Our undergraduate program provides a solid foundation in physics suitable for graduate study or to branch out into other scientific or technical disciplines. We offer an innovative curriculum in a top-notch learning environment: small class sizes, personal input from faculty, and close interaction with researchers who are leaders in their fields. Most of our undergraduates actively participate in research projects, including co-authoring publications and presenting results at conferences. Our department offers programs leading to a B.S. degree in Physics and minors in Physics and Astrophysics degrees.
Program Features
- Physics majors enjoy the benefit of small classes, hands-on laboratories, and opportunities to engage in research under the guidance of faculty advisers.
- A dynamic freshmen physics sequence exposes our students to Classical and Modern Physics right from the start. Elective sequences in biology are available for those preparing to enter biophysics or medicine, and advanced topics for those interested in atomic, nuclear, solid-state, or theoretical physics.
- Scientific computing introduced to freshmen via Maple (mathematical and analytical software) and Python (computer programming language).
- High-Performance Computational Physics integrated into the curriculum exposes students to numerical techniques, parallel processing, electronic communication, basic computer languages and software relevant to advanced studies and research in Physics.
- The curriculum concludes with a capstone Senior Thesis project.
- Observational Astrophysics course describes the basic ideas in astronomy. It uses the Joseph R. Lynch Observatory on campus for hands on observations and analysis of data.
Areas of Research
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 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.
Elective Opportunities
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.
Activities
The Department of Physics conducts a broad array of outreach activities including the Kaczmarczik Lecture Series, public observing nights at the Lynch Observatory, and demonstrations in grade school performed by the Drexel Chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS).