The physics curriculum, which is not a major, provides introductory physics courses for students in science majors, Pre-Physical Therapy, Pre-Medical, Pre-Dental, Pre-Veterinary and pre-professional programs in health-related careers. An astronomy course and physical geology are also offered for general interests and to meet the science requirement.

In all physics courses, except those offered to meet the science requirement, a large amount of lecture time is spent to teach students how to think critically and independently toward physics problems so they are able to proceed with the solution.  The emphasis is more on the development of conceptual reasoning rather than merely the mathematical manipulations.  This leads students to a greater degree of confidence and a true mastery of the subject.

Laboratory work allows students to investigate physics concepts through hands-on experiments, which result in a better understanding of the concepts. Laboratory courses also provide students with an opportunity to work as a team.

The supporting physics courses for the Health Professions programs/majors are designed not only to meet the standards of an introductory physics course, but also to provide students with applications of particular physics concepts to human body. Since these courses are sufficiently challenging, they also serve as a part of the 'selecting procedure' for acceptance into the Health Professions programs.

The calculus-based physics courses explore physics concepts with more depth and rigor than those in the algebra-based. In addition, employing calculus allows students to solve a wider range of variety of physics problems.

Marlina Slamet, Ph.D.
Associate Professor