Study matter, motion, space and time
The Department of Physics engages students at all levels, from those preparing for teaching to those pursuing scientific careers. Past and current members of our department’s internationally renowned faculty have been recognized with the highest honors in the discipline, including the Nobel Prize and, most recently, the 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. Faculty mentor students in a wide range of innovative research, from investigating the nature of dark matter to manipulating sophisticated quantum systems in the lab.
Undergraduate Programs
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B.S., Physics
Comprehensive Physics Track, Applied Physics Track, Teaching Physics Track
Graduate Programs
Careers
As a physics student, you’ll solve challenging theoretical constructs, analyze data, master experimental techniques, and develop skills in error analysis — preparing you for a wide range of career paths. Department of Physics alumni pursue rewarding careers in education, research and development, engineering, health care, law, information technology, business, the military and government.
Career Paths
A degree in Physics can lead to a career as a(n):
- Physicist
- Educator
- Researcher
- Programmer
- Biophysicist
- Data analyst
- Business analyst
- Patent agent
- Systems analyst
- Web developer
Bringing physics to the public
As part of our commitment to make physics accessible to the general public, the Department of Physics and the College of Arts & Sciences jointly present the annual Frontiers of Physics Public Lecture Series. The free series brings renowned scientists to the UW to share the latest breakthroughs and engaging scholarship in the field. Recent topics have included “How to Find an Inhabited Exoplanet,” “What Really Happened 13.8 Billion Years Ago?,” and “Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs.”
Find Yourself in Physics
Study the most fundamental science and understand how the universe behaves.
Department of Physics Stories
Still Fascinated by Physics
"The questions are long-term questions," emeritus professor Marshall Baker says of his theoretical physics, which he is still pursuing at age 91.
High School Teachers Get Schooled in Physics
High school teachers spent four weeks at the UW Summer Institute in Physics and Physical Science to improve their understanding and teaching of physics.
Four Dean's Medalists, Working Toward Change
The four new graduates honored as College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Medalists for 2023 are all working to improve our world, in different ways.