Program Overview

Certificate in Foundation Studies in Science (Physics)

The Certificate in Foundation Studies in Science (Physics) will provide students with the knowledge as well as the personal and inter-personal skills and organisational framework, upon which to base their future undergraduate studies. The primary aim of the course is to provide students with the knowledge base, transferable skills, linguistic skills and general competence to allow them to progress successfully onto the University of Malta's undergraduate courses in Computational Physics offered by the Faculty of Science and Physics, Medical Physics and Radiation Protection offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Science.

Course Overview

The course offers specific training and support in Maths, Physics and English areas where students require further assistance. The course will provide teaching in the subject areas of mathematics, physics, as well as Academic and Technical English. In addition, students will be expected to attend regular tutorial sessions for each subject.

Learning Outcomes

The course will provide students with:

• A sound scientific knowledge of mathematics and physics;
• The reading, writing, listening and critical thinking skills necessary to function effectively as a science student at the University of Malta;
• Training to apply scientific reasoning and analytical skills;
• Grounding in the use of grammar and logic together to precisely understand questions in English and differentiate between similar statements and ideas;
• An understanding of how to apply formal logic to scientific problems; and
• Opportunities to think and reason more effectively in the abstract.

Admission Criteria

The Course shall be open to all applicants who:

1. present a secondary and/or high school certificate issued abroad and who studied within an educational system that is not comparable to the Maltese educational system (in terms of curriculum, years of study, etc.) and
2. satisfy the University English language requirement as published on the University official website at the time of applications and
3. are in possession of qualifications allowing access to an undergraduate course in the selected discipline in the country where such qualifications originate, but
4. are deemed to require further study to be admitted to undergraduate degree courses at the University of Malta.

Tuition Fees

Total Tuition Fees for Non-EU applicants: Eur 6,600

Career Opportunities

Certificate holders will be eligible to apply for the following courses within the University of Malta:

• B.Sc. (Hons) in Computational Physics (3 year degree)
• B.Sc. (Hons) in Physics, Medical Physics and Radiation Protection (4 year degree)

Course Structure

The course is divided into two semesters, with the following compulsory units:

Semester 1

• FST0121: Technical and Academic English Writing (5 ECTS)
• FST0122: Technical and Academic English Reading (5 ECTS)
• FST0511: Research and Reasoning (2 ECTS)
• IFS0125: Technical and Academic English Listening (5 ECTS)
• IFS0126: English Grammar and Logic (5 ECTS)
• IFS0416: Principles of Nuclear, Atomic, Quantum Theory and Particle Physics (5 ECTS)
• FST0414: Principles of Classical Mechanics, Waves and Optics (5 ECTS)
• IFS0011: Algebraic Techniques, Trigonometry and Vectors (5 ECTS)
• IFS0014: Calculus and Numerical Methods (5 ECTS)

Semester 2

• FST0411: Principles of Electrical Circuit Theory and Electromagnetism (5 ECTS)
• IFS0012: Coordinate Geometry, Matrices and Probability (5 ECTS)
• IFS0013: Complex Numbers, Functions and Series (5 ECTS)

Elective Units

• FST0413: Principles of Thermodynamics (5 ECTS)
• IFS0417: Foundations of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection (5 ECTS)

Duration and Mode of Study

The course is a one-year full-time program, with 62 ECTS credits.