Hiram physics students develop these hands-on skills that employers value:
- Computer programming
- Doing paid independent research with a faculty member, often in the summer
- Working with scientific equipment such as oscilloscopes, power supplies, a 3D printer, signal generators, multichannel analyzers, Geiger counters, multi-stage amplifiers, motion detectors and many more
- Soldering and wiring circuits
- Data analysis, with tools such as Excel and Kaleidagraph for graphing, analyzing and doing
- Statistics with data
Physics majors must take each of the following courses:
| Fundamentals of Physics I (Phys 213 – offered every fall) |
| Fundamentals of Physics II (Phys 214 – offered every spring) |
| Electronics (Phys 225 – offered alternate spring 12-week or 3-week terms) |
| Modern Physics (Phys 320 – offered every fall) |
| Advanced Laboratory (Phys 440 – offered alternate spring 3-week terms) |
| Introduction to Laboratory Instruments (1 hr) (Phys 150 – offered every spring) |
| Senior Seminar (PHYS 480) |
| Calculus I, II and III (Math 198, 199, 200) |
| Linear Algebra (Math 218) and Differential Equations (Math 243) |
| Introduction to Computer Programming (CPSC 170 & 172 – offered every spring) [Recommended: Intro to Computer Science (CPSC 171)] |
… and four courses from the following:
| Mechanics (Phys 330 – offered alternate fall 3-week terms) |
| Quantum Physics (Phys 350 – offered alternate spring terms) |
| Thermal Physics (Phys 335 – offered alternate spring terms) or Physical Chemistry I* |
| Electromagnetic Theory (Phys 360 – offered alternate spring terms) |
| Nuclear Physics (Phys 345) or Astrophysics (offered upon request) |
| Solid State Physics (Phys 375 – offered upon request) |
*(Physical Chemistry I is primarily intended for students doing a Physics-Chemistry double major or a Chemistry major-Physics minor) |
Requirements for the Physics minor include the following:
| Fundamentals of Physics I & II |
| Modern Physics |
| Three other Physics major courses (excluding P150, P480) |
| Calculus I, II & III |
Other Department Courses
| Principles of Physics I (offered fall term, every year) |
| Principles of Physics II (offered spring term, every year) |
| Astronomy |
| Introduction to the Machine Shop |
| Real World Physics: From Amusement Parks to Race Cars (Freshman Colloquium) |
| From Quarks to Quasars: Making Sense of Modern Physics (Freshman Seminar) |
| In Search of Quantum Reality or What Really Happened to Schrodinger’s Cat? (Interdisciplinary) |
| The Sky is Burning: The Advent of the Nuclear Age (Interdisciplinary) |
| Physics and Modern Drama (Interdisciplinary) |
| Particle Physics (Short Course) |