The mission of the Department of Physics is to provide its majors with a strong undergraduate physics/astronomy education that will serve them whether they pursue an advanced degree in astronomy or physics, a professional career in medicine or dentistry, a career in industry, or a career in science education.The department offers a variety of studies in the fields of Physics and Astronomy leading to either a Bachelor of Science in Physics (BSP) degree or a Bachelor of Arts (BA) with major in Physics and Astronomy. The BSP degree is designed to train those students who will pursue advanced studies or careers in industry. The BA degree is designed to train those students who desire a career in secondary science education. Both degree curriculums are designed to guide majors through a sequence of courses that build upon one another while strengthening students? conceptual understanding of astronomy and physics, developing their scientific inquiry skills, and improving their problem solving skills. In addition, the BSP allows opportunities for students to complete undergraduate research projects while the BA degree provides students with early teaching experiences.The Physics Department embraces the University?s mission to develop a fertile learning environment for majors exemplified by a free exchange of ideas, high academic expectations, and individual responsibility for academic achievement. This is accomplished by bridging theory with practice extending the learning environment beyond the classroom, and promoting student growth and life success.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of either a BSP or BA degree, all majors are expected to:

• Develop a conceptual understanding of physics principles. They will be able to demonstrate concepts in Newtonian Mechanics, Electricity, and Magnetism.
• Develop state-of-the-art laboratory skills and professional communication skills. They will be able to apply the scientific method to design, execute, and analyze an experiment. In addition, they will be able to explain their scientific procedures as well as their experimental observations.
• Retain and/or develop attitudes that are favorable toward learning physics. They will see physics as a coherent framework of ideas and indicate a willingness to continue learning about physics.
• Develop advanced problem solving skills. They will be able to apply advanced mathematics to solve complex problems involving physical phenomena.