The Department of Physics is one of the original departments of UT Dallas. The department grew from the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies, a research institute started in 1961 by Texas Instruments (TI) scientists and engineers. Close ties to TI continue to this day as evidenced by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory, a 192,000-square-foot research facility designed in cooperation with TI.

Our faculty includes world-renowned experts in space science, cosmology and astrophysics, particle and high-energy physics, nanotechnology and materials science, among others. Faculty members are affiliated with and conduct research at physics facilities worldwide, including the Large Hadron Collider.

Career Potential

Physics graduates from UT Dallas arrive at graduate school or in the workforce prepared to work in the vast array of fields open to modern graduates with a background in physics. Nanotechnology and other contemporary and emerging disciplines are covered throughout the educational process, which ensures that our graduates are ready to excel in highly competitive, sophisticated science environments.

The NSM Career Success Center is an important resource for students pursuing STEM and healthcare careers. Career professionals are available to provide strategies for mastering job interviews, writing professional cover letters and resumes and connecting with campus recruiters, among other services.

Marketable Skills

Review the marketable skills for this academic program, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science.

Physics at UT Dallas

Differences between BS and BA degrees:

• The BS degree in physics is the foundation degree for students interested in pursuing further study of physics or a closely related field in graduate school. The degree requires 42 hours from the University’s core curriculum, 66 hours in the major, plus electives to total the 120 credit hours needed to graduate.
• Students obtaining the BA degree generally use physics as a background for study in other fields. These may include graduate studies in biotechnology, medicine, geophysics, aerospace, nanoscale technologies, patent law and various aspects of the financial world. The lower-division course requirements for the BA degree are the same as those for the BS degree. At the upper-division level, 15 hours of advanced physics courses are replaced with 15 hours of science electives.

High School Preparation

High school students need an interest in science and an aptitude for physics, chemistry and mathematics. A background in these classes will help ensure success at the undergraduate level. Entering freshmen need a minimum of three and a half years of math, including trigonometry, and three years of science beyond physical science.

Quick Facts about the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

UT Dallas’ School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics offers degree programs for undergraduate and graduate students in biology, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics, and physics. In addition to regular coursework, undergraduates are encouraged to participate in research alongside faculty and graduate students. Together with its world class departments, the school also hosts the renowned MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute and the William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences that developed the mass spectrometer that discovered water on Mars.

• Established in 1975
• Six departments
• More than 3,200 students
• 30 degrees offered
• Alumni include a Nobel Prize winner, a NASA astronaut, and numerous faculty fellows of the National Academy of Engineering and American Association for the Advancement of Science

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Science: Actuarial science, biochemistry, biology, biomedical sciences, chemistry, data science*, geosciences, mathematics, molecular biology, physics

Bachelor of Arts: Biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics

Master of Science: Actuarial science, bioinformatics and computational biology, biotechnology, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics, molecular and cell biology, physics, statistics

Master of Arts in Teaching: Mathematics education, science education

Doctor of Philosophy: Chemistry, geosciences, mathematics, molecular and cell biology, physics, statistics

*Joint program between the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.

Certificates

• Data Science
• Genomics
• Geophysics
• Quantum Information
• Certificate in Biomedical Sciences (CBioMed)

Teacher Certification

The UTeach Dallas program offers students the opportunity to complete the requirements for high school teacher certification along with their regular BS or BA degrees.

Fast Track to Graduate School

The Fast Track program enables exceptionally gifted UT Dallas students to include master’s level courses in their undergraduate degree plans. Students who meet the requirements for admission to graduate school, and the minimum GPA requirement for their major, can take up to 15 semester credit hours of approved graduate level courses in their senior year to use toward completion of both bachelor’s and master’s degrees.  

To take graduate courses in the Fast Track program upper-division undergraduates must have completed 90 semester credit hours and petition their associate dean for permission to take graduate courses.