Department Mission and Assessment
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Our Mission is to provide the highest possible educational experience in physics and the physical sciences for:
- Students majoring in physics
- Students minoring in astronomy, geology, or physics
- Students taking service courses as a prerequisite for their majors
- Students fulfilling general education requirements
Our goals
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Students graduating with a B.S. or B.A. in Physics should be able to:
- Demonstrate a good understanding of both the theoretical concepts and mathematical techniques of the major fields of physics: classical mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, and quantum physics.
- Work safely with modern laboratory equipment to carry out measurements and analyze data.
- Use computers to perform numerical computations, to simulate physical phenomena, and to collect and analyze data in the laboratory.
- Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
- Move successfully into graduate school or industry.
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Students minoring in astronomy, geology, or physics should be able to
- Demonstrate an understanding of both the theoretical concepts and mathematical techniques appropriate to their minor.
- Relate the content of the minor to their major field of study.
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Students taking service courses (PHYS 121-122-123 and PHYS 131/141-132-133) should be able to
- Demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the topics of introductory physics.
- Solve problems in introductory physics.
- Carry out basic science experiments and analyze scientific data.
- Successfully apply physics knowledge in their major fields of study.
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Students taking General Education courses in physics, astronomy, geology, and physica science should be able to
- Demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the subject matter of their course.
- Demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning and the scientific method.
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Faculty members in the physics department should
- Keep up to date in their fields of expertise.
- Have opportunities and facilities for professional and scholarly activities.

