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Physics (PH)

Professors: J. S. Dyck , N. K. Piracha (Chair) ; Assistant Professor: C. Gloeckner.

The Department of Physics plays a central role in the University’s mission of educating students to live in an increasingly technological, highly complex society. The department provides a range of physics and engineering physics programs for its majors, support courses for other science majors, and courses for non-science majors that fulfill requirements of the University Core Curriculum. The department has modern, well-equipped undergraduate laboratories, and many of the courses have a laboratory component that emphasizes the central role of experiments in science.

Research plays an essential role in the education of students majoring in physics. Students have the opportunity of working under the guidance of a faculty member on campus, and the department encourages all students to spend at least one summer participating in a research program at a major research university or national laboratory.

Four major programs are offered. Three lead to a bachelor of science degree in physics, and one leads to a bachelor of arts. The bachelor of science programs are physics, engineering physics, and interdisciplinary physics. Additionally, the interdisciplinary physics major has optional concentrations in biomedical physics or entrepreneurship physics. These majors and concentrations provide for an excellent preparation for a diverse range of careers. Many graduates have gone directly into the workforce in physics, engineering, business, and teaching. Others have continued their academic careers with graduate study in a variety of fields, including physics, engineering, entrepreneurship, computer science, law, and medicine.

Engineering Programs

Students interested in engineering have the following options:

  1. Participate in the Dual Degree 3-2 Program program with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Students attend John Carroll University for three years and then transfer to CWRU for two years; they receive both a bachelor’s degree (B.S. or B.A.) from John Carroll University and a B.S. in Engineering from CWRU. The program is open to any student who completes the prerequisite courses (in calculus, physics, chemistry, and computer science) and maintains an overall 3.0 GPA and a 3.0 GPA in science and mathematics courses.

  2. Complete a B.S. in engineering physics at John Carroll University and then enter the workforce or pursue graduate work in engineering. Students who choose this option may start taking engineering courses while at John Carroll through the Northeast Ohio Commission on Higher Education Cross-Registration Program.

For further details concerning engineering programs, see the section of this Bulletin entitled “Preparation for Graduate and Professional Study.”