Studying Physics at UMM

Welcome to the Physics Discipline at the University of Minnesota — Morris!

Physics is an exciting and challenging discipline. Rigorous study of the fundamental behaviour of physical systems brings with it not only knowledge of the remarkable physical world which we inhabit, but also puts the student into intimate contact with the varied tools of physics — computers, electronic devices, experimental techniques and equipment, and sophisticated mathematics. Much more than that, the study of physics sharpens the mind and teaches rigorous and creative problem solving. In short, physics teaches you how to think. A physics degree will prepare you for a wide range of demanding careers. Please consider joining us!

These web pages are devoted to providing easy and efficient access to information about the discipline, its students and faculty, and requirements for physics programs at UMM. They are here for you to explore and learn. If you think you might be interested in studying physics at UMM, the Physics Discipline Coordinator (or any of the other discipline faculty!) would love to talk with you. Please feel free to e-mail us, call us, or just drop by for a chat.

Here are a few tidbits about the discipline to whet your appetite:

• The discipline graduates between 2-5 students every year, on average, so your classes will be small and your interaction with the faculty will be close and personal.
  
  
• There are many opportunities for research projects with discipline faculty, which in past years have lead to presentations at physics meetings and conferences, and even joint papers with the faculty. (You can explore some of the programs you might participate in on our Student Opportunities pages.)
  
  
• Every year our graduates go on to explore a variety of interesting paths, ranging from attending graduate school, to training as teachers and/or researchers in physics, to diving right into challenging careers as scientists in industry or as skilled workers in the high-tech arena. UMM's Career Center can help you investigate the possibilities. A physics major can help prepare you for almost any technically challenging career.
  
  Employers who hire Physics Majors: 3M; Accenture; Aerospace Corp.; Allegro Corp.; Alliant Techsystems; Alpha Innotech Corp.; American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Medical Systems; Anvik; APAC; Applied Materials; Argonne National Laboratory; Artesyn Technologies; Atomic Personnel; August Technology Corp.; Bay West; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Burns Personnel Inc.; Capital One; CDC / NIOSH; CH2M Hill, Inc.; Cirrus Design Corp.; City of Minneapolis; Clientek; Corning; Cray Research; Cypress Semiconductor; Diamond Innovations; Donatelle Plastics; DuPont Co.; EDS Corp.; Emerson Network Power; Epic Systems; Exxon Mobil; Fish & Richardson; FM Global; General Electric; Graco, Inc.; HDR; Hutchinson Technology; HRL Laboratories; IBM Corp.; Ingersoll-Rand; Institute for Defense Analyses; Institute for Telecommunications & Science; Intel Corp.; Keyence Corp. of America; Land O' Lakes; Laserdyne Systems; Lattice Semiconductor Corp.; Lawrence Livemore National Laboratory; Lockheed Martin Corp.; Lucent Technology; McKinsey & Co.; Microsoft; MIT Lincoln Laboratory; MNTAP; Monterey Design Systems; National Instruments; OHKA America, Inc.; Optical Air Data Systems; PolarFab; Quantronix Corp.; Quantum Design; Retek Inc.; SAIC; Schlumberger; Seagate Technology; SGI Silicon Graphics; Shure; St. Jude Medical; SurModics; TRW Inc.; TSI Inc.; U.S. Navy; U.S. Air Force; U.S. DOT; U.S. Patent & Trademark Office; UPS; United Space Alliance; University of Mississippi National Center for Physical Acoustics; USDA; Veeco Instruments; Wavecrest; Western Digital; Wipro Inc.; Xontech, Inc.
  
  Minnesota's Largest Optics Firms: Vision-Ease BMC Industries, Inc.; Walman Optical Co.; Sick Inc.; 3M/Optical Systems Division; Viratec Thin Films Inc.; CyberOptics Corp.; Banner Engineering Corp.; August Technology Corp.; Computer System Products Inc.; Optical Solutions Inc.
  
  This list of potential employers was provided by the University of Minnesota's Career Center for Science & Engineering which also put together this handout describing career options for physics majors.
  
  
• The University of Minnesota, Morris has been recognized by the American Institute of Physics as one of just twenty American physics departments (excluding women-only colleges) that had more than 40% female bachelor's degree recipients during the five academic years 1994-98. Details can be found in the report "Women in Physics, 2000".