Mission Statement:

The fields of physics & astronomy use the scientific method to investigate the fundamental laws that govern the cosmos and all its contents, from subatomic particles to the cosmic web of galaxies on the largest observable scales in the universe and beyond. The pursuit of science is a human endeavor, and our department welcomes the full spectrum of humanity to contribute their perspectives, passions, and skills to scientific exploration.

The mission of San Francisco State University’s Department of Physics & Astronomy is to equip students from all backgrounds with foundational content knowledge in classical mechanics, electricity & magnetism, special & general relativity, thermodynamics & statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and astronomy & astrophysics; to provide “hands-on” training in theoretical, experimental, observational, and computational techniques for pure research and industrial and “real-world” applications; to mentor students to embrace an empirical, scientific framework to expand the boundaries of knowledge through novel research, and, ultimately, to create diverse STEM leaders, teachers, and policy-makers ready to tackle the most challenging problems facing society locally and globally.

Future outcomes:

Roughly one-third of our graduates go on to PhD Programs. In recent years, our students have gone on to U.C. Berkeley, U.C. Santa Cruz, U.C. Davis, UCLA, U.C. Irvine, U.C. Riverside, U.C. Santa Barbara, U.C. San Diego, USC, Stanford U., Harvard U., Yale U., Johns Hopkins U., New York U., U. Pennsylvania, U. Michigan, Boston College, U. Notre Dame, McGill U., U. Washington, U. Colorado, Arizona State U., Northern Arizona U., New Mexico State U., U. Connecticut, U. Maryland, U. North Carolina, Oregon State U., Temple U., U. Oklahoma. One-third of our graduates go into industry (industrial labs, software engineering, data science), including Google, Apple, Space X, Amazon.

One-third of our graduates go into science education and outreach (high schools, community colleges, science museums), including the California Academy of Sciences, Exploratorium, Chabot Space & Science Center. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sfsu-physics-astronomy