UNDERGRADUATE STUDY
[PLEASE NOTE: All PHY 102M/N, 103M/N, and 117M/N Labs have been replaced by a single series: PHY 105M/N. Register for those.]
Why is the sky blue? What limits the size and speed of a computer? How do we know that the universe is between 13 and 14 billion years old? Physicists have asked these "why, how, and what if" questions since the time of Archimedes. There is no end to the quest for understanding and there seems to be no liimit to the range of subjects that can be studied utilizing the techniques of the physical scientist. In a world that is becoming dominated by technology, an undergraduate degree in physics is a particularly suitable liberal educaiton.
The Department of Physics at the University of Texas at Austin is the leading research and teaching department in the Southwest. Students here are offered exciting opportunities to learn about the physical world and work directly with faculty and staff involved with the discovery of new knowledge. Our students learn skills of analysis and basic facts of our universe, which further enable them to become adept at a broad range of problem identification and solution. Teacher, lawyer, manufacturer, or scientist - all require the ability to think quantitatively; all require a basic desire to understand. This is the physicist's approach whether it involves studies of the early universe or the color of the sky.
Departmental Resources
Undergraduate Computer Facility
The Physics Department operates the Physics Microcomputer Laboratory for undergraduate students taking physics courses. This facility is located in PMA 7.308. The software in the facility is tailored to fit the needs and interests of students enrolled in physics courses
Lecture Series
Weekly colloquia related to topics in physics are given each Wednesday at 4 pm during the fall and spring semesters. Undergraduate students are especially welcome to attend.
Physics 110C
These are small class-setting conference courses open to physics majors. Freshmen and sophomores are strongly encouraged to take these seminars each semester.
Please take a moment to explore our undergraduate student pages by clicking on the items in the upper left menu on this page. You will find links to physics student organizations, course information, advising and funding.
contacts:
Melva Harbin; ugaffairs@physics.utexas.edu
Undergraduate Advisor:
Dr. Greg Sitz; gositz@physics.utexas.edu; PMA 13.313; 512-471-0701
All aspects of the physical universe are of interest to the physicist, who seeks to understand not only the smallest forms of matter and the rich phenomena present in our everyday lives but also the universe itself. Physics has played a critical role in human technological and intellectual development during the twentieth century. The tools of the physicist—observation, imagination, model building, prediction, and deduction—will enable physics to continue this influence into the new century.
