The Department of Physics offers Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in physics, including degrees with teacher certification, as well as Master's of Science degrees in physics and in materials physics. An innovative, multidisciplinary PhD in Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercialization (MSEC) is also available to students who continue beyond a Master's degree. Faculty in the department pursue a variety of exciting research interests with focus areas including materials physics, physics education research, and astronomy. The department also makes a strong effort to engage all students, both undergraduate and graduate, in supporting both the teaching and research missions of the department by offering multiple opportunities to contribute to our department as laboratory instructors, learning assistants, or student workers. For more information on particular aspects of the department, please explore our site and feel free to contact us with your questions.<br><br>Physics, the study of matter and energy, is at the root of every field of natural science and underlies all physical phenomena. The problem-solving skills learned in the study of physics are valuable even if one's career is not in a physics-related field.<br><br>The B.S. with a major in Physics provides a rigorous background in physics as a preparation for graduate studies or a career in industry. The B.A. with a major in Physics is for students who want a background in physics but plan to pursue fields of interest other than physics as a life's work.<br><br>Career opportunities for a physics major exist in a wide variety of settings-from teaching in a classroom to basic research in an industrial or government laboratory, as a self-employed consultant, or as a member of a multidisciplinary research team.