MORGANTOWN, W.Va.— The Department of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University is ranked no. 100 in the U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings of graduate programs.
“From National Science Foundation support for the Physics Frontier Center in Gravitational Wave Astrophysics to the national leadership roles in condensed matter physics, physics education research and plasma physics occupied by our faculty, WVU physics and astronomy is having a national impact,” said Earl Scime, Oleg D. Jefimenko Professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
The Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology and the Center for STEM Education are two University-wide centers led by faculty from the Department of Physics and Astronomy that provide a myriad of opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students across many WVU programs. Faculty within physics are constantly developing new center proposals, and the Department has high hopes of securing additional national center-level projects in the next few years.
“From playing a significant role in the recent LIGO discovery of gravitational waves to leading experimental campaigns on the multi-billion-dollar National Ignition Facility, physics and astronomy faculty and alumni are at the forefront of scientific research nationally,” Scime said.
The size of the physics and astronomy faculty has doubled over the last 20 years. WVU is now ranked 65th in the nation for research expenditures, allowing for significant resources and training available for graduate students in the department.
“The strong research funding environment along with a diverse faculty provide extensive research opportunities for graduate students,” Scime said. “The graduate curriculum in our five core research areas is constantly upgraded to reflect the latest research advancements in the field.”
CONTACT: Katlin Swisher, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, 304-293-9264, Katlin.Swisher@mail.wvu.edu