The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers a wide range of curricular and research opportunities for students to study the physical nature of the universe on all scales, ranging from those of subatomic elementary particles to the observable universe as a whole. Our students are involved in an active culture of internationally-recognized research at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
Undergraduate Programs
We offer a bachelor of science (BS) in physics, as well as a popular double-major program with electrical and computer engineering. Physics majors may focus their work in one of several sub-areas, such as the physics of elementary particles, the properties of solid matter, or the properties and evolution of stars and galaxies. We also offer a program for students interested in teaching physics at the K-12 level and minors in both physics and astronomy.
Learn more about undergraduate opportunities on the Undergraduate Program page.
Graduate Programs
At the graduate level, we offer the doctor of philosophy (PhD) and master of science (MS) degrees in physics, with the option of specialization in astronomy. Although we offer a course-only MS, our graduate program is mostly oriented toward current physics research.
Learn more about graduate opportunities on the Graduate Program page.
Research
We have many faculty involved in international collaborations, such as the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, the LZ Dark Matter Search in the UK, the Enriched Xenon Observatory in New Mexico, and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Additionally, we have many internationally recognized faculty working at the forefront of research in new materials and devices and the physics which underlies their behavior; the nature and origin of the physical makeup and laws of the universe; and the evolution of stars, galaxies, galactic black holes, and galaxy clusters.
Discover our research areas on the Research Overview page.
Learn More
Watch this video to learn more about our department and hear a few of our faculty and students talk about why they’re passionate about physics and astronomy, and why they chose to come here.
Department of Physics & Astronomy from UA College of Arts & Sciences on Vimeo.
Additional information about our department can be found in our department brochure!