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Physics

The physics degree provides a sound basis either for entering graduate school or for pursuing a variety of industrial careers. The Department of Physics exposes students to both traditional and cutting-edge areas of 20th-century physics: astrophysics and general relativity; atomic physics; biological physics; condensed-matter physics, including superconductivity and nanotechnology; laser physics and quantum optics; nonlinear physics and chaos; nuclear physics; nuclear astrophysics; and particle and cosmic ray physics.

Virtually every course in the physics major has an associated computational component designed to extend the students' ability to handle real-world problems solved by state-of-the-art techniques. An important feature of the program is the large number of electives, which allow a student to pursue topics of special interest. There are elective sequences in biology for those preparing to enter biophysics or medicine and advanced topics for those interested in atomic, nuclear, solid-state, theoretical, or atmospheric physics. Students can also choose electives to meet teacher certification requirements.

The Laboratory for High-Performance Computational Physics is now in place, and courses allow students to become proficient in numerical techniques, parallel processing, electronic communication, and the basic computer languages and software relevant to advanced studies and research in physics and atmospheric science.

The Department of Physics exposes students to both traditional and cutting-edge areas of 20th-century physics: astrophysics and general relativity; atomic physics; biological physics; condensed-matter physics, including superconductivity and nanotechnology; laser physics and quantum optics; nonlinear physics and chaos; nuclear physics; nuclear astrophysics; and particle and cosmic ray physics.