Liberal Arts

& Sciences

Quick Facts

• Physics at ESU has a strong tradition. Many alumni and faculty have played active roles in the physics community. Three were Manhattan Project scientists, one witnessed the first atomic bomb test, one has been national president of the Sigma Pi Sigma physics honor society, four are Fellows of the American Physical Society, one is a member of the NASA Chandra X-Ray telescope team, and 12 have been ESU Distinguished Alumni, which is the most of any single ESU major.
• Opportunities are available via NASA funding for collaborative faculty-student research. Summer research opportunities at national laboratories are also encouraged.
• A physics and engineering dual-degree or 3/2 program is offered in conjunction with engineering schools. This can lead to Bachelor of Science degrees in both physics and engineering in five years.
• Feedback on the most recent survey from employers of our physics graduates, or faculty at universities (in Kansas, but also Notre Dame, University of Missouri-Columbia, etc) where our students have continued their educations, has been very positive. Based on a nine-point scale (where 9 was the most positive rating possible), in response to the question “How likely would you be to employ, or admit for graduate study, future graduates from ESU’s physics program?” all responded with an 8 or 9. An ESU physics graduate is viewed quite favorably beyond ESU.
• Courtney Knaup, BS, 2009, was one of 14 students, nationally, to receive an American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) award for a summer 2008 internship; following graduation he was one of two accepted from 100+ applicants for the PhD program in Radiological Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He was the recipient of the AAPM fellowship in 2009 for his graduate study.
• Based on the Occupation Outlook Handbook, 2008-2009 Edition, “Employment of physicists… is expected to grow at 7 percent, about as fast as the average for all occupations during the 2006-16 decade.”
• According to the Fall, 2009 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, physics bachelor’s degree recipients who entered the workforce in 2008-2009 earned starting salaries in the $40,000-$64,000 range. This put them among the highest-earning new college graduates.