The physics department?s large number of ongoing research programs is rare for a small liberal arts college like Willamette.? A state-of-the-art optics training laboratory, funded by a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, prepares students to carry out meaningful research.? Through projects that often start in their freshman year and culminate in a full senior year of independent research, students enjoy the exceptional opportunity to hone their skills in experimental and/or computational physics.? Our students leave Willamette well prepared for careers in industry or academics.Willamette is a great place for those who want to pursue Engineering but still get a well-rounded education.? The 3-2 Engineering program allows students to get both a BA from Willamette and a BS from Columbia, University of Southern California, or Washington University in St. Louis.? Many of our graduates choose the one-year, Master's Industrial Internship Program at the University of Oregon as their path to a career in industry. ?All of this takes place in Willamette?s renowned, friendly and collaborative environment. Faculty members mentor, inspire, and challenge students in small classes at all levels, from introductory physics to upper-level specialty topics courses.

Students curious about how things work will find answers here. The knowledge, skills and experience they acquire will open up a world of exciting possibilities in diverse career fields.

Students curious about how the world works will find that the physics curriculum offers them the opportunity to learn not only about the principal phenomena of the physical world but also how physical theory helps us understand these phenomena. The curriculum emphasizes laboratory work in which students become independent workers formulating and solving their own problems. Students gain the intellectual skill of moving freely to and from the concrete and the abstract. Students assess evidence, follow complex arguments to their logical conclusions, and practice speaking and writing clearly and effectively. The major program may serve as a basis for further study in physics and allied sciences and in engineering and for study leading to professions in education, health sciences and law.

Many careers are open to those who understand some physics. Graduates work as astronomers, engineers, material scientists and physicists in government, industry and universities as well as in geophysics, oceanography, computer science, medical and health physics and in patent law.

The physics department is located in Collins Hall. Individual research space is available and all laboratories are equipped with a wide variety of instrumentation. Students at all levels use computers with sophisticated data acquisition and analysis software. A set of spectrometers are available for studies from the ultraviolet to the far infrared. An X-ray diffractometer is available for materials studies.