Systemically Designed Degrees for Real-World Challenges: A case study on Physics curriculum design at Loughborough University

TL;DR

This paper details a system-engineering approach to redesign the undergraduate physics curriculum at Loughborough University, emphasizing authenticity and integration to enhance student competence and external validation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel systems-based methodology for curriculum design that aligns stakeholder needs with integrated disciplinary threads, improving educational outcomes.

Findings

Students achieved higher disciplinary and cross-disciplinary competence.

Enhanced student performance and graduate destinations.

Positive external evaluations and national accreditation.

Abstract

We present a ground-up redesign of the undergraduate physics degree at Loughborough University, driven by the principle of authenticity in academic and industrial practice. Departing from conventional incremental reforms, we adopt a systems-engineering approach to programme-level curriculum design, treating the degree as an integrated system with verifiable performance. This methodology aligns stakeholder-derived requirements with vertically-integrated threads in theory, computation, laboratory practice, and professional skills. We demonstrate that this approach enables students to achieve levels of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary competence beyond those typically expected at undergraduate level. Outcomes are supported by graduate destinations, enhanced student performance, and positive external evaluations, including national accreditation. Our results suggest that rigorous, system-level curriculum design can yield transformational gains in both capability and confidence.