About the School of Physics

Recent History

The School of Physics at the University of Kwazulu-Natal was formed out of the merger between the Physics Departments of the ex-Natal (Durban and Pietermaritzburg) and the ex-University of Durban-Westville. The School now operates on three sites, offering programmes in Physics and Applied Physics on the Westville campus, Physics and Computational Physics on the Pietermaritzburg campus and a range of service teaching to the Engineering Faculty and the Faculty of Nursing on the Howard College campus.

The merger has brought several exciting options to the School of Physics. Firstly, we have recurriculated our offerings and have in the process put together a very modern and current physics curriculum, both for the mainstream Physics offering, as well as for the applied directions, viz. Applied Physics and Computational Physics. The second major result of the merger has been the physical reconstruction of teaching and research facilities on the Westville campus. Completely new designs were conceived and are now ready for operation, to the extent that the School of Physics can boast presently to have the most modern undergraduate teaching laboratories in the country.

Research

The School has a range of research interests, with its biggest strengths lying in the areas of Quantum Information Science; Space, Atmospheric and Plasma Physics as well as Theoretical and Computational Physics. The School is proud to host the regional node of the National Institute of Theoretical Physics as of 2007, and we hope to use it as a vehicle to develop the theoretical Physics endeavour in this province, beyond the boundaries of the University of Kwazulu-Natal.

Campuses

The school is represented in Durban, on the Westville and Howard College Campuses, and in Pietermaritzburg. The school has only a small presence on the Howard College Campus where it services the physics needs of the Engineering Faculty and the Faculty of Nursing. For detailed information on the operation of the Durban and Pietermaritzburg centres, please visit the appropriate site.

Mission

The broad mission of the School is:

• to develop Physics graduates with competencies that allow them to contribute to the national needs as demanded by physics-based projects in the country, the need for basic fundamental research, and the needs of the secondary education sector.
• to develop a core suite of research fields which would have international standing and recognition, and the accompanying ability to attract the best postgraduates from both within and outside the country.
• to assist in building capacity in the field of Physics from those amongst the previously disadvantaged groups, by offering suitable curricula and academic support, which encourages both teaching and learning excellence.