<p>This thread is addressing the mathematics and physics department at RU and it is addressed to Current/allumni at Rice. </p>
<p>What can you tell me about the mathematics and physics department; especially the optics and astronomy areas? How is its reputation in the acadmic world? Is the curriculum flexible? Do the professors care about their students? Are there opportunities for reserach at the undergraduate level?</p>
<p>Well, first things first: Rice has a department of physics and astronomy. Mathematics is a different department and, though physics majors do need to know a lot of math to succeed, the two don’t always overlap. I’m a physics major, so I can’t really say too much about the math department, but I’ll try to give you bit of an overview on how physics here works.</p>
<p>Rice has a well-respected physics program. It’s not the top in the world, but its professors are involved in a wide variety of research ranging from particle physics experiments at CERN to ultracold plasma research to medical physics in collaboration with the adjacent Texas Medical Center (which is the largest medical center in the world). </p>
<p>There are certainly options within the physics curriculum, and it should be noted that Rice offers majors in physics, astrophysics, biophysics, chemical physics, applied physics, and more; however, like with most scientific disciplines, completing a physics major will mean you do have a standard set of physics courses to complete. The requirements aren’t as strict as some other majors at Rice, but you should expect to take a pretty large number of physics courses.</p>
<p>As far as connecting with professors: this shouldn’t be too hard as long as you’re not shy about approaching them. I’m not saying you’ll love every professor, but you’ll certainly find a few (especially those who might be associates of your residential college) who would love to chat with you about whatever’s on your mind. Undergraduate research is very easy to obtain and, in fact, most of the majors in the physics department require students to complete a senior thesis with a faculty advisor in order to graduate. I’ve been working with an astrophysics professor since the beginning of my junior year and will probably work on my thesis with him starting this fall.</p>
<p>Anyway, that’s physics at Rice, basically. We’ve got a lot of cool people, and you should definitely come check it out.</p>
<p>Thank You for the Response</p>