Με την ίδρυση του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών το 1837, η Φυσική ήταν ένα από τα επιστημονικά αντικείμενα που διδασκόταν στη Φιλοσοφική Σχολή. Το πρώτο Εργαστήριο Φυσικής συγκροτήθηκε το 1890 σε ξεχωριστό κτήριο στην οδό Σόλωνος 104 (σχεδιασμένο από το διάσημο Γερμανό αρχιτέκτονα Ε. Τσίλλερ), όπου στη συνέχεια στεγάστηκε το Εργαστήριο Πειραματικής Φυσικής το 1894. Η μεγάλη αλλαγή στη δομή του Πανεπιστημίου έγινε το 1904, όταν η Φιλοσοφική Σχολή διαχωρίσθηκε σε δύο: τη Φιλοσοφική Σχολή και τη Σχολή Θετικών Επιστημών, με τη δεύτερη να απαρτίζεται από τα Τμήματα Φυσικής, Μαθηματικών και Φαρμακευτικής. Το 1919 το Τμήμα Χημείας διαχωρίσθηκε από το Τμήμα Φυσικής. Με τις δομικές αλλαγές του 1982, το Τμήμα Φυσικής είναι σήμερα ένα από τα Τμήματα της Σχολής Θετικών Επιστημών.

Physics is a demanding but also fascinating basic science as its goal is none other than understanding nature, which most people conceive as the world around us, inside of us and beyond us. The robust knowledge base, the ingenuity in problem solving and the scientific way of thinking that physics students acquire through the study of physics, form strong foundations, and provide valuable skills for their professional development in a very wide range of professions in the public or private sectors. Physics graduates can pursue careers in basic research in all fields of physics from astrophysics to condensed matter and elementary particles, as well as in applications like environmental science, the development of new materials, electronic physics and systems, biophysics and medical physics.  Other opportunities are offered in teaching, science writing, science policy, energy policy, finance as well as technical consulting and management.

The Physics Department of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens is a leading institution in Greece with a strong international reputation, stemming from the pioneering and innovative work of its research and teaching staff, as well as from the high level of its graduate, postgraduate and doctoral students, and graduates.  A major strength of the Department is that it offers instruction and research in a wide range of fields, from the elementary particles of the microcosm to the properties of organized matter, all the way to our macroscopic surroundings and the farthest galaxies in the universe, alongside applications of physics to systems and functions that form the foundations of modern technological civilization.  Our students have the opportunity to investigate their individual scientific orientation, to specialize and deepen their knowledge in one of the postgraduate programs offered, and to participate in the production of new knowledge via doctoral and postdoctoral research.