Undergraduate Degree Program

Academic Bulletin

General Major

The undergraduate program in physics is designed to provide a fundamental understanding of both experimental and theoretical physics. All of the majors provide a strong basis for graduate study in physics. The applied major is designed for students seeking employment by industrial or governmental laboratories upon completing their B.S. By a suitable choice of electives students will also be prepared for graduate study in the other sciences, mathematics, medicine, or engineering or to enter the University’s special teacher education program that leads to a master’s degree and teacher certification.

Applied Major (Engineering Physics Concentration)

The Department of Physics and Astronomy announces a new applied track within the B.S. Physics major. This new track, known as engineering physics, is a distinctive interdisciplinary program specifically designed to mesh the science with the engineering in order to produce graduates that are not only trained in fundamental physics but who are also trained in the practical pursuits of engineering. It is designed to appeal to physics students whose interests lie more in applications of physics and to engineering students whose interests are more in the fundamental science.

Engineering physics is a unique interdisciplinary program that allows the students in the College of Arts and Sciences to benefit from the course offerings in the College of Engineering and Information Technology. There are three options: a computer option, an electrical option, and a mechanical option. Each option was developed with the support and advice of the College of Engineering and the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering.

These applied tracks add a coherent program of engineering courses to the basic physics degree requirements. These requirements immerse physics students in the engineering culture and confront them with practical problems of the type encountered by engineers. They are distinct form the requirements of a cognate or even a minor, as they have been specifically designed for this purpose. Consequently, graduates of the engineering physics program will be uniquely prepared to compete successfully in the job market upon completion of their bachelor's degree. Moreover, they will be well prepared to pursue graduate studies in either physics or engineering should they so choose.