Back To School With Physics On The Brain: Enrollments In Physics Classes Hit Post-War High

According to AIP, over the past ten years, the number of students enrolled in physics has increased by eight percent, reaching an all time high (of 28%) since the end of World War II. What's more, the study shows that the type of physics being taught is expanding. While traditional introductory physics classes still constitute the bulk of the physics curriculum, the fastest growing alternative uses a less mathematical approach to teach physics concepts. At the other end of the spectrum, the study shows rapid growth in advanced physics courses. The number of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) physics today is double what it was just a decade ago.

Girls are also making a greater showing in physics classrooms. "I am very encouraged by the news that more women are taking physics courses in high school," says Jack Hehn, the manager of the education division of AIP. According to the research, in 1987 only 39% of physics students were girls. Today, girls represent almost half (47%) of students taking physics. But there are still advances that need to be made. Women are less likely to continue in physics education after high school. Only one-fifth of all bachelor's degrees in physics go to women, and only one-eighth of all doctorates.

There are also concerns about drawing more minorities to physics classes. The report shows that African-American and Hispanic students are still under represented in physics classrooms. The research also points out that far fewer students take physics at schools which teachers rate as socioeconomically worse off than average. These schools are also much less likely to offer advanced placement classes. According to Michael Neuschatz, the report's author, "a substantial fraction of the academically most successful students are now getting an introduction to physics. But that is not at all the case for other students, including many who are headed towards two year colleges and technologically demanding jobs."

The AIP study therefore suggests that while there has been great improvement overall in physics education of the past ten years, the fight is not over. "We must not let our guard down," says AIP Program Director James Stith. "Given the last decade of progress, we must continue to undertake a reform agenda that has initiated that progress."