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Department of Physics

						Physics Graduate Program • Admission & Financial Aid • General Requirements • Photonics Option • Computational /     Condensed Matter Option • Physics and Astronomy      Education Research Option • Physics Course Descriptions SIUE Graduate Catalog • Catalog Program Description • Catalog Course Descriptions

The Physics and Astronomy Education Research option of the Physics graduate program is especially appropriate for students planning a post-secondary teaching or education research career.  Facilities include a dedicated interview room equipped with digital audio and video recording capabilities, a laboratory preparation area, and computer facilities with sophisticated software for qualitative, quantitative and interview analysis, as well as graphical image processing.  In addition, there is a high-tech audio system for recording groups in large lecture and laboratory situations.

Required Courses  (Total 34 Hours)

Physics/Math Core Courses (9 hours)

• MATH 501 (3) - Differential Equations and the Fourier Analysis
  or PHYS 511 (3) - Computational Methods in Classical Physics
• PHYS 512 (3) - Computational Electrodynamics
• PHYS 513 (3) - Computational Quantum Mechanics

Education Core Courses (19 hours)

• EPFR 501 (3) - Research Methods in Education
• EPFR 515 (3) - Advanced Education Psychology
• SCI 530 (3) - Science Education Research Methods
• PHYS 438 (1,1,1,1) - Physics and Astronomy Education Research Seminar
• PHYS 599 (6) - Thesis
  or PHYS 598 (6) - Advanced Research Project in Physics

Elective Courses - Choose a total of 6 credit hours from the following:

• PHYS 431 (3) - Instructional Strategies for Particle and Rigid Body Motion
• PHYS 432 (3) - Instructional Strategies for Electricity and Magnetism
• PHYS 433 (3) - Instructional Strategies for Advanced Physics
• PHYS 434 (3) - Instructional Strategies for Astronomy

Optional Courses  (suggested but not required)

• EPFR 451 (3) - Gender and Education
• STAT 420 (3) - Statistical Analysis
• SCI 537 (3) - Qualitative Research Methods for Science Education

Typical Program of Study

A student should consult his/her adviser regularly to plan and update the course of study, and must have the adviser approve a Course Request Form in order to register each term.  For more information, please contact the Department of Physics.