Undergraduate physics students at MU have access to a wide variety of educational facilities, laboratories and research opportunities. Well-equiped teaching laboratories provide students with hands-on experience to supplement classroom activities, while individual experimentation and open-ended projects are encouraged for upper level students.

Presently, the Department consists of 25 regular faculty and 7 adjunct and emeritus faculty members with an annual enrollment of approximately 80 undergraduate students and around 43 full-time masters and doctoral students in the graduate program. Classes for both undergraduate and graduate students are generally small and provide ample opportunity for informal contact between students and faculty. The faculty have a strong commitment to teaching as well as research. There is a deep concern for preparing students for existing jobs in physics and related disciplines.

The research opportunities offered by the Department of Physics and Astronomy are in some cases unique at a university and at a level expected only in much larger departments. The main focus of research is in the area of Condensed Matter Theory and Experiment, but other internationally recognized research programs exist as well. These research efforts are fostered by the existence of the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), a 10 MW light-water moderated reactor that is the highest-power university research reactor in the country.