Physics & Astronomy

Dual-Degree Program in Engineering with The University Of Virginia
Hampden-Sydney College offers students interested in a career in engineering the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science degree from the College and a master's degree from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia in approximately five years.

A dual-degree candidate enrolls as a science or mathematics major at the College for his first three years. Upon completion of the College's core and major requirements with a B+ or higher average in his mathematics and science courses as well as overall, he applies for admission to the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science as a special non-degree undergraduate student. Provided that the student earns grades of C or higher in the appropriate courses at the University of Virginia, transfer credit is awarded to complete the bachelor's degree at the College. The student then is eligible to apply to a graduate program in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The graduate portion of the program normally requires 12 months of work to obtain a Master of Engineering degree or one and one-half years to obtain a Master of Science degree, which requires the writing of a thesis. In some instances, the master's degree may be bypassed if a student proceeds to the doctorate. Interested students should contact the Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy for further information.

Dual-Degree Program in Engineering with Old Dominion University
This dual-degree program makes it possible for undergraduate students to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, or Computer Science from Hampden-Sydney College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil, Computer, Electrical, Modeling and Simulation, or Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University in five years (five and one-half years in Computer Engineering). Dual-degree candidates first declare a major in Physics, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, or Computer Science at Hampden-Sydney College for the first three years and transfer to the Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University for the final two (or two and one-half) years of their undergraduate studies. The dual-degree program is carefully constructed to meet all degree requirements of both institutions and is consistent with established Old Dominion University transfer policies.

Upon completing the prescribed courses with a minimum 2.7 grade point average and a C or better in all applicable courses during the first three years at Hampden-Sydney College, dual-degree students complete the transfer admissions application to Old Dominion University. In addition to the minimum grade point average, students are required to meet all other admission requirements at Old Dominion University. Upon completing specified courses listed in the articulation agreements, students are awarded the Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, or Computer Science from Hampden-Sydney College usually at the end of the fourth year. At the conclusion of the fifth year or when all prescribed courses are completed so that the requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree in Civil, Computer, Electrical, Modeling and Simulation or Mechanical Engineering at Old Dominion University have been fulfilled, the appropriate Bachelor of Science degree is awarded by Old Dominion University.

The Engineering Committee and the student's major advisor at Hampden-Sydney College will guide students during the first three years to ensure that the requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree at H-SC and the majority of the requirements for the first two years of Engineering at Old Dominion University have been met. Each student completes the on-line transfer student application and pays the appropriate application fee to Old Dominion University in addition to requesting that all official transcripts be sent to the ODU Office of Admissions for acceptance. The Associate Dean of the Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University ensures that the dual-degree students are properly advised after transferring to Old Dominion University. Once the student has completed the necessary courses at ODU to complete the Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, or Computer Science from Hampden-Sydney College, the student must apply for graduation from H-SC, having ODU transcripts sent to the Registrar for evaluation and posting to the H-SC transcript. The final Hampden-Sydney transcript with the Bachelor of Science degree posted must be sent to ODU's Office of Admissions for posting to the ODU record; submitted in conjunction with a new admission application (no new fees assessed) as a second-degree seeking student. At this point, the student's ODU record is adjusted to second-degree status, thus satisfying all lower division general education requirements for the Bachelor of Science in the engineering discipline. At the beginning of the last year of study at ODU, the student must apply for graduation for the second degree.

Christopher Newport University
Early Admission, Master Of Science In Applied Physics And Computer Science Program
Through an agreement with Christopher Newport University (CNU), Hampden-Sydney College may nominate up to three exceptional Hampden-Sydney Physics, Engineering Physics, or Computer Science majors from the junior class as candidates for early admission to Christopher Newport’s Master of Science in Applied Physics and Computer Science (MS-APCS) program. Nominations must be made by January 30th of each year. A nominated student will be invited to apply to the MS-APCS program by February 1 of the junior year and will not be required to submit a GRE score or pay an application fee. Conditionally accepted students may be offered an optional summer research opportunity at CNU between the junior and senior years. With supervisor agreement, a student who successfully completes summer research at CNU may continue the research at Hampden-Sydney during the senior year under the supervision of the instructor of one of Hampden-Sydney’s advanced laboratory sequences and may also be granted a Graduate Assistantship upon final acceptance to the MS-APCS program. Final acceptance is contingent on the student’s graduating from Hampden-Sydney with a 3.0 or greater GPA and having met the program’s admissions standards and academic prerequisites, as specified by the Christopher Newport Graduate Studies Catalog.