Dr. James Leigh Endowed Scholarship in Physics
This newly established scholarship provides support for students majoring in physics. We recommend contacting a member of our program to discuss this opportunity in greater detail.
Physics Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science
Explore science at its fundamental level. Physics at the University of St. Thomas develops your analytical, experimental, computational and communication skills as you unravel the secrets of the universe.
Why Study Physics at St. Thomas?
Our degree program teaches you to apply problem-solving skills to topics ranging from orbital mechanics to astrophysics and relativity. We offer a supportive, collaborative and challenging environment that emphasizes faculty-student interaction with ample research opportunities. Our alumni have chosen a variety of career paths as engineers, programmers, research scientists and teachers. They have also gone on to pursue graduate degrees in medicine, law, physics, astronomy and economics.
Challenge Your Intuition
What you study
The Bachelor of Science degree offers a strong emphasis on technical preparation and includes a large core of physics, math, electronics and computer courses. It is ideal for students who plan to pursue graduate work. The Bachelor of Arts degree requires fewer courses and offers flexibility, allowing room for additional courses in biology, chemistry, engineering, computer science, math or education. The BS and BA degrees lead to different careers, but they are built on the same foundational courses.
A physics minor complements many programs at the university, such as engineering, mathematics and chemistry.
Four-Year Plan
Below you will find sample degree plans for the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees. We design our four-year plans for students with different mathematical backgrounds. Your own individual path will depend on your math placement.
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor of Science in Physics
- Bachelor of Arts in Physics
- Minor in Physics - Course Requirements
Internships
Many students have summer internships and summer research positions through the National Science Foundation’s programs. Past internships include 3M, Carestream Health, Honeywell, Medtronic, Xollai and Devicix. Our students have won highly competitive research positions at the University of Chicago, the NASA Goddard Space Center, the University of Notre Dame and the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona.
What you study
What you study
The Bachelor of Science degree offers a strong emphasis on technical preparation and includes a large core of physics, math, electronics and computer courses. It is ideal for students who plan to pursue graduate work. The Bachelor of Arts degree requires fewer courses and offers flexibility, allowing room for additional courses in biology, chemistry, engineering, computer science, math or education. The BS and BA degrees lead to different careers, but they are built on the same foundational courses.
A physics minor complements many programs at the university, such as engineering, mathematics and chemistry.
Four-Year Plan
Four-Year Plan
Below you will find sample degree plans for the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees. We design our four-year plans for students with different mathematical backgrounds. Your own individual path will depend on your math placement.
Degrees Awarded
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor of Science in Physics
- Bachelor of Arts in Physics
- Minor in Physics - Course Requirements
Internships
Internships
Many students have summer internships and summer research positions through the National Science Foundation’s programs. Past internships include 3M, Carestream Health, Honeywell, Medtronic, Xollai and Devicix. Our students have won highly competitive research positions at the University of Chicago, the NASA Goddard Space Center, the University of Notre Dame and the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona.
Curious Minds
Our faculty don’t just teach you, they mentor you. Alumni are applying their knowledge every day in a variety of industries. You will be part of a caring and engaged community that prepares you for a promising future.
Sarah Millholland ‘15
Far beyond our solar system, exoplanets called “hot Jupiters” are bizarre worlds with temperatures over 2,000 degrees and wind speeds exceeding our strongest hurricanes. Sarah, along with her PhD advisor at Yale University, recently discovered 60 hot Jupiter candidates. She wrote sophisticated computer software to find these planets, a skill she fostered while working on exoplanet research with Dr. Gerry Ruch in the St. Thomas Observatory. The St. Thomas Newsroom recently featured Sarah and her research.
Dr. Paul Ohmann
Dr. Ohmann has recently been exploring topics typically associated with biologists. He is collaborating with students to examine how “complex systems” form in large groups of animals. Using a combination of insightful physics and engaged teaching, Dr. Ohmann is guiding students on fruitful adventures that blur the traditional borders between scientific studies.
Alex Pedersen
Alex, a double major in physics and electrical engineering, spends his days trapping and levitating microscopic objects with lasers. Whether a tiny calcite crystal or a leukemia cell, his “optical tweezers” are a gateway to a realm where forces are just one-trillionth the weight of a physics textbook. Alex will soon collaborate with Eric Brost ’11 to measure attractive forces between leukemia and stem cells to understand how they interact within the human body.
Career Paths
A physics major prepares you for a number of career paths after graduating from St. Thomas.
- Engineering
- Data science
- Medicine
- Forensic science
- Laboratory research
- Investment strategy
Scholarships
There are multiple scholarships available to students majoring in physics at St. Thomas.
NASA’s Minnesota Space Grant Consortium
This program offers scholarships and grants to undergraduate students at affiliate schools who major in an area of interest to NASA. You can find more information about application requirements on the Space Grant Consortium website.
Barry Goldwater Scholarship
This national opportunity is the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship available in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. Six St. Thomas physics majors have won this highly competitive scholarship since 2006. More information is on the Barry Goldwater Scholarship website.
They are your teachers and mentors
Dr. Adam Green
Dr. Green uses polarized light as a sensitive tool to study light-matter interactions.
Dr. Mike Wood
Dr. Wood engages in astrophysics research with the National Institutes of Technology and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Marie Lopez del Puerto
Dr. Lopez del Puerto is known nationally for her work infusing computation throughout the physics curriculum.
A Variety of Hands-On Experiences
Whether you are learning how to use optical tweezers or exploring chaos and nonlinear dynamics, you’ll leverage your curiosity and stretch your mind in our program.
The St. Thomas Observatory
Run by a team of faculty and students, the observatory exists to facilitate an understanding of and appreciation for the process of modern scientific investigation and how critical thinking uncovers nature’s mysteries. You can learn to use the fully robotic telescope to track exoplanets.
Build Intricate Instrumentation
Explore nonlinear systems with Dr. Marty Johnston. You will design experiments, build instrumentation and write code while probing the behavior of deterministic chaos.
Research Optics Lab
Move particles with light using “optical tweezers” in our state-of-the-art teaching and research optics lab. You can work with Dr. Adam Green to manipulate matter at the molecular level using light and sound.
Complex Systems
Are you fascinated by the behaviors of complex systems? Dr. Paul Ohmann collaborates with students to research how animals develop complex systems in large groups. This research has led to four major publications in the last few years.
It's for the Curious
Physics students at St. Thomas explore science at its fundamental level, and develop a strong skill set that will benefit them in a variety of career paths after graduation.
Take the Next Step
There is more to learn about St. Thomas; including our ranking as a Best Value School by U.S. News & World Report, the many classroom and extracurricular activities that will be part of your student experience and so much more. Schedule a visit to see our beautiful campus or start your application today.