Florida Atlantic University is a multi-campus university with campuses in Palm Beach and Broward Counties; the main campus is situated in Boca Raton, approximately midway between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, some 40 miles north of Miami.
When it opened in 1964, the University brought to the southeast region of Florida the opportunities of upper division and graduate level programs for junior college graduates.
The University enrolled the first freshman class in 1984. FAU is part of Florida's State University System and now offers baccalaureate specialization in more than 50 fields and 45 master's level programs.
The Department of Physics is located on the Boca campus. It was one of the original departments of the University and it rapidly developed a comprehensive undergraduate program leading to the BA and BS degrees in Physics.
In 1966, Physics became the first program at FAU to be authorized by the Board of Regents to offer a graduate level program leading to the MS degree.
In 1969, the Department received authorization to grant the Master of Science in Teaching (MST degree). This program is designed to train physics teachers at the secondary and junior college levels.
Subsequently, the Ph.D program was approved and was introduced in January 1988. As a result, the faculty and research activities have been expanded, providing a more varied curriculum for students at all levels.
The Science and Engineering Building was completed in 1990 and now houses the upper division and graduate physics programs. A new Physical Science Building was completed in the Fall 1998 and provides new space for the undergraduate laboratories and classrooms.
