Physics

Undergraduate Information
Graduate Information
Faculty

OFFICE: Physics 131
TELEPHONE: 619-594-6240
WEBSITE: http://physics.sdsu.edu

Undergraduate Information

Physical Science

The Major

The physical science degree is designed for students who seek a more interdisciplinary degree than the traditional B.S. in physics. The program is founded on a strong physics background coupled with the broader science and social science background appropriate not only for students who wish to teach at the high school and/or middle school level but also those who wish to work in fields that connect science to policy and society, such as media-correspondents, government agency workers, market researchers, and public policy analysts.

Students explore the benefits and risks science applications present for environmental sustainability (SUSTN 332 ) and develop their writing, discussion, and public speaking skills in a junior-level teacher education activity/fieldwork course (TE 462 ). The latter introduces students to California’s Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), including the disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and cross cutting concepts. Courses activities provide opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of how all three areas of science-physical, life, and earth/space-support and interact with each other.

Students choose between two specializations. Pathway 1 requires coursework in astronomy and geology, which provides the breadth needed for teaching interdisciplinary science in middle school besides the depth needed for teaching physics in high school. It prepares students to take the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSETs) in both General Science and Physics1. Pathway 2 includes coursework on interplay between scientific studies and social life, feminist perspectives on science and technology, and ethical aspects of science.

Contact the Physics adviser regarding alternative methods for certifying the subject matter competency required for admission to SDSU’s post baccalaureate credential program. Currently (as of fall 2022), the Commission on Teacher Credentialing allows Physical Science majors to satisfy subject matter competency in General Science via coursework, provided students earn a C or better in specific, required courses. Subject matter competency in Physics must be satisfied by passing the Science: Physics CSET (220).

Impacted Program

The physical science major is an impacted program. To be admitted to the physical science major, students must meet the following criteria:

Complete preparation for the major;
Complete a minimum of 60 transferable semester units;
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

To complete the major, students must fulfill the degree requirements for the major described in the catalog in effect at the time they are accepted into the premajor at SDSU (assuming continuous enrollment).

Major Academic Plans (MAPs)

Visit https://www.sdsu.edu/mymap for the recommended courses needed to fulfill your major requirements. The MAPs website was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and to identify which General Education course will also fulfill a major preparation course requirement.

Physics

The Major

The study of physics is considered the foundation of modern science. It has fascinated the finest minds and personalities of every age-Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Lise Meitner, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger, Richard Feynman, Sally Ride, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Shirley Jackson, and Donna Strickland, to name a few. The study of this diverse field encompasses such areas as classical mechanics, optics, electricity, magnetism, the properties of the solid state, atomic structure, nuclear structure, quantum mechanics, motion, relativity, space and time. Physics also plays a significant role in chemistry, biology, astronomy, and geology, and in the applied sciences of engineering and technology.

Students who become physics majors will be selecting a rewarding and vital career. There has been a tremendous and sustained growth in exciting physics research over the last few decades. For example: The discovery of the Bose-Einstein Condensate realized a brand new state of matter; quantum information science has led to quantum computing, quantum encryption, and quantum teleportation; novel space telescopes have led to new fundamental questions about the universe, inciting mysteries such as dark energy; advances in computing have led to theoretical advances in nuclear physics, astrophysics, and medical imaging.

The career opportunities for physics graduates are as diverse as the field itself. They include research and development; management or administration in industrial laboratories or government agencies; technical sales; electronic design; laser instrument research; and secondary teaching.

Impacted Program

The majors in the Department of Physics are impacted. To be admitted to one of the majors in the department, students must meet the following criteria:

Complete preparation for the major;
Complete a minimum of 60 transferable semester units;
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

Major Academic Plans (MAPs)

Visit http://www.sdsu.edu/mymap for the recommended courses needed to fulfill the major requirements for either the Physics B.A. or Physics B.S. degree. The MAPs website was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and to identify which General Education course will also fulfill a major preparation course requirement.

Graduate Information

Natural Science

General Information

The natural science program offers advanced coursework in natural science and science education. Graduate courses in natural science and science education may be used to fulfill requirements for advanced degrees in other departments with the approval of the student’s graduate adviser. For information on master’s and doctoral programs see Mathematics and Science Education.

Physics

General Information

The Department of Physics offers graduate study leading to the Master of Arts degree in physics, the Master of Science degree in physics, and the Master of Science degree in medical physics.

The Master of Arts degree emphasizes broad training and intensive coursework. This is a non-thesis program designed to lead the student to a comprehensive final examination. Specific courses, in both pure and applied physics, are chosen to complement the background of the individual student and achieve the desired educational goals. The program is designed to provide students with university-level teaching experience and access to community college teaching positions.

The Master of Science degree emphasizes research experience in a chosen specialty. It is designed to augment the student’s undergraduate training with a core curriculum of advanced courses, then followed by a period of research and preparation of a thesis. Thesis topics are encouraged in both pure and applied areas of physics. The program is designed to provide students with university-level teaching experience and access to community college teaching positions.

Opportunities are available for students in faculty areas of research: Experimental Optics: Electro-optics, ultrafast lasers and quantum optics, non-linear optics, nanophotonics. Theoretical and Computational: Polymers & biophysics, nuclear & particle, nuclear/relativistic astrophysics/ general relativity, optical. Experimental Condensed Matter: Superconductivity, magnetism, quantum materials synthesis, 2D optoelectronics, photophysics of moiré materials, physics of solar cells. Medical and Radiological Physics: Functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging and image processing, radiation biology, radiation therapy, CT dose.

The Masters of Science in Medical Physics, a Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs (CAMPEP) certified program, is designed to provide a strong training in Medical Physics to prepare students for graduate school, clinical residencies, and for a career in industry. Students acquire knowledge and skill sets through didactic and laboratory instruction designed in accordance with the guidelines I of the national accreditation board, CAMPEP. The course work in our program provides a broad base that includes diagnostic imaging, radiation therapy and nuclear medicine; all three areas integrate theory with laboratory instruction using clinical equipment.

Associateships

Graduate teaching associateships in physics are available to a limited number of qualified students. Application blanks and additional information may be secured from the chair of the department.

Admission to Graduate Study

Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at https://www2.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee.

All applicants must submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to the Department of Physics.

Graduate Admissions

The following materials should be submitted as a complete package directly to:

Graduate Admissions
Enrollment Services
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7416

Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) from all postsecondary institutions attended;

NOTE:

Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree. If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified English translation.

GRE scores (https://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682);
English language score, if the medium of instruction was in a language other than English (https://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682).

Department of Physics

Master of Arts Degree in Physics

Master of Science Degrees in Physics

Master of Science Degree in Medical Physics

The following materials should be mailed or delivered to:

Department of Physics
(Attention: Graduate Adviser)
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-1233

Letters of reference (two or three);
Application for teaching associate position or graduate assistantship (if desired).

Master of Arts Degree and Master of Science Degree in Physics

Admission to the Degree Curriculum

All students must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the university with classified graduate standing, as described in Admission and Registration . In addition, the undergraduate preparation in physics must have substantially satisfied the undergraduate requirements for the bachelor’s degree in physics. (Refer to the General Catalog for a description of these majors.) If the student’s undergraduate preparation is deficient, he/she will be required to take courses for the removal of the deficiency. These courses are in addition to the minimum of 30 units for the master’s degree.

Faculty

Chair: Sinha, Usha, Professor of Physics, Director of Medical Physics (B.S., Osmania University, India; M.S., Indian Institute of Technology, India; Ph.D., Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India)

Undergraduate Adviser: Baljon, Arlette R.C., Associate Professor of Physics (M.S., University of Utrecht, Netherlands; Ph.D., University of Chicago)

Graduate Admission and Graduate Adviser: Weber, Fridolin, Albert W. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Physics (M.S., Ph.D., University of Munich, Germany)

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty:

Anderson, Matthew E., Associate Professor of Physics [Senate Distinguished Professor] (B.S., University of California, San Diego; Ph.D., University of Oregon)

Behura, Sanjay, Assistant Professor of Physics (B.S., Utkal University, India; M.S., National Institute of Technology, India; Ph.D., Pandit Deendayal Energy University, India)

Johnson, Calvin W., Professor of Physics (B.S., University of California, Davis; Ph.D., University of Washington)

Kuznetsova, Lyuba P., Associate Professor of Physics (M.S., Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia; Ph.D., Cornell University)

Navarro Perez, Rodrigo, Assistant Professor of Physics (B.S., Universidad de las Americas, Mexico; M.S., Ph.D., Universidad de Granada, Spain)

Nollett, Kenneth M., Associate Professor of Physics (B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Ph.D., The University of Chicago)

Tambasco, Mauro, Associate Professor of Physics (B.S., University of Toronto; M.S., University of Windsor; Ph.D., University of Western Ontario)

Torikachvili, Milton S., Professor of Physics (B.S., Rio Grande do Sul University, Brazil; M.S., Ph.D., Campinas State University, Brazil)

Additional Faculty:

Davis, Jeffrey A., Professor of Physics, Director of Electro-Optics Program (B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Ph.D., Cornell University)

Lecturers:

Doss, Heidi, Ph.D., Physics

Gerardo, Mendoza, M.S., Physics

Graves, Kevin M., M.S., Physics

Kim, Chong T., Ph.D., Physics

Leduc, Steve A., M.A., Physics

Li, Shiqi., Ph.D., Physics

Mardirossian, George, Ph.D., Physics

Emeritus Faculty:

Cottrell, Don M., Ph.D., 1967-1998, Professor of Physics

Feher, Elsa, Ph.D., 1971-1997, Professor of Physics

Goldberg, Fred M., Ph.D., 1986-2012, Professor of Physics

Lilly, Roger A., Ph.D., 1968-2001, Chair of Physics, Professor of Physics

Oseroff, Saul B., Ph.D., 1984-2008, Chair of Physics, Professor of Physics

Papin, Patrick J., Ph.D., 1985-2016, Chair of Physics, Associate Dean of College of Sciences, Professor of Physics

Piserchio, Robert J., Ph.D., 1966-2000, Professor of Physics

Roeder, Phoebe E., Ph.D., 1975-2014, Lecturer and Coordinator, Liberal Studies and Natural Science Programs

Roeder, Stephen B. W., Ph.D., 1968-2010, Dean of College of Sciences, Chair of Physics, Chair of Chemistry, Professor of Chemistry

Shackelford, Gordon L., M.S., 1975-2004, Lecturer in Physics

Shore, Herbert B., Ph.D., 1975-2002, Professor of Physics

Sweedler, Alan R., Ph.D., 1980-2018, Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs, International Programs; Professor of Physics

Wallace, William J., Ph.D., 1969-2001, Associate Professor of Geological Sciences and Physics

Wolter, Gerhard H., M.S., 1957-1975, Professor of Physics