- An undergraduate degree in applied physics can be excellent preparation for a career or graduate work in a variety of fields, from sciences such as oceanography or geology to law school, banking or medicine.
- The major combines the principles of physics with practical expertise in one of seven specialties: atmospheric physics, chemical physics, computational physics, geophysics, materials science, physical electronics or physical oceanography. For example, a degree in applied physics with a computational physics specialty gives students a background in programming and allows them to approach problems through computation, an important skill as technology spreads increasingly throughout modern life.