Physics with Renewable Energy Science
Physics with renewable energy science is a degree that combines the fundamental intellectual discipline of physics with focused engagement with one of the most urgent challenges facing civilisation: how to produce, store, and distribute energy sustainably. Physics provides the theoretical foundations for understanding how energy works at every level, from thermodynamics and electromagnetism to quantum mechanics and the behaviour of materials. Renewable energy science applies those foundations to the design, evaluation, and optimisation of systems including solar, wind, hydroelectric, and emerging energy technologies.
At the University of Dundee, this four-year full-time programme takes seriously both the physics and the energy challenge, developing rigorous analytical and experimental skills alongside a specific understanding of how physical principles are applied to improve energy efficiency and expand clean energy capacity. You will study classical and modern physics, including mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum physics, and thermodynamics, as well as the specific science of photovoltaics, wind turbines, energy storage systems, grid integration, and energy policy. A year abroad is part of the programme, exposing you to how other countries approach the energy transition and to different research and industrial environments.
Graduates from physics with renewable energy science programmes are well placed for careers in the renewable energy industry, including roles in solar and wind energy development, grid management, energy consultancy, and research and development. The physics foundation also opens doors in broader engineering and technology sectors, and the renewable energy specialism positions graduates well for roles in the growing area of clean technology investment, policy analysis, and international climate and energy diplomacy. Postgraduate study in physics, energy engineering, and sustainable energy is a natural next step for those who wish to specialise or pursue research.