Society of Physics Students
Ensuring undergraduate voices shape the future of the physical sciences in higher education, the workforce, and in society.
We are SPS. We support people.
SPS is a professional association explicitly designed for students and their advisers, helping students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community. Membership, through collegiate chapters, is open to anyone interested in the physical sciences. Besides physics majors, our members include majors in astronomy, chemistry, computer science, engineering, and other fields.
SPS helps build skills needed to flourish professionally, including effective communication, leadership experience, networking, research experiences, and outreach services to the campus and local communities. Through its members, advisers, chapters, and leadership, SPS enables national initiatives and local impacts within the community.
SPS helps build skills needed to flourish professionally, including effective communication, leadership experience, networking, research experiences, and outreach services to the campus and local communities. Through its members, advisers, chapters, and leadership, SPS enables national initiatives and local impacts within the community.
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SPS has been an invaluable resource as I have navigated my early career in physics. Through it I have made friends, expanded my professional network, and learned what being a physicist is all about.
Lucas Hanson, Rutgers University, 2019 -
As a physics student, it’s very easy to get wrapped up in the rigorous course load and get burnt out. SPS is important to me because it helps remind us why we love physics in the first place and gives us a space to be with others who love it just as much.
Alexandra Detweiler, Illinois Institute of Technology, 2019
What do SPS chapters do?
Chapters are the heart of the SPS experience. They connect students to outreach, awards, scholarship opportunities, research, professional development opportunities, networking, and so much more. Every chapter is unique and pursues the activities that best serve its members, department, campus, and geographical setting.
Find a Chapter Near You!
SPS has more than 800 chapters at colleges and universities across the United States. Each chapter is individualized by the interests of its members, their physics and astronomy departments, and geographical setting.
Chapter Highlights
Ready to Join?
SPS is the best thing for your career since choosing STEMM! There are three ways to join: Individual, Discounted Group or Chapter Membership.
Membership Benefits
View All Benefits
The SPS Observer
Our flagship publication, the SPS Observer, is published by SPS and AIP three times a year.
Awards & Scholarships
We provide scholarships, research and travel grants, and outreach awards for individuals and chapters in physics and astronomy.
Society Memberships
By joining SPS you get free memberships to two physical science societies each year.
Publish Your Research
Members have opportunities to publish research in the Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics and Astronomy (JURPA).
Internship Opportunities
Our internship program places undergraduates in organizations that advance physics in policy, outreach, research, and more.
Networking & Professional Development
Join our supportive community of physics and astronomy professionals and build relationships that can last a lifetime.