<p>My son is planning on majoring in Physics, does anyone have any info/experience with SJU's program? From the Physics dept web page "Smaller class size. The physics department graduates about 3 - 5 majors each year which means that there are only 3 - 10 students in each physics majors course. This means more attention for you." Also interested in any info on the 5yr BS/M.Ed program. Thanks.</p>
<p>The Physics Program at Saint Joseph’s is outstanding, especially considering the unparallelled access to faculty, equipment and research opportunities. I recommend contacting the Physics department directly in order to arrange for a meeting with the chair and tour of the facilities. The telephone number is 610-660-1813. </p>
<p>If your son is considering pursuing secondary education for Physics, the University has received a Noyce Scholars grant from the National Science Foundation to provide summer internships and scholarship opportunities for students who are interested in secondary education in Physics. More information about the 5-year M.S. Education program can be found at [SJU:</a> CAS - Math & Science Education](<a href=“http://www.sju.edu/academics/cas/5yrmsed/]SJU:”>http://www.sju.edu/academics/cas/5yrmsed/) or by contacting Dr. Angiolillo, Chair of the Department of Physics at the above number.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply and contact information, he will be visiting campus with his Dad during April vacation.</p>
<p>I am not sure why SJU admissions says faculty access, equipment and research opportunities are unparalled. St. Joe’s is not a major research institution so there is much less research than at a major research institution. Faculy access is about what you would expect from a school this size with a 13:1 student faculty ratio. Facilities are o.k at best, don’t expect labs that rival those at MIT or engineering schools. Calling it “unparalled” sounds like a sales pitch to me. The facilities, faculty access are about average. Research opportunities are below average compared to engineering schools. Still, given the fact that there are no major graduate programs in physics or engineering, what little research is done is likely to be available to undergrads. This isn’t true of major research universities. </p>
<p>I am curious as to this choice of physics. Why physics? What career is he interested in? I was a bio major and sometimes think I would have liked physics.</p>
<p>I think ‘unparalled’ access has to do with the very small class sizes 3 - 5 majors graduate/yr. Good point on no graduate program. As to why he wants to major in physics? Well, it’s a tough decision to make at 16/17 yrs, but he’s taking a physics class this year and something ‘clicked’ - he really enjoys the subject. He considered mech engineering, but changed to physics (a more versatile major) and this opened up his college choices to schools like BC and SJU that don’t offer engineering programs. At this point he’s also interested in teaching, so schools that offer a 5yr BS Physics/M.Ed - like SJU and Loyola Chicago are on his list.</p>
<p>Okay, good for him. I am going the direction of teaching too. The reason I ask is because I was somewhat interested in physics but I was afraid of what jobs I would find after graduation because engineering firms usually are recruiting from engineering schools. If he is doing it from a purely educational point of view (as opposed to job training) that’s great. There are plenty of things you can do with it. </p>
<p>I was not aware that there were only 3-5 physics majors per year. Bio was bigger than that.</p>