Welcome
Research $10/hr
Ice Cream Party
Faculty and Staff
Students
More
Major
Sample
Minor
Licensure
Catalog
ILS
Careers
Grad School
AIP (SRC)
SPS
ruiz at unca.edu
Last: 3/23/2008
Physics as a MajorThere are a variety of choices for a major in college and many facets go into choosing a major. Some of these are student interests and talents, preparation for specific careers, and opportunities for employment. A brief discussion is given below describing specific advantages of choosing a major in physics. Physics is the most fundamental of the natural sciences. It addresses basic questions involving the structure of matter and the underlying physical laws governing their interactions and motion. Physics is based on the interplay between theory and experiment. A theory must describe what is observed. If it does not, the theory must be discarded, altered, or enlarged. Measurement is extremely important along with understanding experimental uncertainties. Physics serves as an excellent discipline for training you to think critically. Models, crafted with artistry, are used to describe reality. You need to determine the uncertainties in measurement, the appropriateness of a specific equation, the approximations involved, and various alternative approaches to solution. A background in physics serves as a broad base of education. You acquire a significant amount of mathematics, chemistry, computer science, astronomy, and fundamental engineering. As a physics major, you take three calculus courses and a course in differential equations. Two additional courses such as partial differential equations and linear algebra can earn you a minor in mathematics. The language of physics is mathematics. The basic laws of physics are often written as differential equations. Quantum mechanics has an equivalent matrix mathematical formulation. The treatment of molecules in gases involves statistics. Majors learn of the normal or Gaussian distribution, probability distributions for speeds of molecules, and special statistics for electrons. Discrete probabilities are encountered in quantum theory. Training in physics includes one year of chemistry. You learn how the foundations of chemistry are arrived at from first principles in upper-level courses in modern physics and quantum mechanics. Theoretical chemistry is essentially physics since chemical interactions are based on the quantum-mechanical treatment of the electromagnetic force. Our physics majors learn how to use sophisticated mathematical software such as MAPLE and/or write computer programs to solve physics problems. A popular language today is Java. The emphasis is on practical skills. You learns how to model a problem, use the appropriate tool, or code an algorithm for computation. Much of astronomy is covered throughout the sequence of courses taken in physics. Planetary motion and gravitation are topics of astronomy. The color temperature of stars is a basic application of the quantization of energy in modern physics. The laws of physics are crucial for such applied fields as atmospheric sciences, environmental studies, and engineering. Students majoring in physics can readily be accepted for graduate studies in these areas. Physics is very strong for students interested in going into teaching at all levels. The physics major is prepared to teach not only physics, but mathematics through calculus and introductory chemistry. One does so with a rich background in applied mathematics and the confident mastery of the theoretical foundations of the chemical periodic table. The physics major is also exposed to deep philosophical concepts involving space, time, and matter. The two cornerstones of modern physics, the theory of relativity (Einstein) and the quantum theory (Heisenberg, Schrödinger, and Born), have had considerable impact on philosophical thought. The wave-particle duality of quantum theory along with the associated Heisenberg uncertainty principle suggests a strange and fascinating picture of the world, still not known to many outside of physics today. In summary, physics is an excellent field of study for an education offering quantitative critical thinking and analysis. Its fundamental character enables you to branch out and study a variety of applied and related fields. It serves as a good investment of your time since you can more readily make career changes later in life. The Department of Physics at the University of North Carolina at Asheville consists of seven full-time faculty members. Areas of research include molecular, atomic, nuclear, elementary particle, environmental, educational and computational physics, along with astronomy and astrophysics. These research areas provide students with an opportunity to obtain excellent preparation for graduate study or immediate, successful careers in physics, including the teaching of physics. Studying physics at UNCA affords opportunities which are unique to a school of our size. Students obtain individual attention due to small class sizes in upper-level courses for the major. Depending on a student's particular interest, many variations in the curriculum can be offered which either strengthen the core curriculum in preparation for graduate studies or emphasize particular areas of interest such as applied physics, computer science, engineering, materials science, chemistry, biology, environmental studies, or the teaching of physics. The liberal arts nature of UNCA also allows you to obtain a broad background beyond physics, which develops communication skills of importance for any type of future employment. The department has three programs in physics: 1) Preparation for Graduate School, 2) Applied Physics, and 3) Teacher Certification. All of these lead to the B.S. in physics. Because it is one of the basic sciences, a student planning to enter almost any branch of science or engineering must have a broad knowledge of physics. A student with a B.S. in physics has many options available depending on one's individual interests. Many of our students continue on to graduate studies in physics at major universities. Other students use their broad general background as a foundation to pursue advanced training in technical fields such as engineering, medicine, or other fields of science, or to enter non-technical disciplines such as law, business administration, or education.
|