Academics

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Sarah Wittmer

What does it mean to think and act like a physicist? It’s about knowing how to break matter and systems down to their smallest parts, to understand the laws governing those parts, and then to reassemble them in ways that reveal new clues to our understanding of the Universe. These principles govern the physics education we offer here at Berkeley.

Innovation thrives not only in the laboratory but also in the classroom. Our program for undergrads and grads is one of the highest ranked in the country, if not the world, and Berkeley is home to more physics majors than any program in the country. Physics is the second largest department in the College of Letters & Science at the University of California, Berkeley. The 2014 Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known as the 'Shanghai Ranking', cited Berkeley Physics as #1 in the world, with excellence in research, teaching, and service to the community all highly valued. We offer a bachelor of arts degree program and a PhD program in physics.