Why study physics?

Physics is the most fundamental of sciences and lies at the foundation of nearly all technical fields. All objects, from the smallest elementary particle to the universe itself, obey the laws of physics. As a physics student, you will learn how to design and run experiments, develop theories and simulate nature on computers. You will have the opportunity to work on a research project under faculty guidance. A physics degree will provide you with critical thinking, problem-solving and programming skills that are valued in a variety of careers.

The department offers an undergraduate BS degree in physics as well as graduate MS and PhD degrees. For questions about the undergraduate program, please contact Dr. Thomas Vojta, chair of the physics department, at vojtat@mst.edu. For graduate admission, please contact Dr. Alexey Yamilov, director of graduate admissions, at yamilov@mst.edu.

Our Department

Our department has strong research programs in astrophysics; atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics; as well as condensed matter and materials physics and is uniquely positioned within the University of Missouri System and the entire state. Our AMO physics program is the only such program in the University of Missouri System. Our astrophysics program houses the only LIGO (gravitational wave) research group in the state. The department is heavily involved in interdisciplinary activities, in particular in materials research and high-performance computing.

Three of our faculty members are Fellows of the American Physical Society (APS), and two carry the title of Curators' Professor within the University of Missouri System. Department research is funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, the US Department of Energy, and other agencies.

News:

Missouri S&T researchers involved in detection of most massive black hole merger

Missouri S&T researchers help discover "black neutron star" that changes astronomy

Two physics faculty involved in $1.96 million NSF award for supercomputer

Physics Program at Missouri University of Science and Technology Is a 2019 Best Value in College Factual Rankings!

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Events:

November 12: Dr. Andrew Geraci (Northwestern). "Searching for “Fifth-forces”, Dark Matter, and Quantum Gravity in the Lab" 4 pm via Zoom.

November 19: "Black holes and the Milky Way’s darkest secret". Public lecture on the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics. 4 pm via Zoom

December 3: Schearer Prize competition for graduate research.