Physics is an experimental science studying the natural world in terms of energy and matter interactions. Practically every technology surrounding us in our everyday lives is governed by the principles of physics (from medical diagnosis techniques to GPS systems or energy production methods). The Degree in Physics aims to provide a solid training based on physical phenomena and the laws and models which explain them, knowing the language of mathematics, the experimental method, sophisticated instrumentation and computational methods. It also introduces into various leading basic and applied research fields. These studies ensure graduates are versatile professionals with the skills needed to resolve multidisciplinary problems in the scientific and technological fields.
Versatility and problem-solving are the main Physics graduates' skills. Another advantage is the high employability for managerial and responsible positions in very broad and advanced sectors: basic and applied research in high-tech industrial sectors and in research centres (photonics, optoelectronics, the environment, alternative energies, fundamental particles and interactions, astrophysics, the aerospace industry, telecommunications, new technologies, virtual reality); health (medical physics); meteorological and geophysical services; scientific and technical consultancy, banking and finance; and science teaching and communication.
The Degree in Optics and Optometry aims at training highly-qualified specialists in visual healthcare who carry out professional activities aimed for the prevention, detection, analysis and treatment of alterations in vision. To this end, students acquire the necessary knowledge, abilities and skills to undertake visual and ocular examinations; design, certification and adaptation of optical systems; design and development of sight-training programmes and design of proposals for ergonomic improvements.
Optometrist is a profession regulated in Spain by different laws. This means the fields of professional activity are sharply defined, for both the public and the private sector. In the public sector, there are specific positions in the diverse Spanish regional health systems. In the private sector, graduates can work in opticians' establishments, ophthalmological clinics, lens and other optical device manufacturing industries, etc. The most common careers are optical establishment technician, optometrist, laboratory technician, ergonomics and visual hygiene assessor, visual rehabilitator, ophthalmic product salesperson, etc. These professionals can also work in teaching and research.
Much of the technology surrounding us every day is governed by principles of physics and/or mathematical algorithms (from medical diagnosis techniques to GPS or energy production systems, cryptography, image processing, statistical analysis, etc. This double degree offers training focused on physical phenomena, the models and laws explaining them, as well as on mathematical language, the abstraction and formalisation of the deductive process, the experimental method, sophisticated instrumentation and computational methods. These studies train versatile professionals with the ability to solve multidisciplinary problems in the scientific and technological fields.
This double degree develops analytical skills, abstraction and critical sense, from an approach which combines mathematical methods and rigour with intuition for modelling and solving physics problems. This training provides greater employability and adaptation in very diverse and cutting-edge sectors. Among others: basic and applied research in high-tech industrial sectors and research centres (photonics, optoelectronics, environment, alternative energies, particles and fundamental interactions, astrophysics, aerospace industry, telecommunications, new materials); financial and insurance institutions (market research and risk analysis); scientific/technical and IT consultancy firms (process optimisation, communication networks, numerical methods, coding, cryptography); healthcare (medical physics); statistical companies and institutes; meteorological and geophysical services; science teaching and communication.
The double degree in Physics and Chemistry provides students with a solid theoretical and experimental training in these two scientific disciplines. In their attempt to interpret nature, both physics and chemistry share a common core of knowledge and skills, so the curriculum has been designed in a way that students obtain both degrees in just five years with a reasonable annual teaching load: between 62 and 71 credits per year.
Students who complete the double degree will enter the world of teaching, research and industry sector in an ideal position. In the teaching field, physics and chemistry share subjects up to the sixth year of Spanish high school and also the same teaching specialty for high school education. Moreover, many of the current research challenges require interdisciplinary perspectives, physics and physical chemistry go hand in hand in fields such as: materials science, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, transport phenomena, atomic and molecular physics and physical chemistry. The skills acquired in the double degree broaden as well the job prospects, as they cover many professional aspects: production and marketing in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, food technology, new materials, environment, optics, consultancy, etc.