The School of Physics offers programs of study leading to B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. The School is comprised of 30 faculty members, 129 undergraduate majors (one of the largest programs in the United States) and 124 graduate students. According to U.S. News and World Report (2002), Georgia Tech has the highest ranked physics department in the United States with 30 or fewer faculty members.
The Howey Physics Building is comprised of 26,000 sq. ft. of instructional space (classrooms and laboratories), 156,000 sq. ft. of research laboratory space, and adequate office space for faculty, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students and visitors.
The School of Physics offers Bachelors degrees in Physics or Applied Physics. A core of technical courses is intended to give a strong background in mathematics and the physical principles of mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, and quantum theory. The School of Physics also offers programs of study leading to certificates in Applied Optics; Atomic, Molecular, and Chemical Physics; and in Computer Bases Instrumentation.
The graduate curriculum in the School of Physics provides the background and training needed to conduct and complete high quality, world-recognized research. Moreover, owing to the experiences we offer for supervised teaching of undergraduate laboratory courses, graduate students from diverse backgrounds develop into creative physicists who can function effectively in educational, industrial or government laboratory settings. Successful completion of the Ph.D. program in Physics requires (a) completion of course work, (b) participation in seminars and Special Problems, (c) acceptance into Ph.D. candidacy, and (d) thesis research.
Every faculty member of the School of Physics earned a Ph.D. degree and completed post-doctoral research positions prior to embarking on his or her independent academic careers. In addition, each member of the faculty teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate level on a regular basis. Both undergraduate and graduate students have free access to the faculty. Several faculty are involved with CETL (Georgia Tech’s Center for Enhancement of Teaching and Learning) and CEISMIC (Georgia Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing). CETL offers courses that teach the graduate students how to teach. CEISMIC currently operates over 20 programs from K-12 students and/or teachers, partnering in the process with many of the Georgia public school systems and prominent educational agencies. These two Centers are available to students.
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