About Physics
The Department of Physics has an outstanding reputation nationally and internationally for its stellar accomplishments in research, acclaimed graduates and nationally-accredited degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate level.
Many of our faculty members received prestigious awards for research and teaching.
What is physics?
Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force and space-time and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its motion.
Why study physics?
Physics is the analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the world and the universe behave. Different people are drawn to study physics for different reasons. Some are driven by curiosity and the need to understand "why." Others are attracted to the elegance and predictive power of underlying principles. Yet others appreciate that physics is applicable over a huge range of scales and to an incredibly wide variety of systems.
Physics provides a strong foundation for a variety of fields. It has applications and provides solutions in fields such as:
- Medicine
- Environmental science
- Meteorology
- Space science
- Materials science
- Power generation and management
In addition, the study of physics furnishes you with a very general approach to problems and puzzles, and a set of analytical skills that are broadly applicable. It is these skills that make physics graduates highly valued employees in a wide variety of endeavours.
Careers in physics
Studying physics leads to a variety of career paths. People who have earned degrees in physics have also gone on to work in different industries including:
- Applied research & development
- Computer & information technology
- Finance
- Science communication
- Medicine
-
Education
You can also go on to graduate studies and explore physics ideas in even greater depth, doing original scientific research.
Career Resources
There are many resources available to help you prepare for your career in physics!
- Canadian Association of Physicists
- Careers for Physics Graduates
- Physics Today
- American Institute of Physics
- Institute of Physics
Outreach and public events
We host many events for local youth and the public. Our goal is to promote continued science education for all ages such as:
- An observation night at our observatory
- The Physics Olympics
- Visits in local schools to help with hands-on lab experiences
