About the Department

Welcome to the Department of Physics and Astronomy at ºÚÁÏÍø!

We are a diverse, active, and fun department of the California State University System. Our program is designed to prepare students for all possible career paths may it be in industry, teaching or academia. The professional learning includes the fundamental understanding of the laws of nature and how they apply to present day and future technologies, or simply to everyday phenomena. The program also provides opportunities to apply the knowledge and learn to solve real world problems either in an experimental physics laboratory or using computational tools.

Mission Statement

We - faculty, staff, and students - aim to promote the physical understanding of nature through dedicated research-based teaching, active learning, service, and innovative research at the highest level. We value the public support of teaching and research and, in return, share our insights and knowledge with the scientific community as well as for the benefit of the greater public. Our majors and graduate students collaborate with faculty in experimental and theoretical research and gain hands-on experience with the latest developments in the field, opportunities that prepare them for successful careers in industry and higher education. For students from other disciplines, the Department provides active-learning-based courses designed to foster their critical thinking skills and to educate them to become scientifically literate citizens. We strive for the highest standards of integrity, diversity and professionalism in education and research.

Program Learning Outcomes

Undergraduate Program

To enable B.S. and B.A. students to succeed in their future endeavors in industry, graduate programs or teaching, we designed classes that train physics majors to achieve the following learning objectives:

  1. Conceptual understanding of foundational Physics principles:
    Demonstrate foundational and conceptual understanding of core physics principles by applying theoretical frameworks to solve physics problems.
  2. Demonstrate learning of experimental and computational toolkits in Physics:
    Be familiar with experiments upon which a basic understanding of physics rests, and have a familiarity with the uses of computational tools in physics.
  3. Written and oral communication of scientific results, and ethics therein:
    Communicate scientific results in written and oral forms with attention to clarity, accuracy, and ethical responsibility.
  4. Broader impacts of scientific learning:
    Students are able to speak to the role they play as scientists in society, which requires a basic understanding of societal institutions, arts and culture.

Graduate Program

To enable M.S. students to succeed in their future endeavors in industry, Ph.D. programs or teaching, we designed classes that train students to achieve the following additional graduate learning objectives:

  1. Scientific Aptitude:
    Gain aptitude to model complicated multifaceted problems and use methods to conceive a path to solve these problems.
  2. Hands on training in experimental and computational techniques:
    Obtain hands-on training in the use of advanced experimental and computational methods and techniques.
  3. Gain foundational knowledge in Physics:
    Obtain a solid knowledge of the foundations of graduate level Physics.
  4. Mathematical Methods of Physics:
    Gain proficiency in mathematical techniques necessary for understanding Physics.