Department of Physics

Welcome from the Chair:

Welcome to the Department of Physics at Oakland University!

Our highest priority is to provide an outstanding education in physics to Oakland University students. The department offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. Our undergraduate program leads to B.A. and B.S. degrees in physics, B.S. in medical physics and engineering physics, and includes the Integrated Science, BA/Teaching in Secondary Education, MAT, Combined BA/MAT program.

It produces more bachelor degrees per faculty member than does any other physics department at comparable universities in Michigan. The Department of Physics provides undergraduate students with numerous opportunities for research, and many OU undergraduate students have published peer-reviewed scientific papers in leading physics journals in collaboration with their faculty supervisors. The MS program in Physics provides the opportunity to deepen your knowledge in physics and to participate in more advanced research projects. Students in our interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Medical Physics are trained to be research scientists. Many of the program alumni have become leaders in the field of medical physics.

All faculty of the Department of Physics are leading scientists in their respective fields, actively engaged in research in one of three areas: medical physics, condensed matter physics and gravitational physics. Two of our faculty (Professors Bradley Roth and David Garfinkle) are Fellows of the American Physical Society. Professor Michael Chopp is a Fellow of the American Heart Association. Research at the Physics Department is supported by grants from external agencies such as the National Institute of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Army Research Office (ARO), Research Corporation, etc. Over the last five years, the department has averaged more than $100,000 of external grant support per faculty member per year (totaling more than $5 million for five years), five papers in the most respected scientific journals and four presentations at national and international conferences per faculty per year. In terms of research productivity per faculty member, the Physics Department at Oakland University is one of the best in Michigan.

The Department of Physics sponsors a colloquium series, held Thursdays at noon. The Physics Colloquium at OU attracts outstanding speakers from leading research centers in the United States and abroad and is popular among OU students and faculty.

Andrei Slavin, Professor and Chair

The OU Pledge

The OU Pledge is the university’s commitment to providing undergraduate students with the opportunity for meaningful, hands-on learning.

Students majoring in Physics in the Department of Physics engage in experiential learning through their participation in research, membership in the Society of Physics  Students, attending physics colloquia, and enrolling in our courses and labs:

• Undergraduate research opportunities in Medical Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, and Gravitational and Astroparticle Physics
• Participation in the activities of the Society of Physics Students
• Participation in the physics colloquia, given by speakers from the leading research centers in the United States and abroad
• Opportunities to present research at national and international scientific conferences
• Coursework in PHY 4995 - Independent Research
• Hands on course in physics: PHY 1200 – Physics of Everyday Life
• Hands on labs: PHY 1100 – General Physics I, PHY 1110 – General Physics II,  PHY 3170 – Modern Physics Lab, PHY 3180 – Nuclear Physics Lab, PHY 4180 – Modern Optics Lab 

ColloquiumPhysics Camp Outreach