Overview

Higher Education and Research

Research

The Institute works to promote physics through extensive networks within higher education and research. We respond quickly and effectively to government consultations and produce policy papers. We also support physics departments within universities.

The Department of Higher Education and Research falls within the Education and Science Directorate of the Institute. The Department works to promote the interests of physics and physicists in research and academia in a number of ways. It uses extensive networks of contacts with members to provide information on issues, which affect higher education and research policy. The Institute is thereby able to respond quickly and effectively to government consultations and produce policy papers on key issues.

The Institute maintains close relationships with government departments and funding agencies responsible for science and education and regularly represents its views to ministers and senior officials.

Higher Education

The Department also promotes the interests of physics departments in universities:

• through its work with the Standing Conference of Physics Professors, the body which represents heads of physics departments in the UK and Ireland
• through its comprehensive web based guide to physics research in the UK, Research Fields in Physics, and its publication MSc and Postgraduate Diploma Courses in Physics and Related Areas
• by maintaining a substantial database of statistics relating to physics education in the UK
• by representing the views of the physics community when responding to government consultations into higher education
• by publishing its own reports on issues of current concern
• by monitoring the standard of undergraduate physics degrees through its degree accreditation programme.

The Department of Higher Education and Research has produced a booklet detailing its activities. Please click here to download a copy.

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