The department offers an undergraduate certificate in physics. An understanding of the physical universe informs many disciplines. The study of physics is essential to understanding nature and to advancing technology in the coming century. A certificate in physics increases the opportunities for students to become better informed on technological issues at the local, state, national, and international levels.

The certificate is designed to serve undergraduates majoring in biology, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, education and other fields who wish to extend their study of physics beyond what may be required or recommended for their major without completing the full L&S physics major requirements.

How to Get in

To declare a certificate in physics, students must fill out a major/certificate declaration form. An undergraduate physics advisor must sign the form. The form to declare the certificate can be obtained at the Physics departmental office. All undergraduate students are eligible to declare the certificate, except those declared in the following majors:

• Physics,
• Astronomy-Physics, and
• Applied Mathematics, Engineering, and Physics (AMEP)

Requirements

The physics certificate requires 18 credits of Intermediate or Advanced-level undergraduate PHYSICS courses, with the following restrictions:

• At least 9 of the credits must be in residence.
• At most one course from each of the three semesters of an introductory sequence can be counted.
• At most 3 credits of directed study can be counted.
• Only graded courses may be used toward the certificate.
• A minimum grade point average of 2.000 is required in all certificate courses.

¹

A maximum of 5 credits from E M A 201, E M A 202 and M E 240 count toward the 18 credits required for the certificate.

²

 Students may not transfer into the PHYSICS 247 - PHYSICS 248 - PHYSICS 249 sequence from another introductory sequence.

Certificate Completion Requirement

This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand basic physical principles.
2. Solve problems proficiently using both quantitative and qualitative applications of these physical principles.
3. Know how to perform quantitative measurements of physical phenomena and understand the statistical significance of observations made in the presence of statistical and systematic uncertainties.
4. Be prepared for graduate study and/or careers in STEM fields.
5. Communicate effectively with scientific peers and the public, both orally and in writing.

Advising and Careers

Physics Undergraduate Advisors

Evan Heintz
Professor Tulika Bose
Professor Deniz Yavuz

Scheduling an Advising Appointment with a Physics Major Advisor

To meet with a Physics major advisor, you may either email physics-advisors@wisc.edu or contact them directly.

L&S Career Resources

Every L&S major opens a world of possibilities.  SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students turn the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and other coursework into fulfilling lives after graduation, whether that means jobs, public service, graduate school or other career pursuits.

In addition to providing basic support like resume reviews and interview practice, SuccessWorks offers ways to explore interests and build career skills from their very first semester/term at UW all the way through graduation and beyond.

Students can explore careers in one-on-one advising, try out different career paths, complete internships, prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications, and connect with supportive alumni and even employers in the fields that inspire them.

• SuccessWorks
• Set up a career advising appointment
• Enroll in a Career Course - a great idea for first- and second-year students:
  • INTER-LS 210 L&S Career Development: Taking Initiative (1 credit)
  • INTER-LS 215 Communicating About Careers (3 credits, fulfills Comm B General Education Requirement)
• Learn about internships and internship funding
  • INTER-LS 260 Internship in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Activate your Handshake account to apply for jobs and internships from 200,000+ employers recruiting UW-Madison students
• Learn about the impact SuccessWorks has on students' lives

People

Faculty

More details about each faculty member and the research areas can be found on the Physics website.

Yang Bai, Professor
Baha Balantekin, Eugene P. Wigner Professor
Vernon Barger, Van Vleck Professor and Vilas Research Professor
Keith Bechtol, Associate Professor
Kevin Black, Professor
Stanislav Boldyrev, Professor
Uwe Bergmann, Martin L. Pearl Professor in Ultrafast X-Ray Science
Tulika Bose, Professor
Victor Brar, Van Vleck Associate Professor
Rogerio Manuel Jorge, Assistant Professor
Duncan Carlsmith, Professor
Daniel Chung, Professor
Susan Coppersmith, Emeritus Robert E. Fassnacht Professor and Vilas Research Professor
Kyle Cranmer, Professor & Data Science Institute Director
Sridhara Dasu, Professor
Jan Egedal, Professor
Mark Eriksson, John Bardeen Professor and Department Chair
Ilya Esterlis, Assistant Professor
Lisa Everett, Professor
Ke Fang, Assistant Professor
Cary Forest, Prager Professor of Experimental Physics
Pupa Gilbert, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor
Francis Halzen, Gregory Breit Professor, Hilldale Professor, & Vilas Research Professor
Kael Hanson, Professor
Aki Hashimoto, Professor
Matthew Herndon, Professor
Robert Joynt, Emeritus Professor
Albrecht Karle, Professor
Roman Kuzmin, Dunson Cheng Assistant Professor
Alex Levchenko, Professor
Lu Lyu (aka Lu Lu), Assistant Professor
Dan McCammon, Professor
Robert McDermott, Professor
Moritz Muenchmeyer, Assistant Professor
Matthew Otten, Assistant Professor
Yibin Pan, Associate Professor
Brian Rebel, Professor
Mark Rzchowski, Associate Chair and Professor
Mark Saffman, Professor
John Sarff, Professor
Tiancheng Song, Assistant Professor
Gary Shiu, Professor
Paul Terry, Professor
Peter Timbie, Professor
Justin Vandenbroucke, Associate Professor
Maxim Vavilov, Professor
Thad Walker, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor
Sau Lan Wu, Enrico Fermi Professor, Hilldale Professor, and Vilas Research Professor
Deniz Yavuz, Professor
Vladimir Zhdankin, Assistant Professor
Ellen Zweibel, William L Kraushaar Professor of Astronomy & Physics

Affiliated Faculty

David Anderson, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Paul Campagnola, Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Jennifer Choy, Assistant Professor, Engineering Physics
Elena D'Onghia, Professor, Astronomy
Chang-Beom Eom, Professor, Materials Science & Engineering
Chris Hegna, Professor, Engineering Physics
Sebastian Heinz, Professor, Astronomy
Mikhail Kats, Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Jason Kawasaki, Associate Professor, Materials Science & Engineering
Irena Knezevic, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Alexandre Lazarian, Professor, Astronomy
Daniel Rhodes, Assistant Professor, Materials Science & Engineering
Oliver Schmitz, Professor, Engineering Physics
Micheline Soley, Assistant Professor, Chemistry
Carl Sovinec, Professor, Engineering Physics
Richard Townsend, Professor, Astronomy
Ying Wang, Assistant Professor, Materials Science & Engineering
Jun Xiao, Assistant Professor, Materials Science & Engineering