The small and personal nature of our department means that we can offer our students excellent opportunities for both research and education at all levels. Recent UWO Physics/Astronomy students have been accepted into graduate schools such as Cal Tech, UC Santa Cruz, UNC Chapel Hill, and the University of Colorado. Others have interned at the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institue and the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory.

Our on campus facilities include a scanning probe electron microscope (for surface physics), a dedicated magnetic ressonance laboratory, three digital and analog electronics laboratories, a Sun computer lab dedicated to astronomical image processing and modeling, a student computer lab, a machine shop, and more. Off campus facilities include the WIYN 0.9-m telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. You can see for yourself in this virtual tour of the Physics Department (taken during a break in classes, so it's a little creepy without the usual students around).

If you are thinking about a Major or Minor in Physics, the Department offers a choice of three emphases, which you can tailor to your career goals. They are: 1) Professional Emphasis, 2) Applied Physics, and 3) a Secondary Education Emphasis. See our pages on these programs for specifics.

If you are considering a career in Physics or Astronomy (click here to open a window of links to career and job information), you probably already know what a challenging and interesting path lies ahead of you. But here are some statistics to also think about. The median starting salary for physics bachelors taking jobs in industry is over $40,000. For new Ph.D.'s in industry it is about $63,000 (of course folks taking university positions earn less than this). Of the students who receive bachelor's degrees, 48% take jobs in industry and 50% continue on towards a higher degree. The total unemployment rate for physics graduates is 2%. (Source: American Institute of Physics )

If you would like further information on our program, please feel free to drop us a line:

Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI 54901
920-424-4433