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Bachelor of Science - Physics

• B.Sc. Four-year
• B.Sc. Three-year
• B.Sc. Honours
• Double Honours in Physics and a Second Discipline

Physics is the study of matter and energy and how they interact. Students in physics study all aspects of nature—from the study of subatomic particles to the study of astronomical objects many times larger than the sun. Physicists attempt to understand the particles that make up the universe and the forces with which they interact. The goal of physics is to formulate comprehensive principles that bring together and explain the world around us.

• The U of S is home to the Canadian Light Source - the only national facility for synchrotron light research in Canada and the fourth most powerful synchrotron in the world! It is Canada's biggest scientific research project in more than 30 years. Physicists are coming to the U of S from around the world to do work in such areas as the structure of biological molecules, micro-sensors and micromachines, and environmental science.
• Faculty members in the department are involved in collaborations with international institutions and laboratories in all of the research areas represented in the department. Department members are awarded over $5 million in external research funding each year. Department members have been recognized, nationally and internationally, receiving such awards as the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Award and the NASA Group Achievement Award. The department has also been home to several Canada Research Chairs.
• Apply for an exciting summer opportunity to collaborate in a research project with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Summer Research Award.
• The department values teaching excellence and instructors are committed to providing a stimulating and friendly learning environment. Instructors in the Department have been recognized with the
  U of S Master Teacher Award and the USSU Teaching Excellence Award.

• PHYS 230: Electricity and Magnetism Laboratory
  This laboratory course explores basic elements of electric circuits and electronics through experiments. Students will also learn how to measure magnetic fields through inductance and Hall probes. There will be five experiments and students will need 1.5 hours per experiment. For each experiment there will also be a 1 hour lecture.
• PHYS 383: Quantum Physics
  The Schrodinger equation and its implications are discussed for several important quantum systems, including the quantum harmonic oscillator and one-electron atoms. Further topics include barrier-penetration, angular momentum in quantum mechanics, spin, and time-independent perturbation theory.
• PHYS 452: Introduction to Nuclear and Particle Physics
  An introduction to the physics of the nucleus and of the fundamental particles and their interactions. Topics in nuclear physics include nuclear phenomenology, radioactive decay, nuclear reactions; nuclear models: semi-empirical mass formula, shell model, collective models, the deuteron and the nucleon-nucleon interaction. Topics in particle physics include strong and electroweak interactions; global and local symmetries of the weak and strong interactions; the neutral Kaons and CP violation; Feynman diagrams; the Standard Model: quarks, gluons and colour; decay and reaction probabilities; hadron production; meson and baryon masses; charmonium; asymptotic freedom; neutrino oscillations.

• Astronomist
• Acoustical Physicist
• Astrophysicist
• Biophysicist
• Fluid and Plasma physicist
• Geophysicist
• Health physicist
• Medical physicist
• Nuclear physicist
• Optical physicist
• Science education teacher
• Technician
• Solid state physicist

• Adaptability/Flexibility
• Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data
• Communications skills: written and/or oral
• Computer skills
• Critical and analytical thinking
• Laboratory skills
• Organizational/Planning skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Research skills and methods
• Technical skills