There is a BS/MS option available, which enables a student to apply nine undergraduate credits towards an MS in Physics and thereby obtain an MS degree in less than two years. The department offers physics degrees at the BA, BS, MS and PhD levels, supported by over 20 tenure-track faculty. The department also maintains a robust and growing research portfolio, with concentrations in the following fields: Astrophysics (active galactic nuclei, relativistic jets, large scale structure of the universe) Atmospheric Physics (radiative transfer, Lidar, satellite remote sensing, dynamics) Condensed Matter Physics (THz science, molecular electronics, nanomaterials, organic-inorganic interfaces) Physics Education (secondary education, peer learning/guided inquiry) Quantum Optics and Information Science (quantum computing and imaging) As one of the most rapidly growing physics departments in the country, UMBC's Department of Physics has experienced great changes in the last 15 years: Number of tenure-track faculty has doubled Research faculty has grown to over 20 PhD and MS programs established in Physics and Atmospheric Physics Graduate population has exceeded 50 full-time students.