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Re: Would Physics First Increase the Number of Physics Majors?



Hugh Haskell wrote:

At 16:33 -0400 4/28/03, Bob LaMontagne wrote:

The number of responses to advertisements for college level physics teaching
positions is overwhelming. It's nice to fill our departments with
students, but
it's somewhat unethical to send great numbers into a saturated market.

If all we expect a physics major to be when he or she graduates is a
professional physicist, then we shouldn't be producing more of them
than the physics research market can absorb. But in fact, a physics
education can be much broader than that, preparing students to work
in many diverse fields, not all of them scientifically oriented. We
just have to decide what we want.


I strongly agree. There should be more respect for degree programs like "applied
Physics", where the emphasis is on immediate application of skills after
completing the undergraduate degree. Currently, these are looked at as 2nd tier
programs.

Bob at PC