics can be useful in relations to other sciences: chemistry, computer science, engineering, Earth sciences, biology… As such, the bachelor’s in Physics allows you to acquire knowledge and skills in fields ranging from the infinitesimal to innovative materials and optics.
This three-year full-time programme offers a comprehensive and progressive curriculum including a wide range of subjects. You will also benefit from a personalised support and additional tutoring to help you complete your studies. The bachelor’s paves the way to careers in research, engineering and teaching, which you can access after completing further study in a master’s or an engineering’s degree.
Highlights
To support you during your studies, the bachelor’s in Physics offers three curriculums. The choice of curriculum is determined by your application results.
- “Standard” curriculum, including tutoring in mathematics and physics
- “Adapted” curriculum, allowing you to take 2 years to complete Year 1
- At the beginning of your first Year 1, you will attend tutoring in mathematics, physics and chemistry
- During your first Year 1, you will complete 6 course units instead of 10 for the standard curriculum
- During your second Year 1, you will complete the remaining course units
- “Advanced” curriculum, similar to a preparatory class, preparing you to take the entrance exams for engineering schools and eventually enter them.
Besides, the bachelor’s in Physics provides various resources to support your learning: on the digital learning platform eCampus, you will find quizzes, digital resources, corrected exercises, past exams…
Welcoming international students
Since 2019, the University of Caen Normandy has been awarded the "Bienvenue en France" label by Campus France, highlighting the quality of the university's welcome for international students.
Application requirements
Entry requirements
To enter this bachelor's, you should graduate from a high school diploma with majors in Physics and Chemistry or Mathematics.
Applicants must provide:
- Grades in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry
- Cover letter and resume
Language proficiency requirements
Minimum French proficiency level required: C1
Apply and register
The registration process takes place in 3 steps:
Application process
Admission and registration requirements may vary depending on your nationality, country of residence, foreign secondary school leaving certificate, and the nature of your programme of study. Discover how to apply to the University of Caen Normandy.
Course structure
Courses
- Take place on site in Campus 2 (Caen) of the University of Caen Normandy
- Amount to 500 hours per year, approximately 20 hours per week, completed by your personal work
Course units
The bachelor’s in Physics is part of the Physics, Chemistry, Engineering department. In order for you to acquire a general scientific culture, the bachelor’s in Physics shares course units with the bachelors’ in Chemistry, Electronics, Electric Energy and Automation, and Mechanics.
In Year 1, you will attend main courses in:
- Physics
- Mathematics
- Computer science
- Chemistry
- Health
- Mechanics
If you attend the Advanced curriculum, you will have additional courses in mathematics and applied physics and mechanics.
In Year 2, you will go deeper in:
- Physics (oscillators and waves, fields and interaction, light and picture, thermodynamics, introduction to quantic physics and statistics)
- Mathematics
- Computer science
If you attend the Advanced curriculum, you will still additional courses in mathematics and applied physics and mechanics.
In Year 3, you will definitely specialise in physics, with notable courses including:
- Oscillators and waves
- Fields and interactions
- Relativist physics
- Motion and fluids
- Quantic physics and statistics
- Optics
- Material physics
- Subatomic physics
Moreover, you can still choose optional courses such as Chemistry, Microscopic Physics or Mathematics.
Besides, some courses will focus on transferrable skills such as:
- English
- Digital tools
- Methodology
- Professional project
Internships and placements
The bachelor’s programme includes
- one optional internship (from 1 to 8 weeks) in Year 2
- one compulsory internship (1 month) in the second semester of Year 3.
Both internships can be done in a company or a laboratory, in France or abroad. The internship in Year 3 will be can be done during any year of the bachelor’s and will be evaluated through a detailed written report and an oral presentation of this report.
Coursework and assessment
The course lasts 3 years and is divided in 6 semesters, each comprising several courses units. Examinations are held at the end of each semester and are graded on a scale from 0 to 20, 20 being the best grade. Examinations take place as
- Coursework
- Oral exams in groups of 5 students for the Advanced programme (University preparatory class)
Grade compensation is organized without eliminatory marks and on the basis of the general average obtained in every course unit:
- Over each semester
- Over the 2 semesters of the same year
To successfully complete a semester, you must have an average mark of at least 10 points out of 20. If you have not completed your semester, you can retake the courses units you failed; you do not have to retake the courses in which you have obtained at least 10 points out of 20.
Language
French
Learning outcome
By the end of this course, you will be able to
- Formulate issues on a given situation and find appropriate answers through experimentation, digital simulation and analytical calculations
- Check the suitability of the results obtained and be able to present them
- Have writing and oral skills both in French and in English (essential in the University preparatory class)
- Have better insight on your professional career
Further study
Once you’ve obtained your bachelor’s degree, you can pursue studies in:
- Specialised master’s programmes, such as the programmes in Physics offered by the university of Caen Normandy:
- Industrial Environmental Monitoring
- Nuclei, Atoms and Collisions
- Radiation Protection
- Programmes preparing to teaching chemistry or physics, such as the programmes of the Teaching & Education Graduate School of Normandie · Caen (website in French).
- Engineering schools, such as
- the ESIX, the Engineering school of Normandy, with degrees such as Industry Engineering or Mechatronics and Embedded Systems
- the ENSICAEN
Careers
The bachelor’s degree is the first step to pursue careers related to life and earth sciences. According to our last surveys, 8 students out of 10 went further with their studies after graduating from their bachelor’s degree. Hence your career will depend on your specialisation and the diploma you pursue after your bachelor’s.
However, once you've obtained your bachelor's, preferably a professional bachelor's (to which you can apply at the end of Year 2), you can have opportunities as a laboratory technician or an engineering assistant.
Address
Université de Caen Normandie
UFR des Sciences
Boulevard Maréchal Juin · CS 14032 · 14032 Caen Cedex 5
France
Course leader
formation : Olivier Juillet · olivier.juillet@unicaen.fr