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Physics and Astronomy

Why choose UVic?

Undergraduate programs

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Student Daniel Crossley-Wing on a laptop in a UVic lab — Why choose UVic physics and astronomy?
Whether you’re interested in gravity, relativity, quantum mechanics or galaxies, we have a program that's right for you. Daniel Crossley-Wing says UVic's emphasis on lab work gives you the opportunity for hands-on learning.
Undergraduate studies

Graduate student Clare Higgs next to UVic's telescope — Graduate studies
Graduate student Clare Higgs says the expertise at UVic and at NRC-Herzberg mean there is a huge variety of fields to study, and the large physics and astronomy community in Victoria promotes collaboration.
Graduate studies

Woman pointing at an image being projected onto a screen — Current students
At UVic, our students are immersed in dynamic learning that's fueled by research-inspired insights and hands-on experiences in labs, research experiences and co-op placements.
Current students

Woman outside of an observatory — Dynamic research
UVic research benefits from local and international connections and collaborations and has access to world-class equipment and facilities.
Research

Careers in physics and astronomy
Ada Loewen's co-op term in Nunavut with Oceans Networks Canada allowed her to experience what she learned in the classroom first-hand while working on a project that benefited a community.
Career possibilities

Faculty member Dean Karlen in the TRIUMF, Canada's national particle accelerator centre — Meet our faculty
Our faculty and instructors believe the best way to learn, discover and create is by doing. Dean Karlen is the principal investigator on a major expansion to TRIUMF, Canada's particle and nuclear physics research facility.
Our faculty

Julio Navarro at the UVic Observatory — Dark matter halos and the formation of galaxies
Cosmologist Julio Navarro’s revolutionary work, which has influenced our modern understanding of how galaxies form and evolve, has been recognized as a Citation Laureate—the first for a University of Victoria researcher.
Read the Q&A

Learn. Inquire. Discover.

Physics allows us to understand the world, from the invisible particles that make up the matter around us, through our sensory experiences, to the unimaginably vast reaches of the universe.

With us, you can engage in research while working with internationally-recognized faculty. Discover the science underlying the technology that has become an integral part of human evolution.

Territory acknowledgment
We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory the university stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.