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Physics Education

The physics education program prepares you for the State of Illinois Professional Educator’s License in High School (Secondary) Education, with a concentration in physics.

Preparing You For Success

You participate in classroom field experiences your first year, then you gain additional field experiences your sophomore and junior years. These prepare you for the senior year student teaching experience. Bradley faculty and your supervising teachers are valuable mentors throughout the process. You also work closely with the physics department, which gives you a foundation in science.

The teacher education department is accredited by the Illinois State Board of Education and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. It also is a member of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. The high school education program is nationally recognized by the National Council for the Social Studies, National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, National Science Teachers Association and National Council of Teachers of English.

By the time you graduate, your experiences include:

  • Courses and research in physics and other sciences
  • Professional development and licensure in high school (secondary) education
  • More than 500 hours of field experience and student teaching in local classrooms
  • Instruction and mentorship from faculty who have taught on six continents, published 30 books on education and served in educational leadership at state and national levels
  • Research opportunities with faculty
  • Use of classroom technologies such as Smart Boards, virtual reality, 3-D printing and wearable devices

Making Your Mark

Physics education teachers are in demand. Recent physics education students who completed the program and graduated boast a 100 percent pass rate on Illinois licensure tests, including the national edTPA portfolio evaluation. Almost all found jobs within six months of graduation. That success means you can enter the teaching profession or graduate school after commencement. Many graduates are working for school districts in Illinois. As an educator, you also can consider future graduate studies in curriculum and instruction or other fields.

Major Requirements

Physics Major Required Courses - 60 hrs.

  • PHY 110: University Physics I - 4 hrs.
  • PHY 199: Physics Seminar for New Physics Majors - 1 hr.
  • PHY 201: University Physics II - 4 hrs.
  • PHY 305: Electricity and Magnetism - 3 hrs.
  • PHY 306: Electromagnetic Waves - 3 hrs.
  • PHY 330: Classical Mechanics - 3 hrs.
  • PHY 350: Advanced Physics Experiments - 2 hrs.
  • PHY 367: Statistical and Thermal Physics - 3 hrs.
  • PHY 399: Special Problems in Physics - 1-3 hrs.
  • PHY 480: Quantum Mechanics I - 3 hrs.
  • PHY 202: Applied Quantum Physics - 3 hrs.
    or PHY 380: Quantum Physics - 3 hrs.
  • MTH 121: Calculus I - 4 hrs.
  • MTH 122: Calculus II - 4 hrs.
  • MTH 207: Elementary Linear Algebra with Applications - 3 hrs.
  • MTH 223: Calculus III - 4 hrs.
  • MTH 224: Elementary Differential Equations - 3 hrs.
  • MTH 501: Topics in Applied Mathematics I - 3 hrs.
  • CHM 110: General Chemistry I - 3 hrs.
  • CHM 111: General Chemistry I Lab - 1 hr.

Physics Education Elective (choose two) - 6 hrs.

  • PHY 320: Optics - 3 hrs.
  • PHY 361: Electronics - 3 hrs.
  • PHY 482: Quantum Mechanics II - 3 hrs
  • PHY 568: Condensed Matter Physics - 3 hrs.

Other Requirements

  • All physics majors are expected to present the results of their research experience while enrolled in PHY 399 at a departmental colloquium.