Physics
If you're fascinated by the hows, whys and what-ifs of the physical world, a major in physics might just be for you. Physicists study the laws and patterns that govern God's world.
Overview
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By the numbers
- Top 5%
- Where Calvin ranks among private colleges graduates go on to earn PhDs in the sciences
- 75%
- Physics majors who do summer research with a professor
- 55
- journal articles and books produced by physics faculty 2002–2012
With in-depth course offerings and small class sizes, a Calvin physics degree is excellent preparation for careers in research, high-tech industry and high school teaching. Alumni have been accepted into top graduate programs in physics, applied physics and astronomy.
A number of academic options allow you to tailor your program to your specific goals, including:
- A 32-credit-hour program that combines well with minors such as scientific computing and engineering
- An in-depth 58-credit-hour program that leads to a bachelor of science in physics
- Minors in optics and astronomy
Other opportunities
- On the "Astronomy in the Southwest" January interim course, you can visit major telescopes throughout New Mexico and Arizona, visit major geological sites to study the history of our own planet and work with Calvin's own telescope in Rehoboth, New Mexico.
- In a summer research project with a professor, you will gain hands-on experience in studying an open-ended question on the frontiers of physics and astronomy. Recent examples of projects: computer simulations of helium atoms, measuring electrical signals in neurons, and discovering new types of variable stars. Learn more »
"Calvin physics has more than prepared me for graduate classes. ...I was awarded the 'excellence in teaching' award for graduate students, which I completely attribute to the wonderful examples I had at Calvin for how to teach physics."
—Charlotte DuLaney '11
Careers in Physics
- Researcher at a national lab
- Radiologist
- Geophysicist
- Software engineer
- More career opportunities
See job placement rates for Calvin grads.
Student involvement
Join the department for seminars on cutting-edge research and meals at professors' homes; gain valuable experience as an observatory assistant (operating Calvin's telescopes), homework grader, or lab assistant.
Course Requirements 2012-13
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Physics major
(at least 32 semester hours)
- PHYS-133 Introductory Physics: Mechanics and Gravity
- PHYS-134 Matter, Space, and Energy
- PHYS-235 Introductory Physics: Electricity and Magnetism
- PHYS-246 Waves, Optics, and Optical Technology
- PHYS-306 Introduction to Quantum Physics (or higher level substitutes)
- Two or more advanced theory courses from:
- Two or more advanced laboratory courses from:
- Departmentally approved electives to bring the total to at least 32 hours
- Two semesters of PHYS-195 Physics and Astronomy Student Seminar
- Two semesters of:
Cognates (at least 13 semester hours)
-
One course from:
- One course from:
- MATH-172 Calculus II
- One course from:
- MATH-231 Differential Equations with Linear Algebra (recommended)
The 32-hour major is intended primarily for students seeking a flexible program, e.g., who are also majoring in another discipline or earning an engineering degree but have an active interest in physics. The major satisfies the college's concentration requirement for graduation with a BA degree.
Students wanting a BS degree must complete a total of at least 58 semester hours of science and mathematics. Students interested in a physics-related career who want to earn a BS degree based upon a physics major should complete the above minimum requirements plus:
- at least one more advanced theory course
- PHYS-395 Physics Research, Writing, and Presentation
- MATH-231 Differential Equations with Linear Algebra
- One integrative studies course from:
Students planning to pursue graduate study in physics should take the above, plus :
- all the advanced theory and laboratory courses
- MATH-333 Partial Differential Equations
- as many as possible of:
- Students are also strongly encouraged to participate in summer research.
Students interested in a career in astronomy or astrophysics should major in physics, minor in astronomy, and plan their programs with D. Haarsma or L. Molnar.
Physics minor
(at least 20 semester hours)
Scholarships
Dollar amounts reflect awards given for the 2012-13 academic year.
- Boerman, Ivan E. and Rebecca J. Scholarship
-
- award amount: $1,500
- first-year
- HS GPA of 3.3+
- financial need considered
- apply through the physics department
- Debra Deur Scholarship
-
- award amount: $3,800
- sophomore, junior or senior
- GPA of 3.0+
- financial need required
- apply through the Calvin Portal
- Gabrielse Scholarship
-
- award amount: $2,500
- first-year
- GPA of 3.5+ and an ACT of 32+ or an SAT of 1400+
- financial need not required
- complete the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholarship application
- Roger D. Griffioen Physics and Astronomy Scholarship
-
- award amount: $1,850
- first-year
- GPA 2.5+
- financial need not required
- prospective students apply through the Physics Department; automatic consideration for returning students
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholarship
-
- award amount: $2,500
- first-year
- HS GPA of 3.5+; minimum ACT score of 28 or SAT of 1250
- financial need not required
- complete the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholarship application
- William J. and Glenda Masselink Scholarship
-
- award amount: $2,500
- junior or senior
- GPA of 3.0+
- financial need required; pursuing pre-dentistry, pre-medicine or physics
- apply through the Calvin Portal
- NSF Scientific Computing Scholarship
-
- award amount: $5,000 to $8,000
- any class level
- GPA of 3.0+
- financial need required; US citizen; full-time student; demonstrate an interest in scientific computation and modeling
- apply through the Integrated Science Research Institute
- Secondary Science Education Scholarship
-
- award amount: $2,400
- sophomore, junior or senior
- financial need required; major in secondary science education
- apply through the Calvin Portal
- Tetzloff Scholarship
-
- award amount: $1,250
- sophomore, junior or senior
- GPA of 3.0+
- financial need required; preference given to those from Minnesota or the midwest
- apply through the physics department
- Howard and Betty Van Till Scholarship
-
- award amount: $1,600
- sophomore, junior or senior
- GPA of 3.3+
- financial need not required
- apply through the physics department
- VanDerWoude Science Scholarship
-
- award amount: $4,000
- junior or senior
- GPA of 3.3+
- financial need not required
- apply through the Calvin Portal
- John and Lillian Van Oosten Scholarship
-
- award amount: $2,700
- junior or senior
- GPA of 3.0+
- financial need required
- apply through the Calvin Portal
Faculty
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Talk to us
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Deborah Haarsma |
