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Undergraduate Information

We offer you a full suite of degree options:

  • Bachelor of Science in Physics: Our department’s flagship program is rigorous but customizable for your particular interests.

  • Bachelor of Science in Physics with an Astronomy Emphasis: The most popular modification to the standard physics B.S. degree. The Astronomy Emphasis designation will appear on your transcript.

  • Bachelor of Arts in Physics: Our department’s most flexible degree option is designed to ensure that you will find the right plan of study for your interests.

  • Double Major: We will help you distinguish yourself and improve your position in applications to prestigious graduate schools, leading professional programs, or career-track openings in government and industry.

  • Double Degree: We’ve teamed up with the UMKC School of Computing and Engineering to create a well-structured path for you to obtain two independent B.S. degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering in only five years.

  • Physics or Astronomy Minor: You may not realize it, but after completing our two-semester introductory physics series of courses you are already about halfway toward getting a Physics or Astronomy Minor onto your transcript!

  • Easy integration with minors from other departments: The B.S. and B.A. degrees in Physics are designed to be flexible enough for you to accommodate the minor requirements of virtually any other department that offers one.

With a bachelor's degree in Physics you will:

  • Have a functional understanding of the fundamental theoretical and experimental methods of physics and astronomy.

  • Possess well rounded experience with the vital areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

  • Know how to think critically and analytically.

  • Be able to integrate your knowledge, experience, and thinking skills to solve new and challenging problems in your chosen career field.

If you participate in undergraduate research you will:

  • Be able to communicate effectively with technical and nontechnical audiences with clear and articulate oral or written discourse.

  • Understand how to make effective use of diverse information resources such as published scientific literature, technical databases, and other forms of authoritative internet-based content.

Graduates with physics degrees generally find that:

  • The rigorous training they receive in a physics program helps their career advancement regardless of whether or not their chosen career field is science and technology related.

  • Their broad exposure to different areas of science is beneficial if they take on leadership positions in organizations with diverse science and engineering components.

Admissions Criteria:
Course Offerings:

  • Theory and Simulation: General scientific interest, rigorous survey, technical foundation, and advanced theory classes that cover the full spectrum of physical phenomena and their mathematical models.

  • Laboratory and Experiment: Introductory, computer interfacing, electronics, and advanced laboratory classes that cover a wide range of practical skills.

  • Astronomy: General scientific interest and technical classes that cover astronomical entities from stars to galaxies to the cosmos as a whole along with the methods used to observe them.

  • Read our catalog pages for details.