The study of physics from a deeper mathematical perspective.
You'll often find students working out mathematical problems on our convenient whiteboards - placed all around campus - such as here, in our Quantum Nano Centre (QNC).
We're on the same wavelength.
Apply your love of mathematics to the understanding of how the natural world works.
By taking more advanced courses in mathematics, you will be better equipped to understand the theoretical foundations of physics. You might contribute to discovering a new, more deeply unified theory of physics, or work out mathematically complex solutions to some of the great theoretical and/or technological challenges of our time. Mathematical Physics will give you advanced mathematical problem solving skills to prepare you for a wide range of careers or graduate studies.
Study in one of Canada’s largest and most highly respected physics departments, where your professors herald from various award-winning backgrounds - including Donna Strickland, the Nobel Prize winner in 2018 for Physics. With ties to the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Institute for Quantum Computing, take your education further than you thought possible.
Mathematical Physics Ambassadors - We'd love to meet you!
Find out more about life as a Waterloo Mathematical Physics student. Come in for a tour or to one of our open houses and you might even meet us in person!
This major is available in the co-op and regular stream of study
SOME OF THE SKILLS ATTAINED WITHIN THIS MAJOR
- Advanced mathematical skills
- Qualitative and quantitative analysis
- Systematic, rigorous, and flexible problem solving
- Applied programming and data analysis
- Creative application of knowledge to design new technologies
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN PHYSICS AT WATERLOO
RECENT PROJECTS:
- Quantum reference frames and the 3-body problem
- High field thermal conductivity of spin ice materials
- Inequalities witnessing quantum incompatibility in the Triangle Scenario
- Dark matter, conformal invariance and the Higgs Boson
- Exploring quantum gravity with gravitational waves
Explore other physics-related programs
Learn more
- Apply via Physical Sciences on the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC).
- Learn more minors available to Faculty of Science students, as well as our Bioinformatics Option.
- Learn more about co-op.
- See more in the science careers list.