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Physicists ask the basic questions of life. How did the universe begin? What’s it made of? How can we understand matter? As a physics student, you will dig deep into these questions in the classroom and in the lab.
Undergraduates have fantastic research opportunities, such as with the CASPAR experiment (an underground particle accelerator).
Video
Program Highlights
Application InstructionsFeatured Courses
Vibrations, Waves, and OpticsExperimental Physics Design
Thermodynamics
Quantum Mechanics
Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics
Condensed Matter Physics
Related Links
Department of Physics
Activities and Organizations
The SPS is a student-run organization that enjoys using their knowledge of physics to have
fun working together on various projects. The goal of the organization is to bring
tools and concepts learned in the classroom into the real world, and when possible
share their passion for physics with the community. Activities range from purely social
gatherings to group collaborations with the goal of constructing and presenting demonstration
experiments and community outreach in the form of volunteering in local schools and
forums. As an SPS member you will be part of a community who has a deep love of science
and experimentation and will be able to apply your knowledge of physics to create,
amaze, and educate your community about the wonders of the laws of nature.
To become an official member of the SPS you can apply on their website: Membership is $20 per year and includes a monthly “Physics Today” magazine subscription.
For more information about when the SPS meets, please inquire at the physics office,
EEP 227.
Society of Physics Students
Over 80% of our graduating physics majors had summer research or internship experience.
There are many undergraduate research opportunities both on campus and off.
The nearby Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) has several internships, with Mines physics majors selected for about one per year. Entering SD freshmen and rising sophomores are eligible for the Davis-Bahcall scholar program. The South Dakota Space Grant Consortium also runs a Student Internship/Fellowship Stipend Program.
There are 67 NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Sites in Physics
around the country (see link ) and 17 sites for the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) Program. Advice on applying is available here.
Expand your horizons
Course CatalogPotential Employers
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Sanford Underground Research Facility
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Collins Aerospace
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Los Alamos National Lab
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US Navy Nuclear Officer Program
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Raytheon
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Microsoft
Career Examples
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Research
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Industrial development
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Medical Physics
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Aerospace Engineering
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Astrophysics
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Nuclear technology
Average Starting Salary
$ 94,116
Graduate School Placement100%
Mines students are taught how to see physics outside of their textbooks. We are encouraged to come up with our own ideas to pursue our passions, our creativity. The best thing about our department are the opportunities that are available, whether that be a job, studying radiation with the professors in the lab, or simply getting to know your professors on a personal level at the monthly physics socials.
