Studying physics gives insight into the fundamental laws of nature. The rigorous training the University of Ottawa’s students receive in analyzing and understanding complex problems is valuable in many future careers. While many of graduates have established careers in universities and in the high tech sector as research and development scientists, others have used their physics degrees as a springboard to careers in finance, administration, medicine, management or education. The range of career opportunities is perhaps wider than for any other students with a science education.
Physicists have revolutionized the way everyone live their lives, with groundbreaking discoveries and new technologies, transferable to other fields such as biology or finance. University of Ottawa professors and graduates are an important part of this chain. Many of professors have also been recognized for their teaching and are seen as world-class researchers in their fields of expertise.
The research conducted by the professors in the Department of Physics is concentrated in several sub-specialties, including the physics of biological and complex systems, condensed matter physics, photonics and the physics of geomaterials. Depending upon program choice, students have the opportunity to take courses and participate in research projects in these specialized areas.
In addition to the Honours BSc in Physics, the Department of Physics offers three other Honours BSc programs. The first is in physics-mathematics, which provides enriched mathematics training within a physics program. The second is the option in photonics, which gives students a solid training in physics and a more applied and industry-related training in photonics. The third is the option in biological physics, which teaches students to apply a rigorous education in physics to various areas of life sciences. The Department of Physics also offers a Major in Physics that can form the core of an Honours BSc when combined with a major or a minor in another discipline in the Faculty of Science, or in another faculty. Finally, the Department offers a five-year integrated program in physics (BSc) and electrical engineering (BASc), jointly with the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS). This unique program will offer a full education in physics and electrical engineering. Graduates will be sought after by industry and academia, as they will have the capacity to develop technology from a basic physics idea to the final product.
The Department of Physics also has strong graduate programs, leading to an MSc or PhD. They give students the opportunity to work on cutting edge science in a research group led by one or more department professors.
The University of Ottawa French Immersion Stream is designed for Anglophone and Allophone students who wish to pursue part of their university studies in French. Students who have attended high school in a language other than French and have followed a French-as-a-second-language program are eligible. The French Immersion program allows students to study bilingually by taking 35% of their courses in French and discover le monde francophone at world’s largest French-English university. Immersion courses will help students transition to French courses, by combining a three hour content course with a one and a half hour accompanying language course that is based on material in the content course but focused on comprehension skills. Students also have the choice to take up to eight French courses as Pass/Fail grades, which won't count in their academic average (not available in the Faculty of Science or Faculty of Engineering).
