The applied physics curriculum offers students the skills, experience, and preparation necessary for several career options, including opportunities to minor in economics and to take business-related courses. In recent years, applied physics graduates have entered graduate programs in many areas of applied physics or physics, enrolled in medical school, or been employed in various technical or financial areas immediately after receiving the B.S. degree.<br><br>Opportunities for undergraduate research exist in the many research programs in applied physics. These include fusion and space plasma physics, optical and laser physics, and condensed matter physics. Undergraduate students can receive course credit for research or an independent project with a faculty member. Opportunities also exist for undergraduate students in the applied physics program to participate in this research through part-time employment during the academic year and full-time employment during the summer, either at Columbia or as part of the NSF REU program nationwide. Practical research experience is a valuable supplement to the formal course of instruction. Applied physics students participate in an informal undergraduate seminar to study current and practical problems in applied physics, and obtain hands-on experience in at least two advanced laboratory courses.