Prospective Students

Why Study Physics at Emory?

Welcome to Undergraduate Physics. This page gives a brief overview of what it's like to be a physics major/minor at Emory. Prospective students and their families are welcome to tour the Department and meet faculty members and students any time during the year. Contact Information is at the bottom of this page. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with the Director of Undergraduate Studies  or the Sr. Academic Degree Program Coordinator if you have a question.

Emory physics majors are a close-knit group of students who enjoy a remarkably high degree of personal interaction with faculty members. Class size for any course beyond the introductory level rarely exceeds twenty students, and it is usually smaller. All undergraduate courses, without exception, are taught by members of the faculty. The department's emphasis on teaching enables undergraduates to develop close working relationships with their professors that often result in exciting research and/or directed study opportunities.

We encouraged our undergraduates to become active members of our chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS).  This group holds monthly meetings, they can relax, enjoy some pizza and explore a range of ideas. The department also fosters a sense of community through annual gatherings such as the Spring picnic, holiday party, and Fall welcome party for new graduate students.

To declare a major or minor in Physics, complete the Declaration of Major/Minor Form in OPUS (under Planning and Enrollment tile).  Once the form has been submitted via OPUS, you will receive an email to contact the Academic Degree Coordinator, Undergraduate for Physics,  Susan Cook .  In addition, you will also receive an initial email from physics that acknowledges receipt of your DOM/M request.

Your declaration of major/minor form will be sent to Physics for review.  Once your DOM/M has been reviewed and approved,  you will receive a final welcome email from Susan Cook on behalf of the Department of Physics and the DUS.   The welcome email will have your physics advisor's name and contact information, as well as other exciting info about physics. 

Welcome to the Physics family. We are excited to have you!

We usually graduate about 20 majors each year. Our BS majors can choose to go to the best graduate programs in physics if they want to pursue a career in physics or astronomy. Our BA majors are equally well trained to excel in medicine, law, industry, business, teaching, policy studies, and a host of other fields in which the rigorous background of a physics education is a decided advantage.

Physics graduates typically have impressive options upon graduation. See the American Institute of Physics Web site for recent surveys covering starting salaries for BS and BA graduates in physics and physics-related fields aip.org/statistics/trends/phystrends.

The AIP also has a useful Career Services website with advice and job listings for physicists at aip.org/careersvc, and a new page listing companies who have hired physicists recently, listed by state aip.org/statistics/trends/emptrends. Another resource for finding jobs is physicstoday.org/jobs.