Making Real World Connections
The Physics Department offers students a solid foundation in both classical and modern physics. Biophysics students take an additional 12 credits in biology. Together, these courses will be the beginning of bridging biology and physics. Students will be able to apply their knowledge of the physical world to the study of life.
Faculty are always on hand to help guide students throughout their coursework and experiences on campus. Courses are specifically designed to allow for the maximum interaction possible to help students get to know the faculty on a more personal level. Students have the chance to be mentored towards a future career path that will be best suited and rewarding to them.
Faculty are always on hand to help guide students throughout their coursework and experiences on campus. Courses are specifically designed to allow for the maximum interaction possible to help students get to know the faculty on a more personal level. Students have the chance to be mentored towards a future career path that will be best suited and rewarding to them.
"The physics faculty are invested in the students. They make themselves available for questions and one on one mentoring. They also expect great things of their students, and provide them with valuable skills geared toward graduate programs and research."
HEATHER T.,
BYU-I GRADUATE
Highlighted Career Paths
Graduates with a degree in Physics, with an emphasis in Biophysics, have a wide array of rewarding careers before them. Check out some of the top careers students get with this degree or explore more career options in I-Plan.
Neuroscientist
Neuroscientist are building computer models called neural networks to model how the brain and nervous system work, leading to new understandings of how visual and auditory information is processed.
Imaging Technician
Biophysicists have developed sophisticated diagnostic imaging techniques including MRIs, CT scans, and PET scans. Biophysics continues to be essential to the development of even safer, faster, and more precise technology to improve medical imaging and teach us more about the body’s inner workings.
Environmental biophysicist
Environmental biophysics measures and models all aspects of the environment from the stratosphere to deep ocean vents. Environmental biophysicists research the diverse microbial communities that inhabit every niche of this planet, they track pollutants across the atmosphere, and are finding ways to turn algae into biofuels.
Getting Started in this degree
If you are interested in Biophysics, start with one of the following major-specific courses
Related Majors
Medical physics is the application of physics concepts in medicine and health care. A medical physicist may specialize in such areas as medical imaging, radiation therapies, health physics, and nuclear medicine.
The Physics Education degree prepares students to teach physics in high school. It includes courses for teacher certification as well as a cluster of courses designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of physics and its role in the modern world.
Combining physics and chemistry can lead to opportunities in a variety of exciting careers. For example, an understanding of the physical properties of matter at an atomic scale is required in material science, the development of batteries and fuel cells, and innovations in semiconductors.
Mathematics is the language physicists use to describe physical laws and to make predictions based on those laws. Mathematics is very extensively used in every area of physics. If you do not know which emphasis area best meets your goals, the mathematical emphasis is a good default.
The physics engineering emphasis focuses on applying physics in mechanical engineering or electrical engineering. Graduates with this emphasis often pursue a M.S. or Ph.D. in materials science or engineering and are hired to work in a range of rewarding high tech fields.
Astronomy is the study of celestial objects in the universe. This includes planets, stars, galaxies, and the overall structure of the universe. Astronomy emphasis students will learn advanced methods and theories related to astronomy, including cosmology and astrophysics.
Geophysics is the study of the earth with tools of physics. Geophysics includes the exciting field of petroleum exploration. Positions in this field also occur in places like police work, archeology, civil engineering, near-earth space environment, atmospheric sciences, seismology, and even crystallography.
The computational emphasis is designed to combine an excellent understanding of the principles of physics with a proficiency in computer programming. This is a very natural mixing of disciplines that produces individuals that are well prepared to solve hard problems in many fields and industries.