Fact sheet
Natural Sciences
Uncovering the mysteries of the natural world
The Department of Physics at Arizona State University is focused on the education of our students and providing them with excellent preparation for their future careers. We do this through our research-based teaching methods and faculty engaged in fundamental research that promotes entrepreneurship, drives innovation and solves solutions for the real world.
Research at the cutting edge of innovation and discovery
Whether modeling the smallest particles in the universe, tracking the path of a single molecule in a living cell or exploring new energy sources, the Department of Physics is at the forefront of answering some of today’s most compelling questions.
Expert leadership fostering science education
Department of Physics Chair Patricia Rankin focuses on making science education accessible to everyone by addressing stereotypes, developing online courses and more.
Training adaptive and collaborative physicists of tomorrow
Our research involves understanding the physics of everything from the cells in our bodies to interactions in space. Our students are involved in research and strive to answer serious questions about cosmology, astrophysics, nanoscience, material physics and more.
#4
in undergraduate STEM degrees.
1st
compact X-ray free electron laser (CXFEL) of its kind in the world.
1st and only
master’s degree program developed for in-service high school science teachers.
Award-winning faculty
including Nobel Prize winners, American Physical Society fellows and more.
Leading research centers,
including the Center for Biological Physics, the Cosmology Initiative and BioXFEL.
Award-winning faculty leading impactful research
Professor Arunima Singh is working with an innovative water-splitting process to use as a form of renewable energy.
22%
6:1
31%
71 female students Pell Grant eligible
student-tofaculty ratio degrees awarded (2021–22)
Ushering in a new era of X-ray science
The Department of Physics is part of a university-wide collaboration to develop the world’s first compact X-ray free electron laser (CXFEL).
Building a community of belonging
The Department of Physics strives to follow ASU’s charter as a “comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom we exclude, but rather by whom we include and how they succeed.”
Together, we are leading important conversations and research to support our diverse students, faculty and sta , and improve communities on a local, national and global scale. We’re building a community of belonging where every voice matters and where new perspectives and histories are shared.
Undergraduate degrees
Biophysics, BS Physics, BA Physics, BS
Graduate degrees
Natural science (physics), MNS Physics, PhD
Minor Physics
Learn more about the work done in our centers and institutes at
physics.asu.edu
Strengthen the academic heart of ASU
At the core of all successful physics departments is a network of students, faculty, alumni, parents, industry partners and friends who share an interest in promoting physics education and research. The success of the Department of Physics at ASU has much to do with your generosity and involvement.
physics.asu.edu/give
“What makes physics special is that it is so fundamental. It touches every aspect of life in ways you may not expect, from all scales, from the very small to the very large. Our department aims to become the future of physics that drives progress in everything.”
– Patricia Rankin Chair, Department of Physics
@ASUPhysics Department of Physics 550 E Tyler St. Tempe, AZ 85287-1504