#  Undergraduate Studies  

 



 ##  

  expand\_more  

 
  

 

       ![Mural in the Physics Teaching Labs on the third floor of Harvard Science Center. Painted by Yao Yin '24, and Qijia Zhou '24.](/sites/g/files/omnuum6476/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-02/Physics_Mural.jpg?h=6166f6bd&itok=ru4Vp-Sj) 

 

 



 

 



## About the program

The Harvard Physics Department has a large and very active undergraduate program, graduating 50-60 majors (concentrators) a year (including those in the Chemistry and Physics concentration, also administered by the department). About 40-50 percent of our concentrators go to graduate school in physics or a closely related field; the rest pursue a wide range of careers including medical school, law school or business school as well as immediate employment.

The hallmark of the undergraduate program is flexibility. Students pursue a physics concentration with a wide range of goals in mind, and our program is tailored with this in mind. The flexibility comes from the relatively small number of course requirements relative to other science concentrations at Harvard. Many students choose joint concentrations such as Physics-Mathematics, Physics-Astronomy and Physics-History of Science, in addition to the special Chemistry and Physics concentration.

The faculty are enthusiastic about both undergraduate students and physics. Almost all faculty teach in the undergraduate program. They take pride in their teaching and continually develop new materials and courses. Three physics faculty have recently won the Joseph R. Levenson Memorial Teaching Prize of the Harvard Undergraduate Council.

## Community

Harvard is one of the leading producers of physics graduates at the bachelors level in the nation. Our undergraduates take pride in belonging to a lively, close-knit community. The department establishes a community of physics students. The active [SPS chapter](https://sps.physics.harvard.edu/) organizes a "buddy" system that teams first-year students with upper division concentrators, produces a booklet of advice for new concentrators, organizes lunches and picnics for students and professors, and sponsors weekly "Cool Physics" sessions where a student talks about research. SPS officers meet with the chair and Head Tutor to discuss issues of importance to undergraduates. There are many other opportunities for faculty-student interactions, both formal and informal. These activities include study nights, lunches, dinners, and weekly presentations by faculty on their research.

*(Photo at the top of the page: Mural in the Physics Teaching Labs on the third floor of Harvard Science Center. Painted by Yao Yin '24, and Qijia Zhou '24 in May, 2024.)*