Accreditation for Physics
High Point University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). That accreditation includes the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Physics offered by the Wanek School of Natural Sciences and the physics minor.
From HPU Physics to Graduate School and Industry
Graduate programs and employers look for research experience, programming skill and independent problem-solving. Every HPU physics major completes a faculty-mentored research project early in the degree, learns Python in introductory physics and finishes courses with experimental, computational or theoretical projects. Graduates have continued to graduate programs at Stanford, Boston University and UNC Chapel Hill.
University Accreditation
High Point University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and has been continuously accredited since 1951. SACSCOC has granted HPU Level V status, which authorizes a university to award doctoral degrees.
The Wanek School of Natural Sciences
The Wanek School of Natural Sciences is a community of more than 450 scientist scholars in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, neuroscience and physics, with an average student-to-faculty ratio of 17 to 1. Its faculty are internationally recognized for published research and for their approach to undergraduate teaching.
The school sits on the Innovation Corridor, a half-mile stretch of campus dedicated to STEM that includes the Caine Conservatory, a 15,000-square-foot space with a classroom, working greenhouse and planting display.
Faculty Research
Physics faculty conduct research in nuclear physics, cosmology, biomedical and musical acoustics and soft materials. Seven students presented posters, accompanied by two faculty, at PhysCon 2025, the Physics and Astronomy Congress, in Denver.
The Culp Planetarium
The Culp Planetarium’s Spitz SciDome system is a teaching tool for astronomy and beyond, displaying 3D models of the human body, earth science demonstrations and virtual physics experiments. Thousands gathered on campus to view the 2024 solar eclipse through the physics department’s telescopes.
Machine Shop, Clean Room and Microscopy
Students work in the Physics Machine Shop, the Materials and Microscopy Lab and a clean room, along with a makerspace and advanced instrumentation.
High Point University Rankings
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2027 ranks High Point University #1 for Most Innovative Schools and #3 for Best Undergraduate Teaching among Regional Universities in the South. HPU also ranks #1 in its category for Earnings by Major, a new U.S. News factor that measures what graduates earn four years after leaving campus.
The Princeton Review’s Best 392 Colleges: 2027 Edition ranks High Point University #3 for Best-Run Colleges, #3 for Best College Dorms and #3 for Most Beautiful Campus. HPU is the only university in North Carolina ranked in the top 5 for all three.
Niche’s 2027 rankings place High Point University #1 in North Carolina for Best College Campuses, Best College Dorms and Best College Food, and #8 in North Carolina for Colleges with the Best Professors.
Measured by National Association of Colleges and Employers standards, 99% of HPU’s Class of 2025 was employed or continuing their education within 180 days, 13 points above the national average.
Goldwater Scholar
In 2026, Jake Ankrum, a physics and biochemistry double major, was one of 454 students nationwide named a Barry Goldwater Scholar.
Honor Society and Student Leadership
Physics students can be inducted into Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics honor society. HPU’s chapter of the Society of Physics Students belongs to the national Society of Physics Students and leads science outreach in the community.
Recognition for Undergraduate Research
The Council on Undergraduate Research named High Point University the recipient of its 2025 Campus-Wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments, judged against CUR’s Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research.
Explore Physics at High Point University
See the courses physics majors take and where HPU physics graduates go next.
Curriculum & Research Careers & Student Organizations
Questions about the program? Email Dr. Briana Fiser, dean of the Wanek School of Natural Sciences, at [email protected], or Dr. Jacob Brooks, interim chair of physics, at [email protected].