More than Just Teaching
The Physics Education program prepares and certifies you at the secondary (high school) level. Classes in physics and education prepares students for upper-level courses in both physics content and educational theory. A semester of student teaching will help students gain the experience they need to help them enter the profession.
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 helps students get to know the faculty on a more personal level. This allows students 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 helps students get to know the faculty on a more personal level. This allows students to be mentored towards a future career path that will be best suited and rewarding to them.
"The physics department is warm and welcoming. There have been countless times when I'm known personally by the professors, and they stop and talk about what is going on in life. We are more than just people in the program - we are individuals and they recognize that."
KATHERINE G.,
BYU-I GRADUATE
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Highlighted Career Paths
Graduates with a degree in Physics Education 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.
High School Teacher
High school physics teachers influence the future generation by creating, developing, and assessing learning expressions that help students develop a strong understanding of physics. Teaching high school physics is a fun, interesting, respected and rewarding career.
Secondary Education Administration
Secondary school administrators work with teachers to design and prepare curricula, establish budgets and ensure that students' academic performance meets government standards. The most common administrators in a secondary school (high school) environment are principals and assistant principals.
Educational Technology Aide
Educational technology specialists, also known as instructional technology specialists or edtech specialists, collaborate with teachers and school administration to facilitate the use of technology in classrooms and the school as a whole.
Getting Started in this degree
If you are interested in Physics Education, 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.
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.
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies the approaches and methods of physics to study biological systems. Students with a biophysics emphasis will learn introductory and advanced methods and theories in physics while learning how to apply them to biology.
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.