School of Physics and Applied Physics

Why Physics?

As the most basic of the physical sciences, physics can serve as the building block for many different careers. Using their understanding of physical principles, physicists have been at the forefront of many of the most exciting discoveries of the twentieth century and will continue to lead the way to many exciting discoveries in the future. They have contributed to a wide range of areas, including, but not limited to, biology, chemistry, communication, computer science, electronics, engineering, finance, managerial, consulting, geophysics, medical physics, and transportation.

The SIU Carbondale Physics program focuses on applied physics. Therefore the program seeks to provide undergraduate students with the skills necessary to apply their basic understanding of physics to real-world problems for which the solutions are of near-future concern. With this in mind, the physics program at SIU Carbondale offers a first-rate undergraduate program with four different specializations in in physics: astrophysics, biomedical physics, computational physics, and materials and nanophysics, and the traditional physics curriculum. These specializations are targeted to high-demand areas of science and take advantage of the expertise of our faculty. Members of the physics faculty are involved in a wide range of physics research projects, both theoretical and experimental, including low temperature physics, surface physics, materials physics, superconductivity, magnetism, synchrotron radiation, infrared spectroscopy, solid-state physics, quantum mechanics, quantum computation, computational physics, statistical mechanics, astronomy, and physics education. Participation in faculty research projects by students is strongly encouraged and can be very useful to students since it provides them with faculty mentors, and experience applying learned skills to real-world physics problem-solving.

Physics is an exciting field; its graduates are in high demand and enjoy high salaries and job security. Employment opportunities in physics are varied and abundant, from industrial research and development to teaching. Physicists are employed by all sectors of society, including health care, various corporations, government, and universities. Students who wish to learn more are encouraged to contact the physics
program directly: physics@siu.edu.