Physics
Professor: E. Wells
Associate Professor: D. Alton
Assistant Professor: N. Grau
The Department of Physics provides outstanding scientific and technical instruction as well as undergraduate research opportunities, all within the context of a broad liberal arts education. Our goal is a program that prepares our students for lives of intellectual growth and service.
The Physics program is flexible and with the appropriate choice of courses can prepare students for work in industry, graduate study in physics or engineering, or teaching at the secondary level, among other options. In recent years, approximately 90% of our graduates have continued on to graduate or professional school.
The Department of Physics also supervises the dual degree program in engineering in which students attend Augustana for three or four years and then complete the program with two years at an engineering school. This enables the student to combine the advantages of a broad-based liberal arts education with their technical education. Students in this program receive a Bachelor of Arts from Augustana (in a major of their choice) and a Bachelor of Science in the chosen engineering specialty from the engineering school. Cooperative plans are in place with Columbia University (New York), Washington University (St. Louis), and the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis). Students in the program are guaranteed admission to the engineering school when recommended by Augustana. The particular preparatory courses that must be completed at Augustana depend upon which engineering school and which specific engineering program students wish to enter. Students are encouraged to work with the Coordinator of the Dual Degree program in selecting their coursework. See Engineering Physics for more information.