Department of Physics - Sam Houston State University

At Sam, we are dedicated to equipping our physics students for careers and graduate study, to advancing the frontiers of knowledge through research, and to promoting appreciation for the marvel of nature and the method of science through education. As an undergraduate student in our department, you will be our first and only mentoring priority, allowing you to benefit from individualized classroom instruction and accelerated research opportunities. I would love to host you on campus for a visit. Please be in touch! -- Dr. Joel W. Walker, Chair of Physics

At Sam you design a degree to fit your goals, customizing our traditional track, or choosing from concentrations in astronomy, secondary education, applied physics (geo, bio, chemical, computational or materials), and theoretical physics. Alternatively, our dual degree and pre-engineering tracks are your best option for a quantitative foundation to support an engineering career. You'll love the small class sizes and attentive faculty, and build a strong resume as a research assistant and lab instructor. Explore our degree plans to see which is right for you!

We are proud of the wonderful and diverse paths that our graduate's lives have taken, and of the many ways a physics degree from Sam has contributed to their successes. These stories are collected in our Hall of Fame. Perhaps you will see yourself in their aspirations, their uncertainties, their challenges, and their triumphs. There are many possible futures reflected here, each a unique and beautiful answer to the question "How do I get there from here?" Perhaps your own story will one day come to join these, and give direction to another young person at the same crossroads of life!

A degree in Physics can be your key to a wide range of exciting career opportunities. One year after graduation 95% of Physics Bachelors are employed or working toward a PhD or Masters. In the private sector, about 35% do engineering, 25% do computing or information, and 15% take other STEM-related jobs, with an average starting salary around $55K. Physicists are valued in the workplace for their ability to independently and creatively solve a range of challenging problems using their quantitative skills and analytic reasoning abilities. Check out the facts, and learn what professionals and hiring managers have to say about physics and your career!