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Your gift to the Department of Physics and Astronomy helps us to achieve our mission of discovery, exploration, and the creation of knowledge—to find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.
From Our Chair
Ready for a challenge? Prepared to dive into the deepest questions about what makes up the universe and how it all works? If so, Vanderbilt’s Department of Physics & Astronomy is the right place for you! Our faculty and students team up to investigate everything from exotic states of matter like quark-gluon plasmas to the biophysical underpinnings of life, from exoplanets to particle candidates for dark matter, and from the extreme bending of spacetime around black holes to the quantum information systems at the heart of next-generation computing. It’s an exciting time to be a physicist or an astrophysicist, and Vanderbilt researchers are leading the way.
Our research teams illustrate one of our department’s best attributes: our deep commitment to one-on-one mentoring. Whether that is a graduate student helping a freshman get started on a research project, a faculty member helping that graduate student hone the experiments building toward her Ph.D., or a senior faculty member advising a new faculty member on writing grant proposals, it all comes down to one shared value: the importance of making this grand adventure accessible and inclusive for all. Learn about the curriculum for our undergraduate major in physics, our minors in physics or astronomy, and our Ph.D. programs in physics or astrophysics.
Our upper-level classes are generally small, and our faculty includes several award-winning teachers. Our students absorb a tremendous amount in the classroom, and when combined with the one-on-one mentoring they receive, they are strongly positioned for whatever they want to do next. Our graduates gain admission to some of the finest graduate programs and medical schools in the nation. Others enter the job market have found great opportunities at national labs, at NASA, and in academia, engineering, and data analytics. Employers know that Vanderbilt physics and astronomy students have the skills needed to take on the most challenging knowledge-economy jobs. If you want to know more, I’d love to hear from you. And if you are visiting Nashville—a vibrant and growing city well worth seeing—take a moment to walk Vanderbilt’s beautiful leafy campus in the heart of midtown and stop by the department.
We’d love to show you around!
Sincerely,
Julia Velkovska
Chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Physics
Why Physics?
Studying physics offers students the opportunity to develop expertise in scientific inquiry, analysis, and design, as well as how to work collaboratively and communicate their knowledge effectively.
Physics majors obtain the following marketable skills:
Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning
Students develop the ability to analyze complex problems using mathematical models, interpret data, and connect theory with observation. They learn to identify essential variables, apply appropriate approximations, and evaluate the reliability of conclusions.
Modeling Physical Systems
Students gain experience constructing models that describe motion, energy, fields, matter, and fundamental interactions. These skills allow them to predict the behavior of systems ranging from subatomic particles to large-scale technological systems.
Experimental Design and Data Analysis
Through laboratory experiences, students learn to design experiments, operate modern instrumentation, quantify uncertainty, analyze noisy data, and communicate results clearly and accurately.
Computational and Numerical Problem Solving
Students develop proficiency in using computational tools to simulate physical systems, solve differential equations numerically, and analyze large data sets—skills widely applicable in science, engineering, technology, and finance.
Scientific Communication
Students learn to present technical information clearly in written, oral, and visual formats. They gain experience preparing reports, research papers, and presentations for both technical and non-technical audiences.
Collaboration and Project Management
Physics coursework and research experiences require students to work effectively in teams, manage long-term projects, adapt to unexpected challenges, and meet professional standards and deadlines.
Interdisciplinary Problem Solving
Students learn to apply physical principles across disciplines, connecting foundational scientific ideas to applications in materials science, computing, energy, medicine, and space science.
Why Astronomy?
Studying astronomy provides students with valuable scientific and quantitative skills, as well as the perspective to apply those skills to broader contexts for a deeper understanding of our universe.
Students studying astronomy gain the following marketable skills:
Scientific Literacy about the Universe
Students develop an understanding of stars, planets, galaxies, cosmology, and the large-scale structure of the universe, and learn how observational evidence supports scientific explanations.
Knowledge of Planetary Systems and Habitability
Students examine the formation and evolution of planetary systems, the conditions required for life, and the methods used to detect and characterize planets beyond our solar system.
Observational and Data-Analysis Skills
Students gain experience interpreting astronomical images, spectra, and survey data. They learn how light and other signals from space are used to infer the physical properties of distant objects.
How to Apply Physics to Cosmic Systems
Students apply principles such as gravity, radiation, thermodynamics, and relativity to understand stars, black holes, galaxies, and the expanding universe.
Quantitative and Computational Reasoning
Students use mathematical and computational tools to model astrophysical systems and analyze large observational data sets, building skills relevant to data science and quantitative research.
Research and Collaborative Inquiry
Students participate in research experiences that involve formulating scientific questions, managing projects, working in teams, and communicating findings effectively.
Historical and Interdisciplinary Perspective
Students explore the development of astronomical ideas and consider how scientific discoveries interact with broader cultural, philosophical, and technological contexts.
Contact Us
Building Addresses
2001 Grand Ave.
1st and 3rd Floors
Nashville, TN 37212
The 17th & Horton Building
1400 18th Ave. South, 1st Floor
Nashville, TN 37212
Mailing Address
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Vanderbilt University
PMB 401807, 2301 Vanderbilt Place
Nashville, TN 37240
Phone: (615) 322-2828