2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Department of Physics
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C. Randall Bybee, Professor & Chair
L. Alan Bradshaw, Professor
Michael Watson, Professor
Physics is the most fundamental physical science. In physics, principles and concepts are formalized which can be used to describe the universe, from the smallest systems (such as subnuclear systems) to the largest systems (such as galaxy clusters). In physics, there is an emphasis on appreciating the conceptual basis for phenomena and also on the mathematical expression of those concepts to approach and solve problems. Given the emphasis on critical thinking and synthesis, physics is an outstanding major for a springboard to a host of career options. The physics department offers introductory calculus-based and non-calculus based courses as well as a host of advanced undergraduate courses which often interface strongly with mathematics or other natural sciences.
The specific physics programs available in the Department of Physics are the major programs in physics, biomedical physics, biomedical physics (premed track), physics education, and mathematics/physics education as well as the minor programs in physics.
Distinctives of the Physics Department
Research opportunities abound for undergraduates from many different academic areas working with faculty in the department of physics. Department faculty have expertise in nuclear and particle physics, biomedical physics, and computational astrophysics. Recent graduates of the department have gone on to prestigious graduate programs at Harvard, North Carolina State University, the University of Alabama, Thomas Jefferson University - Sidney Kimmel Medical College, the University of Chicago, Columbia and Vanderbilt, as well as to lucrative employment opportunities.
L. Alan Bradshaw was awarded the Nightingale Prize for the best paper published in Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing in 2005. Bradshaw maintains an active research program at Vanderbilt University investigating gastrointestinal biomagnetic fields that has also involved numerous Lipscomb undergraduates.
Michael Watson continues a computational astrophysics program focusing on the physics of black holes.
C. Randall Bybee, department chair, specializes in nuclear physics and computational physics.
The Department of Physics utilizes, in addition to an X-ray and nuclear physics laboratory, three dedicated laboratories for instruction in the McFarland Hall of Science. In addition, the physics laboratories and lecture make extensive use of computer technology to enhance the learning of physics and the analysis of data in experimentation.
In conjunction with the Mathematics department, the Physics department offers a mathematics/physics education program that graduates students certified to teach both mathematics and physics at the secondary level. Please click the link below to learn more about this unique program.
Mathematics/Physics Education (6-12)
Program of Study Requirements
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