New physics degree to be offered
■ The Applied Physics
Masters Program will give
students experience through
internships
By Maggie Young
Oregon Daily Emerald
A new physics degree, the Ap
plied Physics Masters Program,
will be offered beginning fall
2000 at the University.
The degree, which focuses on
industrial experience as an alter
native to the existing master’s
and doctoral degrees, was ap
proved in an executive meeting
by the State Board of Higher Ed
ucation last week.
The main goal of the new mas
ter’s program is to give students
hands-on experience through in
ternships with businesses in the
community.
Previously, physics students
had two educational choices,
said Dietrich Belitz, physics de
partment head. They can either
get a master’s degree in physics,
which has few practical applica
tions, or a doctorate, which fo
cuses on research.
This degree was implemented
in response to the demand in the
industry for students who have a
background in physics but who
aren’t researchers, Belitz said.
“Students with a doctoral de
gree in physics aren’t ideal for
jobs in industry,” Belitz said.
“They learn to do research, and
they don’t need that skill for in
dustrial work.”
In order to prepare students
for the industrial work force, the
new degree combines a set of
courses that is tailored to the
needs of industry with intern
Requirements for the Applied Masters Program
An undergraduate degree in physics or a related area.
A 3.0 grade point average in advanced physics and mathematics courses.
Submission of Graduate Examinations Record scores.
A passing grade on the masters qualifying exam.
A professional focus on industrial work as opposed to research work.
SOURCE: physicsMoregon.edu/betitz/apm.html
ships in the field, Belitz said.
“This program has a much
more applied focus where stu
dents can take what they learn
and use it in the field,” Belitz
said.
Sophomore physics major
Aaron Taggart said the best part
of the degree is the opportunity
to get a master’s degree in only
one year. He said he hopes to
join the program once he has
completed his undergraduate de
gree.
“In this program, you can get
started with real life faster,” he
said.
A pilot program is now in ef
fect through the Material Science
Institute. This summer course
was first offered in the summer
of 1998, and five students were
enrolled. Each student was
placed in an industry internship,
and four of the five have been
placed in permanent positions in
those companies.
The program gives students
specialized information that is
essential if they want to work in
the industry, said physics Profes
sor David Cohen. But, it is not as
specific as to give out the in
structions on how to operate ma
chinery, he said.
“We teach concepts such as
how transistors work and how
they are constructed instead of
how to operate machinery,” Co
hen said.
The effects of this program on
the physics department will in
clude a shift in classes’ focuses
and may eventually eliminate
certain fields of study. This is a
natural process that has occurred
with other programs in the past
such as the nuclear physics pro
gram, he said.
There are no definite plans for
additional faculty, so the profes
sors may spread themselves thin,
Cohen said.
“We’re working on overload
with the pilot program,” Cohen
said. “I now teach over the sum
mer when I don’t usually do
that. It takes away from research
time, but we’re willing to put in
the extra effort because we be
lieve in this program.”
Those interested in applying
for the Applied Physics Masters
program should contact the De
partment of Physics at 346-4751
or the graduate secretary at
gradsec@zebu.uoregon.edu.
Housing
Continued from Page 1
munal living space and would
prefer a quiet, clean area to
themselves instead.
However, Zellar said she be
lieves law students would enjoy
living in a housing community
with graduate students of vari
ous other departments.
“I think law students would
love to interact with other stu
dents,” Zellar said.
Interacting, especially with
the community, is what made
first-year graduate student Ruth
Klein take the opposition. Klein
felt besides isolating graduate
students from the Eugene com
munity, the proposed project is
too similar to the housing op
tions that already exist on and
around campus.
Klein said she does not mind
the daily 30-minute commute to
her apartment. She said gradu
ate students should learn to
deal with the noise and distrac
tions of the real world rather
than isolating themselves on
this campus.
Eyster said if the housing de
partment should decide to pur
sue this project, he wants to tai
lor it to the needs of the
students who are going to live
there.
i i This is a market that we
don’t serve and nobody, it
looks, is serving. We're
talking about something
that is very small and would
simply add more variety. J J
Michael Eyster
University Housing Director
One challenging difference
students and the housing de
partment will have to overcome
might be rent prices in the new
units. At this point, the project
is in a rudimentary stage, and
the size and nature of the apart
ments or studios have yet to be
determined.
But Eyster estimated that the
monthly rent of a one-bedroom
apartment will be in the vicini
ty of $700. Students unani
mously agreed that the amount
is unrealistic and said their fi
nancial resources only allow
them to allocate a maximum of
about $350 to paying rent.
Nancy Wright, director of fa
cilities for University Housing,
emphasized that the depart
ment is now merely exploring
the possibility of pursuing the
project and that studios might
tailor students’ needs and bud
gets better than one-bedroom
apartments.
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