Department of Physics & Astronomy

Alumni testimonials

Physics & Astronomy alumni hold positions as teachers, engineers, data analysts, project managers, researchers, health care workers, science writers, policy makers and lawyers, and many more. We interviewed some of our graduates about their professional paths and the role their physics or astronomy degree from our department played in shaping their current career.

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

Undergraduate Program

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

• BS Physics with General Physics Concentration
• BS Physics with Applied Physics Concentration
• BS Astrophysics
• BA Physics and Astrophysics
• BS Physics and Electrical Engineering
• BA Physics and Astrophysics and Electrical Engineering

Graduate Program

Meet our Graduate Student Association and get their tips for prospective students

• MS Physics
• PhD Physics
• MS/PhD Physics with Astrophysics Concentration
• PhD Physics with Quantum Information Science Concentration

Optics Program

Established in 1983, the Optics Program at the University of New Mexico is one of the oldest and most successful science and engineering interdisciplinary programs with a strong international reputation in education and research.

OSE graduate students conduct research at facilities in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and at UNM’s Center for High-Technology Materials.

There are numerous collaborations with the three National Laboratories in New Mexico - Sandia, Los Alamos, and the Air Force Research Laboratory, and with members of the optics industry cluster (New Mexico Optics Industry Association – NMOIA).

• MS Physics
• PhD Physics

Upcoming Events

From Semiconductor Disk Lasers to Shared-Cavity Hybrid MECSELs
Ghazaleh Ansari
Special Talk
Oct. 12, 9:00 AM - Oct. 12, 10:00 AM
PAIS 2540

Neutrino flavor waves
Anson Kost (UNM)
Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars
Oct. 13, 2:00 PM
PAIS 3205

SQuInT 2026 Annual Workshop
Various
No Affiliation
Oct. 15, 7:30 AM - Oct. 17, 6:30 PM
Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU, Tempe, Arizona

Title: TBA
Kyle Massingill (NRAO)
CART Astrophysics Seminar Series
Oct. 15, 2:00 PM - Oct. 15, 3:00 PM
PAIS 3205

Where Has This Detector Been? Tracing Cosmic-Ray Exposure in a Field Study from LANSCE to SURF
Ralph Massarczyk (LANL)
Nuclear, Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology (NUPAC) Seminars
Oct. 20, 2:00 PM

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