Physics
Course Overview
The Master of Sciences in Physics, lasting two years, is divided into five curricula:
- Astrophysics
- Applied Physics
- Physics of Matter
- Nuclear and Subnuclear Physics
- Theoretical Physics
The Master of Sciences in Physics provides the student disciplinary insights that extend and reinforce the knowledge acquired during the Bachelor Course, in specific areas of physics, both basic and more specialized. Insights are also provided for similar activities such as mathematics and computing. In addition, in order to provide students with tools for a prompt insertion into the international context, if agreed with them and / or in the presence of foreign students attending under Erasmus or international framework agreements, the lectures will be delivered in English language.
The Course consists of lectures, tutorials and practical laboratory work. The preparation of the thesis is a fundamental moment of the Master of Science in Physics, in which the student, through the guidance of one or more teachers, deepens in an original manner a topic of particular interest and relevance to physics or its applications. The preparation of the thesis may include a period in enterprises or external companies, University's research groups and laboratories or research institutions, in Italy or abroad. For the crucial role played by thesis in the maturation of knowledge and skills training, a large number of credits is reserved (40 credits) at the final test.
Educational Goals
The main goal of Master Degree in Physics at the University of Catania is the preparation of a high-level qualified student physics, who can validly be enrolled in scientific research, teaching, or into a workplace where one requires high skills for the understanding and development of the applications of physics in industry, in some areas of public administration or in public services.
The master degree course provides the student with disciplinary insights in specific areas of physics both basic and more specialized ones, that extend and reinforce the knowledge acquired in the three-year undergraduate course in physics. Specific insights are provided also for math and computer science topics.
The course includes five curricula (Astrophysics, Applied Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Nuclear and Sub-Nuclear Physics, Theoretical Physics), based on the scientific expertise of the members of the Physics and Astronomy Department, who work always in collaboration and in perfect synergy with the several research institutions based in the Catania area (INFN, LNS, INAF, CNR). This allows a deep thematic study on the latest developments of contemporary physics.
The master degree requires that students acquire in-depth, knowledge and methodologies related to one or more specific areas of physics together with autonomy of study, through extensive work on the final exam preparation.
Several tools for the development of knowledge and skills of the student are adopted. The key instrument consists of lectures combined with practical exercises, some of which may be carried out independently by the student himself. Conducting exercises, individual insights and laboratory work within many of the planned teaching activities, allow the acquisition of greater autonomy and allow students to refine their communication skills and judgment, as well as their ability to solve problems. The presence of laboratories, with the use of IT tools and scientific software will permit students to acquire specific skills and experience. The student will also be urged to acquire a direct contact with recent literature in physics, even at the research level, and hone individual skills in the consultation of books and scientific articles published in international science journals. The autonomous preparation of the final thesis is also a verification of the acquisition of these skills and mastery of the usual techniques of scientific communication in physics.
Job Opportunities
Graduates in Physics can be employed at management level, in fundamental and applied research, development and use of energy resources, other productive activities and public utilities, such as, for example, production and study of the properties of new materials, prevention and control of environmental risks, analysis in the field of cultural heritage, analysis of seismic risk, design of detectors and sensors systems, radiation protection of people and the environment, control and detection of physical phenomena in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment, design of electronic devices and complex data acquisition and computational systems.
Graduates can be employed also in school teaching activities, after having passed the habilitation exams and the admission competitions regulated by the Italian law.
