Undergraduate

At UMass Dartmouth, physics majors receive an outstanding education in:

  • physical science
  • critical analysis
  • computers and technology
  • mathematics
  • effective writing and communication

These are critical for career success. Today's employers seek graduates who have a broad, diverse education, and know how to solve problems creatively.

Undergraduate programs

Overview

Your education will be comprehensive and contemporary: physics, mathematics, and science as well as the liberal arts and social sciences. You can also take courses in fields such as astrophysics and environmental physics where knowledge is rapidly expanding. A sample curriculum might include:

  • First year: physics for scientists and engineers, calculus, computer programming, and critical writing/reading
  • Second year: classical and experimental physics, math courses, technical communications
  • Third year: modern physics, quantum mechanics, electronic circuits, physics seminar, and electives
  • Fourth year: solid state physics, and, by taking elective courses, you can focus on an area that interests you

There are opportunities to participate in the Honors College, to explore internships or co-op, and to pursue undergraduate research with faculty guidance.

Concentration in astronomy/astrophysics

For students who want to explore exciting discoveries about the universe, the Physics Department offers an option in the allied fields of astronomy and astrophysics. You can learn about the observational and analytical methods astronomers use to study the cosmos as well as the physics underlying celestial phenomena, from the creation of the universe, to the generation of stellar energy, to the formation of black holes.

Physics majors considering the concentration must first gain a sufficient foundation in basic physics and mathematics. Entry to the concentration requires approval of the Physics Department chair. Students who successfully complete the option may wish to pursue graduate school or career paths in astronomy, astrophysics, or physics.

Concentration in computational physics

The computational physics concentration offers a course of study for the students interested in problem solving with computation. Computation is an integral part of modern science and engineering that is regarded as the third pillar of science along with experimentation and theory. Students will take a three-course sequence at introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels on scientific computing and computational modeling as applied to physical systems. With permission, a capstone research or thesis project that has a significant component with computation can be considered as equivalent to a third course in the sequence. The computational physics concentration will also satisfy the second science requirement. 

Students successfully completing the concentration may purse graduate study or career paths in diverse areas including in scientific computing, information technology and applied engineering, and of course physics.

Undergraduate links

Advising: Students use COIN via myUMassD.