Department of Physics
Western Illinois University
1 University Circle
Macomb, IL 61455-1390 physics@wiu.edu OR wiu.edu/physics
Department Office
Currens Hall 212
(309) 298-1596
Printed by authority of the State of Illinois
12/2009 • 1,750 • 40071
NRAO – Very Large Array, New Mexico, a facility of the National Science Foundation.
A radio telescope used for research by WIU students.

Three major options are offered: Physics, Engineering
Physics, and Physics Teacher Certification.
You can choose either an experimental or theoretical track for completing an integrated BS/MS degree in
Physics in 5 years.
Pre-Engineering students can choose to continue engineering studies at WIU-Quad Cities. If you maintain a 3.0/4.0 average or above in the technical courses, you can transfer to the nationally ranked engineering programs at the University of Illinois or the University of Iowa.
Small class sizes, faculty instruction in laboratories, and faculty devoted to teaching and mentoring students all make WIU a great place to study physics!
Undergraduate research projects are available in atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics; radio astronomy; nano-technology; and condensed matter physics.
Students present their results at regional and national conferences and publish their work in scientific journals.
Faculty collaborations with other universities and national laboratory facilities help provide students with summer internships and post-graduation opportunities.
Students serve the larger community through educational outreach programs such as the high school visitation program and the annual departmental demonstration show. They also serve as lab assistants and tutors for their peers.
Recognized as “A Best Midwestern College” by the Princeton Review and one of only 20 public universities ranked as a Midwest “Top Tier” masters institution by U.S. News and World Report , WIU serves approximately 13,000 students in the heart of the
Midwest.
WIU’s GradTrac and Cost Guarantee programs ensure that students can achieve their degrees within four years while paying a fixed rate for tuition, fees, and room and board. WIU remains the only university in Illinois to guarantee the cost for tuition, fees, and room and board over a four-year period at the undergraduate level.
NAIC – Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico.
A facility of the National Science Foundation used for research by WIU Physics students.
“The best aspect of WIU’s Physics program is the amount of one-on-one interaction with professors the students can get.”
Dennis T. Norton, Jr.
Ph.D. student
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
“I am very pleased with the availability of research opportunities for undergraduates. Not only did it look great on my résumé, but it gave real world experience on highly technical problems and a chance to give presentations to a large audience.”
Bryan G. Hecox
Mechanical engineer
Riverside Products, Inc.
Bettendorf, Iowa
“The close interactions between faculty and students in the pre-engineering program allowed me to excel in my current classes.”
Lucas Beoletto
4th year agricultural engineering student
University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign