I wouldn't recommend this class if you are taking other difficult classes. The guy throws an unbelievable amount of information at you. There are two textbooks (he wrote one) and one is too general, the other too specific. Somehow, this doesn't balance out. His lectures are the only way to understand anything in the course, and he moves fast.Rate My Professors ↗
Current instructor
Mark Saffman
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Weights homework heavily and is very accessibly outside class. It's very labor intensive like any physics class but it's also easy to do well in provided that you do put in that effort. He also focuses a lot on experiments and contemporary developments related to the topic which makes it feel much more practical and enjoyable.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with Mark Saffman
Special Topics in Physics
1–4 creditsPHYSICS 406 covers special topics in physics at the advanced undergraduate level.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2016: 3.10 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=10 letter grades); Spring 2018: 3.50 GPA, 80.0% A/AB (n=5 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sampleIndependent Study
1–3 creditsPHYSICS 799 is a graduate-level independent study course focused on conducting mentored research projects in physics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 3.67 GPA, 66.7% A/AB (n=3 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sampleResearch
1–12 creditsPHYSICS 990 is a research course where students conduct supervised research projects with individual faculty members.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Recorded teaching history
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | PHYSICS 406 | Special Topics in Physics |
| Fall 2026 | PHYSICS 799 | Independent Study |
| Fall 2026 | PHYSICS 990 | Research |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
{
"instructor_uid": "instructor_06387b93fa496f528d0e2d9b",
"source": "enrollment",
"source_instructor_id": "msaffman",
"identity_basis": "netid",
"identity_status": "source_identified",
"name": "Mark Saffman",
"email": "MSAFFMAN@WISC.EDU",
"first_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
"last_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
"ratings": {
"review_count": 2,
"quality": 3.5,
"difficulty": 4.5,
"quality_count": 2,
"difficulty_count": 2,
"profile_id": "rmp:2116556",
"source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2116556",
"match_basis": "exact_name",
"observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:20:30.280957+00:00",
"courses": {},
"bayesian_quality": 3.6451688941332687,
"prior_mean": 3.6596857835465957,
"prior_weight": 20
},
"current": true,
"courses": [
{
"course_uid": "course_6bdb43fa4ad7d835066b602c",
"course_id": "PHYSICS 990",
"title": "RESEARCH",
"credits_min": 1,
"credits_max": 12,
"gpa": null
},
{
"course_uid": "course_b697367e100481a7cec9163f",
"course_id": "PHYSICS 406",
"title": "SPECIAL TOPICS IN PHYSICS",
"credits_min": 1,
"credits_max": 4,
"gpa": 3.613
},
{
"course_uid": "course_eb1731de4f39d39d3419dbde",
"course_id": "PHYSICS 799",
"title": "INDEPENDENT STUDY",
"credits_min": 1,
"credits_max": 3,
"gpa": 3.925
}
],
"revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
"instructor_url": "/instructors/MARK_SAFFMAN"
}