Departmental Brochure
 Physics is the underlying science for most branches of engineering and technology, and is a fountainhead of fundamental knowledge. At Fairfield, students working in small, challenging classes prepare for a variety of careers that are founded on the understanding of the most important physical laws and their applications. As a physics major, you will also study advanced mathematics and the uses of computers, and you will develop laboratory skills that include knowledge of modern instrumentation. Fairfield is situated in a region that is home to large industries, universities, and research institutions of world renown. Many of them provide internship and research opportunities that can be useful to you for educational and career purposes. The research activities of the faculty afford more opportunities and encouragement to students aspiring to do original work, and this has led to the publication of student research papers in professional journals. Many graduates go on to advanced study.
Course of Study
 As a physics major at Fairfield University, you will take a program of mathematics and physics courses that encompasses both the theoretical and the applied. The program is designed to enable you to pursue an industrial or professional career or graduate study in any of the many subfields of physics, such as health physics, computer science, biophysics, science teaching, and others. The normal program is as follows:
- Freshman year
Introductory Physics with Lab (two semesters)
Calculus I and II
Computer Programming
- Sophomore year
Digital Electronics and Microprocessors with Lab
or
Circuit Analysis and Analog Systems with Lab
Optics and Wave Theory - Optics Lab
Introductory Inorganic Chemistry (two semesters)
Calculus III
Ordinary Differential Equations
Theoretical Mechanics
Modern Physics
- Junior year
Electricity and Magnetism I and II
Thermodynamics
Partial Differential Equations
Special Functions
Advanced Laboratory - Modern Experimental Methods
- Senior year
Quantum Mechanics
Nuclear Physics
Condensed Matter Physics
Advanced Laboratory
(two semesters) - Modern Experimental Methods II and Advanced Optics
Senior physics majors are required to complete an independent study project, experimental or theoretical. Often these are undertaken in collaboration with faculty members and result in published papers.
The five members of Fairfield's physics department maintain close working relationships with students in classes that average eight to 10 students at the upper level and in advanced labs of five to six students. Their research has support from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and private foundations. Their research fields are listed here:
Jack W. Beal
Ph.D., Michigan State University
Analytic techniques of environmental science
Angela Biselli
Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
 Nuclear, medium energy physics
Evangelos Hadjimichael
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Nuclear theory
David R. Winn
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
High energy physics, opto-electronics
Min Xu
Ph.D., City College of New York
Condensed matter physics and biolgical tissue-laser interactions
Research and Internships
 Physics majors are encouraged to participate in research as soon as they can, often beginning at the end of their freshman year. The department offers summer research employment for research assistants and these opportunities can extend through the academic year. Topics range from opto-electronics and environmental science to secondary school teaching.
Some students participate in summer research under sponsorship of the National Science Foundation and other agencies at institutions such as State University of New York on Long Island, University of Virginia, ATM Corp. in Danbury, MIT, and the Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Life After Fairfield
 Physics majors at Fairfield are broadly educated in a liberal arts context and they follow diverse career paths. Graduates of the last several years have chosen medical school, optometry, environmental education, secondary school teaching, work in regulatory affairs for a medical instrument manufacturer, and computer engineering.
A substantial portion of our graduates have gone on to advanced study in physics at Georgetown, Columbia, SUNY - Stony Brook, Colorado State, Tufts, and Yale.
Real-World Education
A stimulating dimension of the study of physics is the opportunity to use theoretical knowledge in the design and execution of laboratory experiments. At Fairfield, students engage in hands-on laboratory studies with sophisticated equipment in general physics, optics and lasers, advanced experimental methods, and analog and digital electronics; and research labs in opto-electronics, solid state and materials science, and nuclear spectroscopy. Computer facilities are abundant and a fiber-optic cable system links most campus facilities, including the residence halls, allowing students to conduct data searches from their rooms and to connect to the Internet and World Wide Web.
Profile
Brittany Hunter
Physics major
 "My high school science teacher recommended Fairfield, saying it had the best physics department around. The school also has a terrific education program, which is important because I plan to teach high school physics one day.
Besides majoring in physics, I'm minoring in math and education. It's a tough load, but luckily the program is small and both the professors and students are very supportive. As students, we've all become very close knit and we help each other out a lot. I'm taking an optics lab this semester, and that's been one of my favorite classes so far - we made both a telescope and a microscope, and we get to play with lasers. I'm also secretary of the physics club, which meets weekly and allows us to work on small projects as well as tackle long-term ones, such as working on alternative energy sources."
For further information, please contact:
Dr. David R. Winn, department chair
Bannow Science Center 117
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
Telephone: (203) 254-4000, ext. 2359
E-mail: winn@mail.fairfield.edu
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