Physics is, in many ways, the oldest and most fundamental of the sciences.  Physicists study the natural world - from the exceedingly small, trying to understand what the basic building blocks of everything are, to the astronomically big, trying to understand the history and structure of the universe as a whole, and everything in between.  Studying physics will train you to think critically and to analyze and solve complex problems, skills which will serve anyone well in any career.  Simply put, a major in physics can take you anywhere.  Students majoring in physics go on to graduate schools in physics and engineering, positions in industry, business, and medicine, and become, among other things, researchers, professors, doctors, ministers, and MBA’s. 

PHYSICS AND PRE-ENGINEERING PROGRAMS

• Bachelor of Science in Physics - Because of the myriad options that students with physics degrees have after graduation, each physics major, in conjunction with their advisor, will choose a program of courses that will best serve their post-graduation plans. If you plan on advanced work in physics, engineering, or astrophysics, your coursework would be heavier on physics and mathematics. On the other hand, if you want to pursue a career in another field, but still want all the advantages of a strong background in physics, you would take a core group of physics courses as well as certain upper-level courses in other areas (biology courses for a student going into biophysics or medicine, business courses for someone going into consulting, etc.). More details on how this works and how you would design your individualized major program are available here.

• 2-2 pre-Engineering programs - you attend Millikin for two years and then transfer to a larger university (such as the University of Illinois) for the final two years, and then receive a degree in Engineering from the latter.

• Cooperative 3-2 Dual-Degree pre-Engineering program - you spend 3 years at Millikin and 2 years at Washington University in St. Louis, and at the end, you will receive two undergraduate degrees - one in liberal arts from Millikin and one in Engineering from Washington. A strong background in physics is often considered a great plus when graduate schools and businesses are looking to hire engineers, and this popular program allows you to get a broad education in many fields at a small school before moving on to focus on a particular field of engineering as you prepare for a career.

• Minor in physics - there are many fields for which additional coursework in physics is useful, but not as much as it would take to get a major. If you wish to obtain a minor in physics, you must complete the same chemistry and mathematics requirements as for a major (check here for details) as well as a minimum of 21 credits in physics courses which must include: Physics 151, 152, and nine credits in 300-level (or higher) physics courses of your choice. (Note: PY 325 counts towards the minor, but not towards the nine upper-level credits.)