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The Major
The Department of Physics has the faculty and facilities to provide unusually strong programs for students wishing to major in physics. The department offers a variety of courses and tracks; many options are available at the introductory level, in the core upper-division courses, and in the advanced electives. The three available tracks, Professional, Applied, and General, enable students to tailor the major to suit their goals. Whether the student plans to continue physics in graduate school, seek employment immediately after the B.S. degree, study other fields, or pursue other alternatives, an appropriate set of courses is available. Courses for majors generally have low enrollments and so students are treated as individuals. The student-faculty ratio in the department is optimal; it is easy for a student to interact directly with the faculty and get extra help and advice. Most faculty members are engaged in basic experimental or theoretical research in one of the following areas: atomic physics, bio-physics, hard and soft condensed-matter physics, elementary-particle physics, gravity wave detection, low-temperature physics, medical physics, nano-science, nuclear physics, and polymer physics. Excellent facilities have been supplied by the university and are supported by several million dollars annually in federal research funds. This activity makes it possible to bring the frontiers of physics to the classroom and enables undergraduates to participate in original research activities. These opportunities can be found through independent study, the departmental honors program, or student employment during the summer or academic year. The department has an active chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS), which allows the student to interact socially with student colleagues and faculty as well as to carry out interesting extracurricular physics activities. For example, there is a Five College Undergraduate Physics Colloquium that brings several nationally known speakers to the area each year. PHYSICS 181-182 and 287/289 are the recommended introductory courses and labs for students considering a major in physics. (Under certain circumstances, and with approval of an adviser, PHYSICS 151-152 may be substituted for PHYSICS 181-182.) Students intending to go on to graduate school in physics or closely related fields or simply desiring a complete set of courses in physics should follow the Professional Track. Those intending to take jobs immediately after receiving the B.S. degree, or who will go to graduate school in other areas, can choose one of two other tracks, Applied Track or General Track. The latter two tracks include fewer Physics courses, but require that the student take a coherent program of courses (a concentration) from other departments together with our own. The details of the concentration must be worked out with an adviser from the department. The Applied Track is for majors interested in other technical subjects, for example, computing or engineering, while the General Track allows a concentration in non-technical areas, for example, finance, teaching, and science writing. Core Courses (required for all tracks): MATH 131 Calculus I Professional Track (B.S.): Applied Track (B.S.): General Track (B.A.): Recommended courses for all degree tracks: 185 Freshman seminar 186 Freshman seminar MATH 235 Linear algebra A more detailed description of the programs and courses for majors in physics is contained in the Handbook for Current and Prospective Physics Majors available online at www.physics.umass.edu and from the Undergraduate Program Director. |
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