Department Chairperson
The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Physics is designed for students who wish either to pursue an interdisciplinary field or to teach at a primary or secondary level. The B.A. is also offered as part of the Stonehill’s Engineering 3+2 Programs with the University of Notre Dame and King’s College.
Mission of the Program
The Physics B.A. 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 teaching or graduate studies at research universities in fields that do research in physics. The program is tailored to be potentially combined in a double major. The major Physics B.A. 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.A. and/or participating in the 5-year Dual Degree Engineering Program with the University of Notre Dame or King’s College 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.A. in Physics requires the completion of twenty courses.
