Physics

Research Opportunities

Physics and Astronomy faculty members encourage students to collaborate in their ongoing research projects, in order to prepare for their own research-related activities in the future. Many students present their work publicly at national conferences or collaborate on papers for publication. during the junior year, all Physics majors take part in an group research projects, which allows them to integrate the concepts learned in classes into a single activity each semester.  Opportunities to continue this work, or branch out to other sub-fields, exist for the senior year with our independent research courses.

Career Opportunities

The most obvious career tracks for Physics majors include secondary education, technical support for research & development (R&D) activities, sales representatives for high-tech companies, technical or scientific writing, and a variety of computer application and support opportunities. However, a degree in Physics provides strong preparation for any career where analytical and computational skills are important, such as economic analysis and actuarial work.  Students have choosen to pursue graduate study in physics, engineering, law, medicine, or business.

Facilities

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is located in Science Hall, a 44-million-dollar building designed to support the classes and reserach in the physical and life sciences. The building includes 27 teaching laboratories, a planetarium, and rooftop observatory with state-of-the-art telescope which all serve to further enhance the teaching of science at Rowan.

Physics students have access to several reserach labs in areas of astrophysics, atomic & molecular physics, optical physics, biomedical physics, condensed matter physics, particle physics, physics education, and planetary science. 

Each general physics laboratory features twelve experimental stations configured with computers and instrument interfaces which are used in introductory classes for data collection and analysis, allowing students to concentrate on physical phenomena rather than tedious measurements. Research laboratories also take advantage of computer-interfaced data acquisition and analysis using additional Macintosh, Windows, and Unix/Linux operating systems.

Educational Preparation

Students who are interested in majoring in Physics should take a full range of high school math courses, including pre-calculus, as well as physics.

Curriculum

Rowan's Physics program begins with general physics courses geared toward the development of mathematical and analytical skills. Upper level courses refine these skills and shape the advanced problem-solving capabilities that are important to current areas of scientific inquiry and many carrer choices.

Photonics Concentration for Physics