Physics and Astronomy | The University of New Mexico

Chair: Richard Rand

An undergraduate education in physics provides a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning in a variety of disciplines, including science, engineering, math, finance, education, law, and medicine. Find out more.

Alumni testimonials: Read success stories from alumni of our department and their reflections on the quality of our programs.

Degree Programs

Undergraduate

Graduate - Physics

Graduate - Optical Science and Engineering

Featured Event

Spring Convocation

We are so proud of our graduates! Congratulations on a dream fulfilled.

News from the Chair

Putney awarded Goldwater Scholarship

Junior Eric Putney won the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program award

The Goldwater Scholarship is a merit award set up by Congress in 1986 in honor of the late Senator Barry M. Goldwater. Available to science, math, or engineering undergraduate majors, the scholarship provides funding for tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to $7,500 per year.

Putney, the only student in New Mexico to receive the honor, is an Honors College student majoring in physics and minoring in mathematics. This summer, he will be working at CERN, The European Organization for Nuclear Research, in Geneva, Switzerland. Putney hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in particle physics and to research antimatter with a global research organization.

See the UNM Newsroom article and the UNM Arts and Sciences article.

Congratulations, Eric!

News from the Chair

Darcy Barron selected for the 2019 Women in STEM awards

Darcy Barron was awarded $10K for a Women in STEM award from ADVANCE to implement an initiative to improve retention rates in our undergrad degree programs.

Congratulations, Dr. Barron!

News from the Chair

PAÍS will be complete in the fall