Physics concerns itself with the deduction and establishment of the principles which underlie the observable phenomena of the physical universe. If your scientific curiosity has led you to consider a career in physics, the Physics Department at Saint Michael’s College offers a very competitive program that prepares you for graduate study, industry or teaching.
Inside Look
Curriculum
As a physics minor, you will begin with the study of the fundamentals of how nature works: motion, energy, electrodynamics, and thermodynamics. From there, a tour of modern physics, establishing the need for the study of the quantum world and Einstein’s theories of relativity.
Our department faculty are active teacher-scholars, with research experience in theory and experiment. We frequently bring students into our research programs via internal and external funding, and encourage them to present their work at national and regional conferences. Many students use the junior seminar as a prelude to a summer research internship at other universities through the NSF REU program or at national labs and centers. Students can participate in the SMC chapter of the Society for Physics Students and can operate the telescopes at the Holcomb Observatory on campus.