The Unique Attributes of Applied Physics at Kettering University
Applied Physics degrees are offered at many universities, but at Kettering, Applied Physics students have many unique opportunities:
- Our Fully Integrated Co-op Experience. Unlike most physics undergraduate programs, which don't offer any kind of industrial co-op or internship program, our students alternate between three months in the classroom and three months working at a job throughout their entire undergraduate experience. When our students graduate with a B.S. in Applied Physics they have up to 2-1/2 years of actual work experience, giving them a huge advantage when they enter the job market or when they apply to graduate school. In addition to the work experience (and the money earned) our students get the opportunity to apply their physics knowledge directly to the world around them.
- Engineering Content in Our Curriculum. Besides the standard physics and mathematics core curriculum, our students are required to take several courses in various engineering disciplines. This exposure to the world of engineering gives our graduates the ability to communicate with engineers in a way that a physics degree from a liberal arts physics program cannot provide. Our applied physics graduates work alongside engineers at places like Harley-Davidson, NASA, Argonne National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory.
- Three Specialized Applied Career Paths. Our curriculum, our faculty and our laboratory facilities are focused on three areas which have important application to industry: Acoustics, Applied Optics, and Materials Science. While other physics programs might offer introductory one or two introductory courses in these areas, or have laboratory facilities open only to graduate students, the Kettering University Applied Physics program has multiple courses offering a depth of content in acoustics, optics and materials science and our exceptional advanced laboratory facilities are open and available to all levels of undergraduate students.
- Required Industrial Thesis. Many other physics programs offer an optional honor thesis usually involving some sort of academic research project. Our students are not only given the opportunity to become engaged in research with a professor on campus, but they are also required to complete an industrial thesis in conjunction with their co-op employers. This thesis usually takes about six months to complete and requires students to solve a problem of significant interest to industry.
