In an effort to build more flexibility into the undergraduate curriculum we are attempting to identify a six- course core curriculum (including classical mechanics, electromagnetism, thermal physics, modern physics, computational physics and a laboratory) that would be taken by all students of physics and astronomy, in principle in the junior year, and that would be followed in the following year by specialization in one of several tracks. One track would be for students intending to go on to graduate school in physics and astronomy; the senior year courses would be similar in many respects to those of the current curriculum (including more quantum physics, statistical physics and math physics as well as specialty courses in condensed matter, particle physics, plasma physics and astrophysics). A second track would be for students who intend to work in an industrial environment following matriculation with the BS degree; here, the curriculum might include more practical computational physics, computer interfacing, electronics, optics, materials physics and key courses from the School of Engineering. A related track would be a specialty in biomedical physics, which would include courses in medical physics, introductory biophysics, computation, electronics and key chemistry and biology courses. Other tracks under consideration are computational physics, astrophysics, a track leading to a high school teaching credential and a track for students interested in using their physics background for careers in business, economics or law. For all students there will be more time spent in the laboratory, more time devoted to development of written and oral presentation skills (e.g. reports on laboratory projects), and more use of computers and practical computation in the core courses as well as special courses in computational methods.
On the graduate level, similar ideas are being discussed. In particular, we are considering development of a terminal Master's Degree that will be sufficiently flexible to allow for several career paths. We are also attempting to develop a Ph. D. program in Chemical and Materials Physics; this would in effect be a new degree, offered jointly by faculty from Condensed Matter Physics and Physical Chemistry. The curriculum would teach quantum mechanics, electromagnetism and statistical mechanics/thermodynamics in a manner that focusses on the uses of these topics in materials physics and chemistry; it would include considerable formal laboratory exposure, courses in computational math, and specialty courses in solid state physics/chemistry, modern materials, and optics.
In conjunction with these changes we will attempt to improve our academic and career counselling for our students. We are also seeking better coupling with industrial physicists in order to get input and feedback for the proposed curricular changes, to improve student career counselling, to develop an Industrial Physics Seminar Series and to develop an Industrial Internship Program for our students.
As stated above, many of you have already contributed ideas for these changes, and we remain very interested in hearing your opinions on these ideas. Riley Newman has recently extended our Alumni Survey to include our Ph. D. students and we will make a second effort to obtain responses those of our B.S. recipients who did not already respond to the earlier survey. We strongly encourage you to respond to these surveys as they represent an important means for determining the effectiveness of our teaching program. In addition, we solicit your input on the ideas expressed above. These may be sent to me, to Bill Heidbrink (Undergraduate Curriculum), to Gary Chanan (Graduate Curriculum), to Mark Mandelkern (BioMedical Physics), to Peter Taborek (Chemical and Materials Physics), to Jim Rutledge (Industry Liaison) or to any other of our faculty.
Jon Lawrence
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of California
Irvine CA 92697-4575
Phone: 714-824-5580
FAX: 714-824-2174