Engineering+Schools

__Illinois State University:__ Normal, IL ISU offers four different majors focusing on physics: General Physics, Engineering Physics, Computer Physics, and Physics Teacher Education. In-state tuition for ISU is $9,030. With other fees, books, and room and board, the total increases to $20,876. Admission into ISU is classified as moderately difficult. More than 75% of freshman at ISU were in the top 50% in their graduating class and scored over an 18 on the ACT. About 85% or fewer applicants are accepted into this university. A transcript of your high school records, a written essay, and an entrance exam (SAT or ACT) are required. ISU is a great school for physics majors. In the physics department, all courses are taught by professors, not graduate students. There is a 10:1 student to faculty ratio which allows students to get the attention they need from professors. The Undergraduate Computational Science Laboratory received two awards from the U.S. department of Energy for "superior contributions to the field of computational science education." The ISU physics department offers many forefront research opportunities for undergraduate students to learn how science and engineering are done in the real world.

__University of Toledo:__ Toledo, OH Physics majors at the University of Toledo can choose between a bachelor's degree in science or art. Within these degrees, they can focus their studies on general physics, astrophysics, applied physics, biomedical physics, biophysics, computational physics, geophysics, or physics and philosophy. With such a large selection of physics-related courses, anyone interested in physics can find what they want to focus on. Out of state tuition for the University of Toledo is $16,421. With other fees, books, room and board, the total increases to $27,839. To be accepted into the University of Toledo's science and arts program, you must have received a 2.0 out of 4.0 GPA in high school and have completed the CORE high school curriculum. The University of Toledo allows students to use modern research facilities such as the A&S Instrumentation Center, the Ritter 1-meter telescope, thin film growth labs, and accelerator labs. Students are also able to help conduct research in photovoltaics, fast ion beams, plasma devices, relative atomic structure, stellar and galactic astrophysics, and the physics of the DNA molecule.

__University of Chicago:__ Chicago, IL Although the University of Chicago only offers two physics majors (general physics and astrophysics), the physics program prepares students for graduate study in theoretical physics, experimental physics, or astronomy and astrophysics, as well as some fields of engineering and many interdisciplinary specialties requiring a strong technical background (biophysics, medical physics, atmospheric and environmental sciences.) Tuition for the University of Chicago is $40,188. Including other fees, books, and room and board, the total increases to $54,494. Undergraduate application requirements for the physics program include a written essay, an interview, two teacher and counselor recommendations, and three letters of recommendation. The University of Chicago would be a good school for physics majors because although it only offers two physics major programs, the physics programs put strong emphasis on experimentation and cover the broad fundamentals for further study in the field of your choice. Also, the physics programs can be completed in three years which is very convenient.