About the Physics & Astronomy Department

Image
Exterior of the Science Center at Amherst College.

The Amherst College Physics and Astronomy Department's primary mission is teaching physics and astronomy to the undergraduates at the College and research exploring the frontiers of our disciplines. Our program provides a foundation in theory and experimentation/observation for physics and astronomy majors. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive departmental climate in which all students feel capable of succeeding, are comfortable being their authentic selves in departmental spaces, and have access to the entire curriculum. Our commitment to physics and astronomy as liberal arts subjects leads us to stress the conceptual, historical, and philosophical context in which the essential ideas of contemporary physics and astronomy arose.  At the same time, we aim to provide our majors with a robust technical basis (mathematical, statistical, and computational) for further study of physics, astronomy, or a range of related careers in fields such as teaching, journalism, data science, medicine, and other physical sciences (including planetary science, biophysics, engineering, and materials science).