Let me start by asking why Physics? It’s just because today’s Science is Tomorrow’s Technology & Physics is the major driving force behind the development of new technologies, which in turn are reshaping our lives! 

The vision of the Physics department is to lay the foundational stone of excellence and spur the development of the University as a premier Institution in the field of Physics, by igniting and nurturing enthusiasm, interests and passion, among the students through the advanced curricula.     

Located in the scenic green campus of Adamas University, Kolkata, the Department of Physics started its activity in 2015. The department is an active beehive of research being carried out in a wide variety of frontier areas as well as high quality Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral programs. The research program of the department cover both pure and applied physics areas like Condensed Matter Physics, Particle Physics, Electronics, Material Science, Bio-Medical Instrumentation, Electronics, Applied Electronics, Thin Film, Biophysics and many more…  

The Department conducts programs at the Bachelor’s, Master’s as well as at the Doctoral Research levels. The establishment of state-of-the-art experimental and computational facilities has allowed us to venture into emergent career-oriented courses like Medical Physics and Instrumentation and interdisciplinary areas like Nano-science and Biophysics. With a vibrant and active PhD program, in which many PhD students are currently enrolled, The Department of Physics thrives to be one of the leading research groups across the world. 

In this article, we are going to tell you especially about our 3-year B. Sc. (H) program in Physics. The course is designed keeping in mind the aspiration and career choices of the bright young passing out students of class 12. It is a regular full-time programme spanned for six semesters. Through this program, the department delivers a strong theoretical course of study and practical training in different aspects of Physics to assure the success of its students in graduate schools, professional schools as well as in further employment. The ultimate goal is for our students to apply their knowledge to any problem within scientific disciplines throughout their life. During their senior year, the students demonstrate the effectiveness of their learning experience. This fulfilling and stimulating experience opens the door to new learning and leadership opportunities as well as personal exploration and new purposes in life.  

 After completion of the program, students will be able to

1. Demonstrate a rigorous understanding of the core theories & principles of physics, which includes Classical mechanics, Electromagnetism, Thermodynamics, Quantum mechanics, Statistical mechanics, Solid State Physics, Nuclear Physics etc.
2. Learn the Concepts and applications of Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, introduced at the degree level in order to understand nature at atomic levels.
3. Provide knowledge about Material properties and solid-state physics and its application for developing technology to ease the problems related to society.
4. Understand the set of physical laws, describing the motion of bodies, under the influence of the system of forces.
5. Understand the relationship between particles & atoms, as well as their creation & decay. Relate the structure of atoms & subatomic particles.
6. Understand the physical properties of the molecule the chemical bonds between atoms as well as molecular dynamics.
7. Analyze the applications of mathematics to the problems in physics & develop suitable mathematical methods for such application & for the formulation of physical theories.
8. Learn the structure of solid materials & their different physical properties along with metallurgy, cryogenics, electronics, & material science.
9. Understand the fundamental theory of nature at a small scale & levels of atom & sub-atomic particles.
10. Demonstrate a knowledge of applied electronics which is helpful to design and develop several devices and sensors etc.

Programme Eligibility:  

Qualified 10+2 level or equivalent examination with Chemistry as one of the subjects.  

Teaching – Learning Process:  

While framing the teaching-learning process for undergraduate physics, we follow a holistic view of learning including situational, continuous, and transformational aspects which relies on the principle of ‘continuity of experience’ i.e. continuously transformed by the transactions that occur between the individual and his/her surroundings. This occurs when present experiences are carried forward by being connected to previous experiences in a continuous process.  

The teaching-learning processes for undergraduate students doing B.Sc. (Hons.) in Physics are oriented towards enabling students to understand the fundamentals and applications of physical and scientific theories portrayed within the B.Sc. (Hons.) in Physics programme.  

The outcome-based approach, particularly in the context of undergraduate level studies in Physics has been designed to significantly shift from teacher-centric to learner-centric pedagogies, and from passive to active/participatory pedagogies.  

Each course of the study lends itself to a well-structured and sequenced acquisition of knowledge and skills in physical sciences. An important aspect of the teaching-learning process is that the undergraduate student will achieve practical skills in physical sciences which include an appreciation of the link between theories and experiments through hands-on experiments.  

Teaching methods, guided by such a framework, comprises of (i) lectures supported by group tutorial work, (ii) lab-based hands-on training, (iii) the use of prescribed textbooks and e-learning resources and other self-study materials, (iv) open-ended project work, some of which may also be team-based, (v) activities (presentations, seminar etc.) designed to promote the development of generic/transferable skills in physical sciences.  

There will be home works based on physical sciences (problem-solving approach) that will allow students to demonstrate their knowledge on each chapter and to increase their analyzing power further. There will be regular quizzes and class presentations which shall enable the students to demonstrate knowledge and enhance communication skills. Two/Three class tests will be given through the semester along with one mid-term and one end-term examination to have students demonstrate mastery of key concepts.  

Information and communication systems (ICT) will be used selectively for decoding and interpreting mainly graphs and shapes as well as to process experimental measurements or to simulate solid-state or high energy physics related phenomena. Students are trained in various programs (e.g., Mathematica, Matlab, Python, Fortran etc.).  

About CBCS:  

School of Science has implemented the CBCS system for all undergraduate programmes run under its umbrella. The CBCS provides an opportunity for the students to choose courses from the prescribed courses comprising core, elective/minor or skill-based courses. The courses can be evaluated following the grading system, which is considered to be better than the conventional marks system. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a uniform grading system in the entire higher education in India. This will benefit the students to move across institutions within India, to begin with, and across countries. The uniform grading system will also enable potential employers in assessing the performance of the candidates. In order to bring uniformity in the evaluation system and computation of the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) based on student’s performance in examinations, the UGC has formulated the guidelines to be followed. 

Elaboration of some terms in course structure:

1. Core Course: A course, which should compulsorily be studied by a candidate as a core requirement is termed as a core course. To learn more about the core courses please refer to our website: https://science.adamasuniversity.ac.in/physics/

2. (a) Elective (Generic) Course: Generally a course which can be chosen from a pool of courses and which may be very specific or specialized or advanced or supportive to the discipline/ subject of study or which provides an extended scope or which enables exposure to some other discipline/subject/domain or nurtures the candidate’s proficiency/skill is called an Elective Course.  

   As the Generic Elective course are offered to the students with 6 credits and they are (a) Mathematics (b) Chemistry (c) Computer Science (d) Statistics etc.  

   (b) Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) Course: Elective courses may be offered by the main discipline/subject of study is referred to as Discipline Specific Elective. The University/Institute may also offer discipline related Elective courses of interdisciplinary nature (to be offered by the main discipline/subject of study).  

   (c) Dissertation/Project: An elective course designed to acquire special/advanced knowledge, such as supplement study/support study to project work, and a candidate studies such a course on his own with advisory support by a teacher/faculty member is called dissertation/project.

3. Ability Enhancement Courses (AEC)/Competency Improvement Courses/Skill Development Courses: The Ability Enhancement (AE) Courses may be of two kinds: AE Compulsory Course (AECC) and AE Elective Course (AEEC). “AECC” courses are the courses based upon the content that leads to Knowledge enhancement. They ((i) Environmental Science, (ii) English Language and Literature) are mandatory for all disciplines. AEEC courses are value-based and/or skill-based and are aimed at providing hands-on training, competencies, skills, etc.  

   Study Abroad Program: 

   Our school, the School of Basic and Applied Sciences (SOBAS) has an active program called the “Study Abroad Program” through which interested students get all the support to pursue higher studies abroad. Students from the Physics department already got benefited from this program and continuing their studies abroad. Through this program, one can get information about various scholarship programmes, help with various entrance test, advice on students’ loans and many more.  

   Apart from the academic program, the University provides lots of opportunities to learn through extracurricular activities and different club activities. So try not to learn only from the classrooms or laboratories. Life never stops you from surprising, so enjoy each moment with your friends and fellow classmates also. We want you to have an experience of a lifetime. 

   For further details and enquiry, you can visit the official website of the Department of Physics, Adamas University (https://science.adamasuniversity.ac.in/). You can also read blogs on various topics of Physics here – https://adamasuniversity.ac.in/category/physics/,   https://adamasuniversity.ac.in/category/astrophysics

   Finally, we would like to remind you about a quote from Sir Issac Newton – “What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean”. So keep learning!