The NUS Physics Department has the primary objective of advancing ... The
unique problem solving skills our graduates acquire will also enable them.
Department of Physics Physics is one of the most fundamental of all sciences, and is the basis of our scientific knowledge of the physical world. It seeks to explain the behaviour of matter, time and space in the universe and covers phenomena ranging from subnuclear interactions to cosmological events in the universe.
NUS Physics Department Office, Waves & Particles Sculpture
Our Objective The NUS Physics Department has the primary objective of advancing knowledge of physics and training of qualified manpower needed by Singapore to acquire and develop an economy based on high technology. We intend to play a key role in the advancement of Singapore into a high-tech era. Our department has excellent internationally recognized research strengths in several frontier areas including nanoscience, quantum information technology, optical and magnetic materials and biophysics. We provide a stimulating and exciting learning environment for all students who wish to major in physics. Our rigorously trained physics graduates will be able to embark on career paths in research and development (R & D) in the physical sciences, engineering and microelectronics industries, as well as education and training, government scientific services sectors and IT. The unique problem solving skills our graduates acquire will also enable them to work and succeed in commerce, banking and finance.
For further information, please contact: Physics Department, Blk S12, Faculty of Science National University of Singapore 2 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117551 Tel: (65) 6516 2604 Fax: (65) 6777 6126 Email:
[email protected] http://www.physics.nus.edu.sg/corporate/student/undergrad.html
Why Study at NUS Physics Department? The NUS Physics Department is made up of faculty members who are well respected in their areas of research and education. They promote excellence in a wide range of areas such as condensed matter physics, surface physics, materials science, high energy physics, atomic physics, superconductor, solid-state ionics, astrophysics, infrared spectroscopy, laser optics, x-ray fluorescence, ion-beam applications, optics, acoustics and computer simulation. The Physics Department currently offers two full-time undergraduate degree programs: (i) Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physics, and (ii) Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physics with Concentration in Applied Physics. In addition, the Department also offers a Minor in Optical and Semiconductor Technology and several general education modules and cross faculty modules for general scientific interest such as Understanding the Universe, Taming Chaos, Einstein's Universe and Quantum Weirdness, Physics in the Life Science, Introduction to Nanoworld, and Science of Music: Music, Physics and Keyboard. Our programs combine fundamental training in physics with emphasis on broad applications of physics in modern technologies. They have strong scientific emphasis and a high degree of flexibility, allowing students to plan their individual educational experience in accordance with their career aspirations.
What Our Alumni Say… “Physics is the most fundamental of all disciplines in natural sciences. It teaches you to be analytical and gets you thinking in a certain way. That helps to breakdown problems into parts and see them for what they are, which is really useful in police work." - Mr Tan Kah Khin, Head, Intellectual Property Rights Branch, Criminal Investigation Department, Singapore Police Force. Mr Tan graduated from NUS with B.Sc. (Honours) in Physics in 1997. “I had vivid memories of my Physics undergraduate programme at NUS which had left indelible marks on my career choice as a teacher. As the saying goes, ‘You can never tell where a teacher’s influence stops…it affects eternity.’ A BIG thank you and best wishes to all my teachers. Cheers!” - Dr Ho Boon Tiong, Assistant Professor, Deputy Head (Outreach & Professional Development), Natural Sciences & Science Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. Dr Ho graduated from NUS with B.Sc. in Physics in 1985. “My undergraduate days at the NUS Physics Department had been times of scientific misadventures and exciting explorations. Little did I expect that these experiences were moulding me into becoming an adaptable and dynamic individual who takes calculated risks.“ - Chew Boon Ning, Lijen Industrial Development Medalist 2001-2002. Mr Chew, now a Teacher in Catholic Junior College, graduated from NUS with B.Sc. (Honours) in Physics in 2002.
Careers of Physics Graduates Teaching Marketing Research Professional Managerial IT Finance Engineer Civil Service Admin Others
28% 3% 4% 5% 22% 11% 4% 13% 5% 4% 1%
April 2007
Our Undergraduate Physics Programs Our programmes combine fundamental training in physics with emphasis on broad applications of physics in modern technologies. They have strong scientific emphasis and a high degree of flexibility, allowing students to plan their individual educational experience in accordance with their career aspirations. Besides the major curriculum, students will be able to take the following programmes during their undergraduate candidature in NUS: Nanoscience Minor Programme Physics and Life Sciences Programme Minor in Optical and Semiconductor Technology Minor in Physics Minor in Biophysics Specialization in Astrophysics Specialization in Physics in Technology Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme in Science (UROPS) Student Exchange Programme with Overseas Partners Double Degree Programmes with prestigious French Grandes Ecoles and Australian National University, ANU
Higher Degrees: Masters and Doctor of Philosophy Students who excel in their undergraduate physics program may pursue higher degrees, Masters of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in a wide range of research topics at the frontiers of fundamental Physics and state-of-the-art technology & techniques. Excellent candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for NUS Research scholarships (check out http://www.physics.nus.edu.sg).
What Do You Do? Physics graduates combine fundamental training in physics with emphasis on broad applications of physics in modern technologies so as to fill the knowledge gap between academic science and engineering. You will be armed with a clear understanding of scientific principles and at the same time be aware of how physics is applied to industrial problem solving and technology development.
Where Can You Work? You will be able to embark on career paths in R & D in the physical sciences and engineering industries, the semiconductor and microelectronic industries, junior college education and polytechnic training, government scientific services sectors, as well as IT, commerce, banking and finance. Some examples of career fields are included below for reference.
Academia • Instrumentation Specialist • Polytechnic Lecturer • Professor • Research Fellows or Assistants in research institutes and universities • School or JC Teacher
Government Government ministries, statutory boards and agencies such as: • Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) • Central Provident Fund Board • Economic Development Board • Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore • Ministry of Defence • Ministry of Transport • Public Utilities Board • Urban Redevelopment Authority
Industry • Aerospace Analyst • Bank Executive • Computer Architecture Designer • Industrial Design & Production Planner • Industrial Scheduler • Laboratory Officer • Meteorologist • Technical Consultant • Technical Writer • Semiconductor Analyst
Facilities and Research Work The aim of the Department in research development is not only to acquire new knowledge in fundamental areas, but also to tackle problems of relevance to Singapore's industrial development. The Department is involved in inter-disciplinary research with other branches of science as well as engaging in collaborative work with industry. The Physics Department has a number of first-rate laboratories which are equipped with excellent and modern research facilities. Among them are the Surface Science Laboratory, the Centre for Nuclear Microscopy, Centre for High-Temperature Superconducting & Magnetic Centre, the Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory and the Image & Signal Processing Laboratory. In addition, the Department has a well-equipped workshop to support the research activities. There are 35 staff members who are actively involved in research work besides their primary teaching duties. The number of postgraduate students is 120. The amount of annual funding, from the university, industries and government agencies, for new and ongoing research projects exceeds 2.5 million dollars, exclusive of equipment costs. The Department's excellence in research has been evidenced by the presentations of plenary/invited talks by its staff in international conferences and by their service as referees for international journals.
Facilities for Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis in Surface Science Laboratory (SSL). The laboratory also operates several ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopes (STM), and a synchrotron beamline for surface science research at the Singapore Synchrotron Light Source (SSLS).
Facilities for laser molecular beam epitaxy (LMBE) deposition of thin film in the Centre for Superconducting and Magnetic Materials (CSMM). CSMM is an excellent research centre for materials and devices R&D. This is one of the facilities developed in-house to fabricate thin film and nanostructures.
Facilities in the Centre for Ion Beam Applications (CIBA) - Proton Beam Writer, Nuclear Microscope, and High Resolution Nuclear Scattering Spectrometer. CIBA is a state-of-the-art research centre utilizing advanced high energy (MeV) ion beam techniques covering a wide range of disciplines, including biophysics, lab-on-a-chip technology, nuclear microscopy of degenerative diseases, microphotonics, advanced materials characterization and semiconductor micromachining.
Computer Laboratory. The department currently houses 2 major computer laboratories with 170 highend PCs interconnected on the Tera-Scale Campus Grid platform. This platform is able to provide computing power equivalent to a supercomputer.
Biomineralization and hard tissue engineering: (a) Parabolic flight that generates a microgravity environment (b) Heterogeneous nucleation occurs in most cases under gravity and at low supersaturations leads to the formation of spherules pattern; microgravity will promote genuine homogeneous nucleation.
Artistic image of quantum dots embedded in transparent glass. Our research group undertakes the studies of fast photo-dynamics in novel materials, which have potentials for optical limiting, optical imaging, and optical switching. 1.4 kilometer free space
Free space quantum cryptography using polarization entangled photons. This research work has vast applications such as in locking up top-secret information and unparalleled communication security.
Representation of the coupling matrices (a & d) and their “wavelet transforms” (b & c) for a system of 64 chaotic oscillators. A waveletdecomposition approach is used to transform the initial “nearest-neighbor” matrix (a) into a more complex form (d). This method could provide an efficient new strategy for the control of chaos.
Schematics of vertical nickel nanowire array and its Brillouin Light Scattering data. This nano-structured array has potential applications in high density magnetic data storage. Brillouin data on spin waves provide information such as magnetic switching time (which governs writing speed) which is important to both fundamental physics and applications.
Curriculum Module Level
Major Requirements
Cumulative Major MCs
Level-1000 (24 MCs)
Pass
PC1141 Physics I PC1143 Physics III MA1505 Mathematics I
PC1142 Physics II PC1144 Physics IV MA1506 Mathematics II
24
Level-2000 (20 MCs)
Pass
PC2130 Quantum Mechanics I PC2132 Classical Mechanics PC2230 Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
PC2131 Electricity and Magnetism I PC2193 Experimental Physics I
44
Level-3000 (19-20 MCs)
Pass
PC3130 Quantum Mechanics II PC3193 Experimental Physics II And any 3 modules from the following electives : PC3231 Electricity and Magnetism II PC3232 Nuclear and Particle Physics PC3233 Atomic and Molecular Physics I PC3235 Solid State Physics I PC3236 Computational Methods in Physics PC3238 Fluid Dynamics PC3241 Solid State Devices PC3289 Adv. UROPS in Physics II PC3242 Physics of Semiconductor Processing PC3243 Photonics PC3246 Nuclear Astrophysics PC3247 Modern Optics PC3251 Nanophysics PC3267 Biophysics II PC3274 Mathematical Methods in Physics II PC3239 Special Problems in Undergraduate Physics II MLE3101 Materials Characterization MLE3105 Dielectric and Magnetic Materials (3MCs) An approved module offered by the department
63 - 64
Level-4000 (30-32 MCs)
Pass
PC4199 Honours Project in Physics PC4130 Quantum Mechanics III And any 4 modules from the following electives : PC4232 Cosmology PC4240 Solid State Physics II PC4241 Statistical Mechanics PC4242 Electrodynamics PC4243 Atomic and Molecular Physics II PC4245 Particle Physics PC4246 Quantum Optics PC4248 Relativity PC4253 Thin Film Technology PC4259 Surface Physics PC4264 Advanced Solid State Devices PC4262 Remote Sensing PC4267 Biophysics III EE4401 Optoelectronics (3MCs) PC4274 Mathematical Methods in Physics III PC4265 Techniques for Computerized Experiments PC4268 Biophysical Instrumentation and Biomolecular Electronics EE4413 Low-dimensional Electronic Devices (3MCs) MLE4201 Advanced Materials Characterization MLE4204 Synthesis and Growth of Nanostructures MLE4205 Theory and Modeling of Materials Properties
93 - 96
Elective modules are only offered to students reading a double degree in B.Eng. in Materials Science and Engineering and B.Sc. (Hons.) in Physics. B.Sc (Hons) students majoring in Physics have the option to qualify for a specialization in Astrophysics or Physics in Technology. SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS
B.Sc.
B.Sc. (Hons)
University Requirements
20 MCs
20 MCs
Faculty Requirements
8 MCs *
8 MCs *
Major Requirements
63 – 64 MCs
93 – 96 MCs
Unrestricted Elective Modules
28 – 29 MCs
36 – 39 MCs
Total
120 MCs
160 MCs
*Students under the B.Sc. and B.Sc.(Hons.) programmes are required to fulfill 8 MCs of faculty requirements, where 4 MCs must come from any two of two subject groups: Chemical Sciences, Life Sciences, but not from the following subject groups: Physical Sciences or Mathematical & Statistical Sciences. This is because the remaining faculty requirements of 4 MCs and 8 MCs (required for the B.Sc. and B.Sc.(Hons.) programmes respectively) are automatically fulfilled through the reading of MA1505 and MA1506. D
