A tour in the field of Physical Science
Have you just got your A/L results and are hoping to start your undergraduate career? Are you feeling quite lost to select which one to pursue out of the plenty of educational courses offered in both private and public sector education institutes in SL? Choosing your career path is not an easy task, and you might be inclined to the herd mentality. Yet, taking the time to choose what is right for you is one of the most worthwhile things you can do; because this is what guides you to your purpose.
Do you have a feeling that Physical Science can be the right one for you?
Well, good news is that you are not the only one lost in this decision making process. Studies show that many find themselves at odds in choosing courses like this and that is a call for help. If you are interested to know more about physical science, then you have come to the right place as we at YGSL are ready to help you! We have gathered information from those who have already done and are currently doing physical science and embedded them into this article hoping that it would be a step to solving your problem. Physical Science is a special field that can open up many opportunities and interests to you so keep on reading!
In order to be eligible for physical science courses in the state universities/institutions, it is a mandatory requirement to pass A/Ls in the physical science stream — studying the subjects of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
You must definitely pass your A/L’s with decent grades and a Z score of around least 1.5 (varies according to university and district you are from) to guarantee a position in any one of the 7 state universities which offer physical sciences mentioned below,
- University of Colombo
- University of Peradeniya
- University of Kelaniya
- University of Sri Jayewardenepura
- University of Ruhuna
- University of Jaffna
- Eastern University, Sri Lanka
Keep in mind that even though all of these institutions offer physical science courses, Physical Science itself is a very broad topic with a vast scope having job opportunities in almost every industrial sector. Hence, not all universities will be able to entirely cover this scope and each university will have a slightly different curriculum available for special and general degrees which will be discussed later. But, the main core subjects such as Mathematics, Statistics, Physics and Chemistry are common to almost all physical science curriculums and thus, we hope to discuss them in this article to give the majority of you a better idea before you make that critical decision of placing your stepping stone to your future career.
As the case with almost anything, the potential and scope of physical science cannot be bound by just one article and we would love to encourage you to do a bit of research on your part as well. For this, referring handbooks of the relevant university, contacting your seniors and those who have already graduated, reading up on top technology & science related journals/magazines can be really helpful in paving your path. Physical science is a field with a vast diversity and you can attain your fullest potential in it only if you are aware of your abilities and able to find what interests you through your own self-realization and searching. We only hope to provide you a guiding beam from this article and we wish that you reap the best out of it!!
Since many of our resource personnel are from University of Colombo, our tour will be mainly based on the University of Colombo curriculum but don’t worry as many of these will also be relevant for the other university departments as well which offer the same course!!
How you get from the start to the finish line in a university undergraduate career of Physical Science?
Considering University of Colombo, as soon as you enter, you will have a small period to get used to your environment before academics start. This will involve various social events for you to know your batchmates and seniors and also mentoring and counselling sessions which you can make use of. After this, you will be faced with a tough task of choosing one combination out of 6. Each combination has 4 main modules of which 2 are compulsory and the other 2 can be selected.
Overall, a total of 6 main modules are offered and they are listed below,
- Computer Science
- Applied Maths
- Pure Maths
- Statistics
- Chemistry
- Physics
From these modules, Computer Science and Applied maths are compulsory subjects for all 6 combinations and the remaining 2 subjects can be any of the remaining 4 available. The significance of the combination that you decide to choose is that it lays the foundation for the rest of your degree.
In University of Colombo, there are 4 main departments,
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Physics
- Department of Statistics
As you may have already noted, each department is based on the 4 modules that you are free to choose 2 from. The importance of this is that your combination will determine your eligibility to join each of the departments as you can only join a particular department if you have done a combination which includes its major module. For example, a combination having computer science, applied maths, chemistry and physics can make you eligible to join either the chemistry department or the physics department. And your opportunities of pursuing a general or a special degree will depend on that which is offered from the department you join. So please keep in mind that this is a major decision that you take at the start of your university career.
After selecting the combination that you want, you will be studying the subjects in this combination for the first 2 years, and at the end, depending on your overall GPA, you can be eligible to follow a certain special degree of a particular department relevant to your chosen combination. The GPA requirement is not fixed but depends on how much demand there is. So, do your best in the first 2 years if you want to follow a special degree. Doing a special degree requires another 2 years, and this will make your whole university career a total of 4 years.
However, if you weren’t able to perform to your best and get the required GPA to do a special or simply you do not want to specialize, don’t worry! There are many options still available that might be even more appealing. If you are not able to pursue a special degree, you have the option of either pursuing a 3 year general degree or a 4 year general degree. In the case of a 3 year general degree, you will be continuing your chosen combination of subjects (at the start) for another 1 more year instead of selecting a department to do your special degree — which happens at the end of 2 years as mentioned before, but you also have the option of pursuing a 4 year general degree if you meet the requirements (again your GPA will matter as they only select a limited number for this as well — the same case with special degrees).
The difference between the 3 year general and 4 year general degree is that the extra year between them will be catered to a certain industry under a particular ‘theme’. Depending on the theme you select, you will get exposed to different modules to get the necessities of working in the themed industrial environment and also an internship may be incorporated in it as well. Please keep in in mind that you can find a lot more about these courses and procedures in the handbook of the respective university — the link to it will be attached further below.
We will now move into the departments of the physical science field in University of Colombo as we hope to give you a brief understanding of what each has to offer!
Department of CHEMISTRY
Chemistry is often referred to as the “central science” as it stands between and significantly overlaps with mathematics, physics, and biology. Chemistry is an integral component of applied science such as pharmaceutical, biomedical, agriculture, and environmental science.
If you are obsessed, passionate, curious to know about all the fascinating stories starting from the atom, choosing chemistry will give you the perfect dose of happiness and it will give you the perfect future you have dreamt and worked for. Chemistry based jobs show a huge job market which is always asking for more graduates because the opportunities are endless.
In the university you will start from the fundamentals of chemistry such as inorganic, organic, thermodynamics, atomic structure and bonding, physical chemistry etc. In the first two years you will learn much more about these fundamentals. 3rd year and 4th year will completely depend on your GPA. Your GPA in the first 2 years will decide whether you are selected for the special degree and only less than 25 spots are available for the whole batch. Major Sri Lankan government universities such as Colombo, J pura universities conduct industrial based degrees too.
The job market for chemistry graduates are filled with opportunities as mentioned above,
- University professor
- Analytical Chemist.
- Chemical Engineer.
- Chemistry Teacher.
- Forensic Scientist.
- Geochemist.
- Hazardous Waste Chemist.
- Materials Scientist.
- Pharmacologist.
- Managing posts in different chemical companies
“Life is chemistry. Dilute your sorrow, evaporate your worries, filter your mistakes, boil your ego, and you will get the crystal of happiness.”
Department of MATHEMATICS
In today’s tech-oriented world, mathematics has transformed from a mere value-adding component of one’s resume into an irreplaceable skill that any potential employee is expected to have. Therefore, it is not surprising that a degree in math opens doors to virtually any sector of modern industry and academia. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of employment opportunities for mathematicians will be 26% higher in 2028 than it was in 2018: a job growth forecast that the bureau characterizes as “much faster” than the norm among all occupations combined.
Undergraduate degrees in mathematics cover foundational areas of the subject such as logic, set theory, real analysis, complex analysis, linear algebra, and abstract algebra. Many areas of applied mathematics will also be offered as courses, including differential equations, numerical analysis, optimization and a variety of topics in financial and computational mathematics. Sri Lankan universities also offer the option of pursuing a “special degree” in mathematics, which prepares the student for graduate study in the field or entry into highly technical positions in finance and tech companies.
The diversity and applicability of mathematics allow math majors the flexibility of choosing from a broad variety of pursuits.
A few of the most common career options for math graduates are as follows:
- Actuary
- Algorithmic engineer
- College or university math professor
- Data scientist
- Entrepreneur
- Investment banking analyst
- Management consultant
- Mathematician
- Operations research analyst
- Process engineer
- Project manager
- Quality assurance manager
- Software developer
- Statistician
Department of PHYSICS
The Department of Physics of University Colombo which was established in the year 1921 holds its name as one of the most prestigious institutions in the island which takes on the exciting subject. Mainly, the institution not only offers degrees for undergraduate students, but also you have the opportunity to follow postgraduate programs as well as conducting exciting research. The department has been the learning ground to many brilliant minds including but not limited to the most recent newsmaker Dr. Ranga Dias who revolutionized the industry with his superconductor research. So, let us dive into more detail to get to know more about what the department has to offer.
If you enter the University of Colombo as an undergraduate, you will be able to enroll in a special degree in the Department of Physics in your third year simply if you satisfy the minimum criteria required in the physics courses of the first two years.
The department offers three special degrees with research orientation, namely
- Physics
- Computational Physics
- Engineering Physics
The department accepts 10 students each for all three programs.
A student willing to follow the Special degree in Physics must acquire a minimum GPA of 3.00 for all Physics and applied mathematics core courses that have to be followed in the 1st and the 2nd year. Additionally, a student who is expecting to get selected to the computational physics program must have a minimum GPA of 3.00 for computer science core courses as well. As for the engineering physics program, students must obtain at least a B grade in offered General Physics Laboratory courses. Furthermore, if the need arises, the department will take the total weighted marks for Physics courses of students into consideration in the selections for above mentioned programs.
In the Physics special stream, the material will especially focus on a more theoretical approach with many exciting courses including astronomy, quantum mechanics and nuclear physics and more standard courses like mechanics, thermodynamics and statistical physics, electronics etc. by following these courses, after the B.Sc. you can either choose to study and read for a postgraduates or to settle with a satisfying job. While the Physics special program has a theory based approach, the Engineering physics program has more practical based courses focusing on fields like robotics, electronic circuit analysis, electronic communication and solid state devices etc. This program will take it to the next level and make students ready for the new and advanced technological industry out there. The third and the last, relatively new specials degree offered by the department is not in the least second to the other programs as it is carrying much more intriguing subjects like robotics, machine learning and AI, intelligent systems, data science and analytics with more of a computer science based approach which will be making the undergraduates proficient in tackling modern world problems using both computer science and physics. Each and every opportunity available in the department of physics will make the undergraduates industry ready with a sharp mind and an even sharper skill set to earn their place in the world.
On a concluding note, any path that is mentioned here or not, will not be a shortcut to success at all, you will have to work hard, face problems, and overcome them to become a person of success who the world and yourself will be able to cherish.
Department of STATISTICS
“Statistics” is an extremely diverse discipline and can be applied to almost every type of science. It is well known that no applied science is complete without statistical reasoning and support.
The vision of the department is to produce quality graduates who are employable and capable of using statistics in many fields, and also able to do research for the development of its own discipline as well as in other disciplines. The department’s graduates are in demand in the job market and have attained levels of recognition at many universities, research institutions, and corporations.
Its programs give a solid foundation in statistics and computational skills with an introduction to different fields of applications.
BSc Degree
The Department of Statistics (DST) offers Statistics subjects from the first year onwards to students in Physical Science in the Faculty and the UCSC. It also offers the degree program Industrial Statistics & Mathematical Finance (IS&MF) jointly with the Department of Mathematics, for a direct intake of 90 students. The Department offers around 70 course modules for a given year and interacts with around 1200 students.
BSc Honours Degrees
DST currently conducts 3 research-oriented BSc Honours Degree programmes namely “Statistics” (ST), “Statistics with Computer Science” (ST+CS) and “Industrial Statistics” (IS) catering both academia and industry. Focusing on the demand by the industry for graduates with a sound knowledge of Statistics, together with computing, management and numerical skills, the DST offers ONE more industry-oriented BSc Honours degree programme in Applied Statistics from the year 2015.
Degree programs
- BSc in Industrial Statistics & Mathematical Finance
- BSc Honours in Industrial Statistics
- BSc Honours in Statistics
- BSc Honours in Statistics with Computer Science
- BSc Honours in Applied Statistics
Postgraduate programs
- MSc in Actuarial Science
- Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Applied Statistics
Degree Aims
Provide students with in-depth theoretical knowledge in statistics and its applications in diversified fields that include emerging areas.
The programme produces graduates for academia and industry that require advanced knowledge in the field of statistics.
Center for Data Science
The Center for Data Science is established as the research and development unit of the Department of Statistics to engage in and facilitate research and development in Data Science tools and techniques and to bridge the gap between academics and industry in the field of Data Science.
It facilitates collaboration between academics and industry, both foreign and local, through research, enhancement programmes and consultancy projects. Furthermore, it provides opportunities to undergraduates and postgraduates to pursue careers as data scientists who are currently in high demand locally and internationally.
Statistics is a Science where the related theories and methods can be applied to a wide variety of disciplines. The truth is that no applied science is complete without statistical reasoning and support. Statistics offers a wide range of career opportunities in many fields. In general, applied statisticians can easily fit into many careers in Computer Science, Agriculture, Education, Medicine, Economics, and Marketing, to name but a few.
Sources- Handbook of the faculty of science 19/20 UOC (Click “here”) & the Internet
All in all, keep in mind that doing physical science can be challenging and difficult because this deals with a lot of potential to change the course of history in the future with new discoveries and breathtaking principles and technologies. It is at the heart of the natural sciences that studies non-living systems. You guys are the future of this country and be sure to work hard and give it your best because all of us are counting on you!! Cheers!!!
Written by: Nirodha Rajamantri, Azam Hassan, Ruwimal Pathiraja, Sahan Chandula, Piumi Madhubhashini, Buddhika Rasanjana
