Physics program
Undergrad major Undergrad minor Teacher license Graduate degreeAre you curious about how things work?
From wind energy to computer chips, physics concepts are at work in the technology we use every day. Even the GPS in your phone wouldn’t work without Einstein’s famous Theory of General Relativity. A degree in physics provides robust quantitative, analytical, and experimental skills to prepare for futures in hi-tech jobs, medical fields, engineering, and a wide variety of graduate school programs. If you are curious and enjoy problem solving, physics may be the perfect fit for you.
UWL's Physics Department is a nationally-recognized leader in physics education and one of the largest undergraduate physics programs in Wisconsin. Students experience a quality physics education in a supportive community with many opportunities to work closely with faculty on undergraduate research projects.
My time conducting nuclear physics research within the UWL Physics Department opened my eyes to exciting projects and career paths that physics can bring. I would not have made my commitment to pursue nuclear science had it not been for my undergraduate advisor, Dr. Shelly Lesher, and the rest of the faculty in the department.
Leah Clark
Physics degree jobs
UWL’s diverse physics program makes graduates highly sought after in modern industries where physics and engineering are applied. In addition, many UWL physics graduates are accepted into top graduate degree programs where they can pursue a master’s or doctoral degree. Learn more about the career paths of 50 different physicists on The American Physical Society website.
Career examples
- Engineering physicists
- Research physicists (government or private industry)
- Space scientist
- Science policy
- Radiation safety officer
- High school science teacher (with teacher certification)
- Planetarium director
- Technical writer
What is Physics?
Physicists study and uncover the fundamental rules of why and how things work, from quarks to galaxies. Physicists have uncovered some really weird and unexpected things about nature. But applying these principles of physics has transformed the way we interact with the world. Physics concepts are in action all around us — in computer chips, headphones, air bags, and many other everyday devices. It has also made a major impact in healthcare with medical diagnostics and treatments like MRIs and radiation therapy.
What distinguishes UWL's Physics program?
UWL has one of the largest undergraduate physics programs in Wisconsin. And the program also has a national reputation for awarding physics degrees. In 2020, UW-La Crosse was ranked No. 1 nationally in awarding physics bachelor’s degrees, according to the American Physical Society. The department is consistently ranked among the top.
- Earned the American Physical Association Award for Improving Undergraduate Physics Education.
- Highlighted by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) as one of the most outstanding revitalized physics programs in the nation.
- Selected for a site visit from the American Institute of Physics to learn and promote the Physics Department’s effective practices for the preparation of physics undergraduates for STEM careers as part of the AIP Career Pathways Project in 2012.
The Physics Department places an emphasis on student involvement in undergraduate research. This research contributes to the sense of community throughout the department. Research projects are available in astrophysics, biomechanics, biophysics, computational physics, quantum optics, material science, nuclear physics, solid-state physics and physics education.
The Physics Department annually hosts a physicist who has won the Nobel Prize as part of a Distinguished Lecture Series in Physics. The laureates meet and interact with students, faculty and staff, along with giving a public lecture and physics seminar related to their unique discovery. The department has hosted Nobel laureate nearly every year since 2000, thanks to the generosity of members of the La Crosse Community.
The department’s chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) routinely receives Outstanding Chapter Award from the national SPS office. Additionally, the department sponsors a chapter of Sigma Pi Sigma (the physics honor society), a Physics Club, and a Women in Physics Club.
Faculty are actively engaged in research in a variety of fields and involve undergraduate students in their research endeavors. The Physics Department faculty have received more than $2 million dollars in external funding from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and other external agencies to support faculty and student research activities in the last six years.
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