Making decisions concerning what college to attend and what career to pursue is very difficult. Although only the student himself can make the ultimate decision, the members of the Engineering-Physics-Systems Department at Providence College hope that the information you find here will help you decide if our programs are what you are looking for. We have also created a booklet that you may find helpful. The booklet is organized to give you information about our faculty and our programs. The Table of Contents has links to help if you are looking for a specific piece of information.
Click here to access our booklet.
If you cannot find the answers to your questions either here or in our booklet, please feel free to contact our department chair:
Dr. Lynne Lawson, Chair
Engineering-Physics-Systems Department
Providence College
Providence, RI 02918
(401) 865-1251
llawson@providence.edu
Programs Offered by our Department
Students in our department can choose between a four-year concentration in APPLIED PHYSICS or a multiple degree COMBINED PLAN in engineering. The combined plan is presently the more popular among our students. It consists of three years of pre-engineering study here at Providence College followed by two years of study in a specific engineering field at one of our affiliate schools. Our affiliate schools are Columbia University (New York City) and Washington University (St. Louis), both of which enjoy excellent reputations in engineering. The Combined Plan, or "3-2" program, leads to a Bachelor of Science degree from Providence College and a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the affiliate school. Students choosing to participate in our Combined Plan enjoy the advantages of a balanced humanities-technology curriculum at Providence College and upper level specialized engineering courses from affiliate schools with the finest of reputations among engineering schools.
The APPLIED PHYSICS concentration is a multi-disciplinary problem solving program combining a traditional physics program with courses in system science. Students completing the program will have developed problem solving skills along with skills in planning and technical management, making them prepared for a variety of career options. Students who wish to continue their studies in graduate school will also find themselves well prepared. The course of study has a science base (physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computational science). Written and oral communication are an integral part student preparation. Work-study internships or theses are encouraged in the program.
Facilities and Staff
The department utilizes the facilities of the Academic Computing Center, a multiple terminal resource having up to date computer language and utility software, as well as access to the Internet. Students also have access to an award winning library complex housing more than a quarter million volumes and study accommodations for more than a thousand students. The Engineering- Physics–Systems Department has classroom, laboratory and research space in the Albertus Magnus Science Complex. Our hands-on laboratories include a micro-computer/microelectronics lab and a new twelve station computer equipped area where students can run physics and engineering simulation software and learn the computer languages essential to work in our field.
Enrollments are limited to a level permitting small class and laboratory sections in an atmosphere that places emphasis on learning, both in and out of the classroom. The programs enjoy the participation of a highly competent mathematics and science faculty. The Department’s faculty shares their diverse experiences and backgrounds in education, applied physics, electronics, applied computation, systems science and engineering in teaching, guidance, and research roles.