May 13, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

Physics and Engineering


The Physics and Engineering Department helps students reach their potential through quality instruction and application-based learning focused on recognizing and caring for the whole person. Students in this department may pursue nationally recognized coursework in the Biomedical Physics, B.S.  or Physics of Medicine, B.S.  Programs, or in the Engineering Programs offered through the Rockhurst/UMKC joint engineering program. All degrees require the successful completion of no fewer than 128 semester credit hours.

Physics

The mission of the Rockhurst University Physics Program is to serve the needs of all students by providing a quality, student centered physics education that contributes to the understanding of physical phenomena essential in all fields of science, medicine and technology. We have designed our courses to cover both the practical and the conceptual, providing our students with the intellectual tools necessary to apply their knowledge as well as to become life-long learners.  We are committed to helping our students achieve an understanding of physics that prepares them well for success in competitive clinical medical/healthcare graduate programs, research-based graduate programs in Biophysics or Medical Physics, the physics education field, or a career in business, industry or government.  We seek to educate our students in a way that is consistent with the University’s mission and within the framework of Jesuit values.

The Physics department offers the following programs:

Students interested in the Biomedical Physics, B.S.  or Physics of Medicine, B.S.  Programs should contact the Rockhurst Biomedical Physics Program Director, Dr. Nancy Donaldson (nancy.donaldson@rockhurst.edu) for questions and to plan their course of study.

Additional program information is available on the Rockhurst website at the following address: https://www.rockhurst.edu/

Engineering Science

The mission of the Rockhurst Engineering Science Program is to develop high-quality graduates who meet the needs of our society both locally and globally. Engineering graduates will be engineers and technology specialists actively involved in the life and growth of the region and committed to serving the needs of our contemporary world. Rockhurst University and the University of Missouri–Kansas City have partnered together to offer engineering and computing programs, resulting in four joint Rockhurst/UMKC Bachelor of Science degrees.

The four-year joint program includes classes at both university campuses. Students will take all of their math, physics and core liberal arts classes at Rockhurst while taking specialized courses at UMKC.

Students interested in the Joint Program Engineering program should contact the Rockhurst Engineering Science Program Director, Dr. O’Bannon (deborah.obannon@rockhurst.edu). Due to the prerequisite structure of classes in these majors, it is important that students begin to follow the four-year plans as early as possible.

 

Rockhurst University offers the following joint programs:

It is also possible to complete a pre-engineering curriculum and transfer to another accredited engineering university after two or three years at Rockhurst. Students may be interested in this option if they wish to pursue an engineering major that is not offered at Rockhurst. If this is the path students plan to pursue they would still sign up for the joint Rockhurst/UMKC program and take relevant coursework at both Rockhurst and UMKC during their time at Rockhurst. You should discuss your plans with the program director and take coursework as advised.

Additional program information is available on the Rockhurst website at the following address: https://www.rockhurst.edu/ 

Physics and Engineering Department Program Goals: 
  • Students will identify interconnections that exist between physics/engineering and other disciplines, deepening their content knowledge while recognizing interdisciplinary applications.
  • Students will convey their physics/engineering understanding in a variety of settings, both orally and in writing, to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Student Learning Outcomes:
  • Physics/Engineering students will integrate principles learned in their courses with their world, desired careers and/or graduate school program interests.
  • Students will design/construct a physics/engineering project that requires a synthesis of learning material from class and outside referenced scientific sources.
  • Students will illustrate academic knowledge of physics/engineering principles in faculty and research based conceptual surveys.

Return to College of Arts and Sciences .