College of Science and Mathematics
Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Physics with a Concentration in Astronomy
The B.S in Physics degree, also called the Physics with Astronomy Authentic Research Experience (PAARE) program at UVI has three primary learning outcomes for students who complete the degree: 1) mastery of the domain knowledge in the field of physics and fluency in domain knowledge in the field of astronomy; 2) mastery of the fundamental methods of scientific research, including research methods, laboratory skills, and proper treatment of uncertainty analysis; 3) mastery of communication skills including methods of communicating results to both technical and lay audiences.
Students will be assessed on their progress toward the program objectives through their performance in touchstone courses. Performance in all 300 and 400 level lecture/lab courses will assess the students' accomplishment of objective 1 – domain knowledge. Performance in PHY495 will assess the students' accomplishment of objective 2 – research methods. Performance in PHY397, 398, 497, 498 will assess the students' accomplishment of objective 3 – communication skills.
