30 Physics Course Programs in USA

The CAS PY 105/106 course sequence satisfies premedical requirements. CAS PY 106 covers some of the basic principles underlying the physics of everyday life, including electricity and magnetism, direct-current circuits, waves, optics, and modern physics. Students must register for three sections: lecture, discussion, and a laboratory.

Calculus-based introduction to basic principles of physics, emphasizing Newtonian mechanics, conservation laws, and thermodynamics. For science majors and engineers, and for premedical students who seek a more analytical course than CAS PY 105/106. Interactive, student-centered lectures and laboratory. Students must register for two sections: lecture and a laboratory.

The Physics Department offers a full range of courses toward a major in physics and excellent opportunities to collaborate directly with faculty on research efforts, an opportunity that is typically only available in a setting the size of Davidson. Because physics is a fundamental natural science-linking science, mathematics, and philosophy-a major in physics provides a natural cornerstone for a well-rounded liberal arts education.

Physics courses at Rocky Mountain College cover the major ideas of both classical and modern physics. Students can gain the understanding required for majors in other sciences, including biology, chemistry, environmental science, and geology. Physics courses are also necessary for students planning careers ranging from aviation and engineering to the health sciences. Other physics courses provide an option for non-science majors to satisfy core curriculum requirements while learning to better appreciate the physical universe around them and also to be better-informed members of a technologically complex society living on an environmentally challenged planet.

Williams College is proud of its strong undergraduate program in physics. The Department of Physics offers a wide variety of courses ranging from introductory surveys through advanced tutorial courses. In the tutorials students meet two at a time with the professor and work on challenging problems. Graduating students tell us that our tutorials are among the best courses they have taken at Williams.

The Engineering Physics program is designed for students who have an interest in and an aptitude for both engineering and physics. Students begin with a year of mathematics and calculus-based physics, and then proceed to depth courses in physics and engineering, as well as elective courses in a selected specialty area (Aerospace Physics, Biophysics, Computational Science, Electromechanical System Design, Energy Systems, Materials Science, Photonics, or Renewable Energy).

Physics is the fundamental natural science. At its simplest, it is the study of energy and matter, their interactions, and their motion through space and time. Our department mentors an average of 22 majors in each class year, to give students the tools needed to study the nature of the universe. At Carleton, you can work with eight faculty members in a wide variety of courses and labs, exploring many different aspects of Physics, including Newtonian mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, thermodynamics, optics, and electricity & magnetism.

The physics program at Harvey Mudd College offers a physics major with both depth and breadth in classical and modern physics, theory and experiment, and foundations and applications. It does so through lecture-discussion courses, laboratories and joint student-faculty research. The program serves as a strong foundation for graduate work or employment in physics and other technical fields.

Physics is the most basic of all of the sciences, and provides the theoretical framework central to all of the physical and applied sciences. Lasers, MRI, and high-speed computing are but a few of the technological advances made possible by the applications of the principles of physics.

A student in the Physics Minor will gain a broad introductory- to intermediate-level of knowledge and understanding of classical (pre-1900) and modern (post-1900) physics as applied to the natural and man-made worlds, will develop highly transferable problem-solving skills and laboratory skills, and will delve more deeply into a selected subfield of physics.

The physics option offers instruction in the fundamentals of modern physics and provides a foundation for graduate study, which is generally necessary for a career in basic research. The physics program also forms an excellent basis for future work in a variety of applied fields. An intensive version of the sophomore physics course (waves, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics) is offered for those planning further study in physics and the required junior-level courses give a thorough treatment of fundamental principles. Elective courses taken during the junior and senior years allow students to explore their particular interest. Some electives offer broad surveys, while others concentrate on particular fields of current research. A choice of laboratory course is offered at several levels.

This concentration provides students with the analytical and laboratory tools to investigate the physical world and prepares them for training in engineering, medicine or education. When supplemented by additional physics courses, the physics concentration prepares students for a graduate education in physics. Students interested in engineering should also consult the catalogue for the 3/2 dual-degree program. Students in the physics concentration are in demand in fields such as engineering, education, medicine, environmental science and law.

The Department of Physics offers both major and minor programs. The physics major consists of only nine physics courses and their math prerequisites. This allows flexibility to adapt this core curriculum to a student's specific career goals. In addition we offer numerous emphases within the major which focus on specific interests and career goals. In addition, the college partners with several engineering schools to offer a 3-2 or 4-2 engineering degree. In this program, students spend three or four years at CC, completing a major (in physics or some other subject), and two years at the partner school. They receive two undergraduate degrees, a BA from CC and an engineering degree from the partner school.

Students in the Physics and Astronomy Department are challenged to think analytically about the fundamental principles of physics, and they have opportunities to collaborate with professors on research in atomic and molecular physics, condensed matter physics, theoretical physics, and observational astronomy. By the end of the core curriculum in modern physics, students are able to solve Schrödinger’s equation—the fundamental equation in quantum mechanics—and understand the consequences of Einstein’s theory of relativity.

An education in physics is vital to developing a better understanding of the physical world and honing key technical skills for a 21st-century workforce. In the Gettysburg College Physics Department, you will learn to apply physics theories by solving problems and making measurements to deepen your understanding of the world. Students engage in meaningful research from sub-disciplines such as biophysics, nuclear physics, astrophysics, and plasma physics.