Physics
Do you want to be on the cutting edge of scientific ideas and technology? If so, consider a career in physics. This branch of science is concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy. From the subatomic to the cosmological, physics seeks to reveal and explain the splendors of the universe.
Our Physics program is designed to provide you with the first two years of a four-year curriculum if you wish to specialize in physics or are preparing to apply for professional graduate programs in various medical fields. Experienced instructors will teach you how to describe, predict, and explain real-world phenomena, utilizing a variety of different representations like mathematical, graphical, and pictorial formalisms. You’ll learn how to collect and analyze experimental data, and then draw reasonable conclusions to both develop and support the laws of physics. You’ll also be able to apply the principles of physics to solve problems both inside and outside the classroom.
There is a wide range of career paths depending on whether you pursue a bachelor’s or graduate degree in physics — like teaching, medicine, intellectual property or patent law, science writing, science policy, energy policy, government, and management in technical fields.
Join the Physics program and take the first step toward accelerating your career.
Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges.
| Associate in Science, Emphasis in Physics |
Program Description
Do you wonder what subatomic particles have in common with the furthest reaches of the observable universe? Do you enjoy problem solving, analysis and logical thinking? If you do then physics/astronomy is the program for you! The program provides students with a solid foundation in the concepts of physics including the study of classical mechanics, electricity, light, magnetism, thermodynamics and wave motion. Additionally, use the laws of physics to reveal the nature of celestial objects. You'll benefit from our very own SCC Planetarium. Lay the foundation for a professional program in physics/engineering/astronomy at a four-year institution by graduating with your Associate in Science degree in two years.
Students in the program earn the Associate of Science, which prepares them for transfer to a four-year program. If students follow the correct transfer path, they enter transfer partner universities as juniors. Courses are available in-person (day and evening).
Course Format
Classes are offered in a variety of formats: in-person, online, hybrid, day, evening, full-time and part-time.
Textbooks
Most of our courses use low-cost textbooks or no cost material provided by your instructors. General education courses may have textbooks that cost more.