Undergraduate Education
These publications and reports cover issues concerning undergraduate physics and astronomy education and degree production at 2-year colleges, 4-year colleges and Universities.
They provide current data and historic trends for enrollments and degree production, including student demographics, educational experiences and post degree plans. This list includes
the results of a survey of physics seniors and evaluation reports from 2 meetings: National Society of Black Physicists and National Conference of Black Physics Students.
For a free hard copy of any of the reports listed below, go to the report order form.
focus on Undergraduate Physics Enrollments and Degrees
This focus on presents findings from the annual survey of Enrollments and Degrees. The trend data detailed in this focus on include undergraduate enrollments from the fall of
2007 and bachelor's degrees from the class of 2007. In addition to presenting enrollments and degrees trends, it also examines issues of
gender and race.
This is the second of a set of 3 focus ons covering Enrollments and Degrees from the class of 2007. The other 2 focus ons in this series detail astronomy
and graduate physics enrollments and degrees respectively.
focus on Astronomy Enrollments and Degrees
This focus on presents findings from the annual survey of Enrollments and Degrees. The trend data detailed in this focus on include astronomy enrollments from the fall of
2007 and astronomy degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and doctorate levels from the class of 2007. In addition to presenting enrollments and degrees trends, it also examines issues of
gender and citizenship.
This is the first of a set of 3 focus ons covering Enrollments and Degrees from the class of 2007. The remaining 2 focus ons in this series will detail undergraduate
and graduate-level physics enrollments and degrees.
Enrollments and Degrees Report, 2006
A report on academic enrollments (including Fall 2006) and degrees conferred at the bachelor's,
master's, and doctorate levels (including academic year 2005-2006) at colleges and universities
with physics or astronomy degree-granting programs.
Highlights (HTML)
| Full report
2008 Roster of Physics Departments
Enrollment and degree data on each degree-granting physics department in the US.
Current Report
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Archive of Rosters
2008 Roster of Astronomy Departments
Enrollment and degree data on each degree-granting astronomy department in the US.
Current Report
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Archive of Rosters
Physics and Astronomy Senior Report: Class of 2003
A window onto the backgrounds, influences, experiences, and future plans of physics
and astronomy majors during their senior year.
Highlights (HTML)
| Highlights
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Full report
Reports on The National Conference of Black Physics Students
The National Conference of Black Physics Students (NCBPS) is held annually, with the goals of providing a deeper sense of community, a chance to network, information about further study and careers in physics, and an opportunity for students to present the results of original research. The Statistical Research Center has conducted evaluative studies of the Conference for the past 12 years.
Report on student participants at the 2003 Annual Conference of
the National Society of Black Physicists and Black Physics Students
The National Society of Black Physicists' (NSBP) annual meeting brought together professional
physicists, undergraduate students, and graduate physics students to present recent research,
explore career opportunities, foster contacts, and reinforce a general sense of community among
participants. This report presents findings from an evaluation survey that covered the students
experiences at the meeting, and its effect on their plans to continue in physics.
2003 Report
Report on student participants at the 2004 Joint Annual Meeting
of the National Society of Black Physicists and The National Society of Hispanic Physicists
The 2004 NSBP annual meeting was held jointly with the NSHP.
2004 Report
Does It Matter Where I Go To College?
This report compares outcomes for physics bachelors from large and small departments, defined by number of bachelor's degrees awarded. It also looks at differences in physics bachelors' outcomes between departments that grant PhDs in physics and those that award only a bachelor's degree in physics. Finally, the report shows that physics departments whose bachelors were very satisfied with the department's climate in the early 1990s had higher numbers of graduates per FTE faculty member in the mid- to late-1990s.
Highlights (HTML) | Highlights | Full report
Physics in the Two-Year Colleges: 2001-02
Findings from the 2001-02 Survey of Two-Year College Physics Programs. An updated look at
program size; faculty background and current appointment; faculty turnover, including
retirements and new hiring; and physics course offerings.
Highlights (HTML) |
Highlights
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Full report
2003 SPINUP/TYC Report
Findings from the 2003 Background Survey of Two-Year College Physics Programs. A
look at program priorities, recent curricular changes and student issues.
(Supported by funding from the Division of Undergraduate Education of the
National Science Foundation)
Full report
Additional websites of interest
Strategic Programs for Innovations in
Undergraduate Physics: Project Report, January 2003
This report describes the results of the project Strategic Programs for Innovations in
Undergraduate Physics (SPIN-UP), organized by the National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics.
It sets out to answer an intriguing question: Why, in the 1990s, did some physics departments
increase the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in physics or maintain a number much higher
than the national average for their type of institution?
Society of Physics Students
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