Academics
Program Overview
The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Appalachian offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in Applied Physics and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degrees in Teaching. Our departmental curriculum has an applied nature that includes a core of fundamental physics courses and laboratory experiences. We also strongly encourage our majors to become involved with projects and research experiences outside the classroom. We have a dedicated faculty and staff that support such student participation with state-of-the-art research laboratories, observatories, and other educational programs that will enhance the student’s future professional prospects. The flexibility of the curriculum permits interdisciplinary exploration, not only among the physics and astronomy disciplines, but also the other natural sciences, mathematics, and computer science. We expect our curriculum to result in physics graduates who are capable of applying and adapting their undergraduate education in a variety of scientific, teaching, or engineering professions, as well as future educational endeavors.
Major program tracks in the Department of Physics & Astronomy include:
- Applied Physics (B.S.) as well as Physics (B.A.)
- Applied Physics with Concentration in Astronomy (B.S.)
- Pre-engineering including cooperative agreements with NCSU, NC A&T, Clemson, and Auburn
Along with the basic requirements for any of our degree concentration options, the student interested in applied physics will also have the opportunity to study, among others, the topics listed below.
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Computer Design, Programming, and Interfacing
- Digital and Analog Electronics
- Environmental Physics
- Classical Physics: Electricity, Magnetism, and Optics
- Modern Physics: Quantum Physics and Relativity
- Nanotechnology and Material Science
- Health Physics
- Computational Physics
- Physics Education, Physics Demonstration and Laboratory Management
Click on the links below for more information.
Undergraduate Programs - for more information on our degrees and concentrations, including honors and pre-engineering.
Graduate Programs - for more information on our graduate program offerings.
University Admissions - to apply to our undergraduate programs.
Here is the link to the course schedules for Fall 2009
Career Opportunities
Applied physicists often do interdisciplinary work in areas that combine elements of both physics and engineering. Industrial laboratories such as Lucent Technology, Xerox, General Electric, Ford, Westinghouse, and IBM support applied and basic research in areas such as condensed matter physics, materials science, optics, electronics, and communications. Large government laboratories such as Brookhaven, Oak Ridge, Fermilab, Livermore, Argonne, Los Alamos, and Lincoln Labs - support both basic and applied research in many areas such as high-energy physics, nuclear physics, medical physics, energy research, and solid state physics. Opportunities exist for physics graduates as computer programmers, technicians, and research assistants in university, government, and industrial laboratories. With a bachelor's degree and the appropriate certification, graduates can teach high school physics and obtain the certification to teach mathematics as well. Graduate study in astronomy, engineering, and physics, as well as law and medical school, are open to the qualified applied physics B.S. recipient and will lead to advanced degrees and higher-level professional appointment opportunities with the above institutions, as well as, the possibility of university faculty status.
