The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers a multitrack program of study which allows each student flexibility to choose a suitable set of courses that will prepare the student for their chosen career goal. With the assistance of physics faculty advisors each student will select a program of theoretical and experimental courses through which they will gain an understanding of the broad range of general principles which characterize the discipline of physics, and they will acquire the ability to apply theoretical and experimental techniques to solve a wide variety of problems. The student who is more interested in directly entering the job market may be more interested in the applied physics track. The Applied Physics option is geared toward the student who is interested in the practical application of the types of analytical thinking and problem solving that make physics unique. One options within applied physics is to focus on computational science. Computational techniques involve the modeling of extremely complex physical systems using computers. It is a vital skill in such fields as fluid mechanics, meteorology, and even finance. Computational science is not about programming but about finding the proper way to create a virtual model of the important parameters that govern the physical behavior of a system. Another option within applied physics is to focus on materials science. The study of materials science is a pursuit to understand how the structure of the materials that things are made of influences their properties. Students in this program will discover how the world around us is made from the nanoscale up. They will also learn the advanced scientific characterization and fabrication techniques that are so important in this field. The third option within applied physics is to focus on electronics and instrumentation. This allows students to better understand the ways in which equipment is used to measure and analyze the world around us.