Department Chairperson
The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Physics is designed for students who are interested in pursuing a graduate school degree in either physics or astronomy, and those students who seek immediate employment in teaching, private industry or government jobs that require an advanced knowledge of physics.
Mission of the Program
The Physics B.S. major is meant to serve students with a strong interest in math, physics, chemistry and computational methods applied to physical systems, who wish to pursue careers in graduate studies at research universities in fields that do research in physics. The major Physics B.S. can be useful to those wishing to pursue advanced degrees in areas such as optical physics, quantum physics, relativity, astrophysics, engineering, geosciences.
Learning Goals
Majors in Physics B.S. will:
- demonstrate a clear understanding of these four core curriculum areas: classical mechanics & relativity, electromagnetism, optics & waves, quantum mechanics & atomic physics.
- use the aforementioned knowledge in physics as well as in the math required to do physics to describe and explain physical systems.
- understand how science is performed: observation, hypothesis development, experimental design & execution, data collection and interpretation.
- understand the philosophical, ethical, and societal dimensions of physics as a human endeavor.
The B.S. in Physics requires the completion of twenty-two courses.
