Physics, B.A.

Requirements

Required Physics Courses

22 credits

PHYS 150 - Calculus-Based Physics I (Mechanics) 4 credits
PHYS 180 - Calculus-Based Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism) 4 credits
PHYS 185 - Calculus-Based Physics III (Optics, Waves, and Thermodynamics) 3 credits
PHYS 275 - Modern Physics 3 credits
PHYS 310 - Mechanics 3 credits
PHYS 380 - Experimental Physics 3 credits
PHYS 499 - Senior Seminar 2 credits

Required Mathematics and Computer Science Courses

15 credits

MATH 141 - Calculus & Analytical Geometry I 4 credits
MATH 142 - Calculus & Analytical Geometry II 4 credits
MATH 241 - Calculus & Analytical Geometry III 4 credits
COSC 120 - Computer Science I 3 credits

Select Option I or II

Option I

Complete 15 credits from the following list (at least 12 must be in Physics). At least one course must be from the “theory” group of PHYS 315, 330, or 350. At least one course must be from the “topics” group of PHYS 320, 360, or 375. At least one course must be from the “mathematical methods” group of MATH 242, 345A, or PHYS 325.

Theory Group:
PHYS 315 - Statistical Physics 3 credits
PHYS 330 - Electromagnetic Theory 3 credits
PHYS 350 - Quantum Mechanics 3 credits
Topics Group:
PHYS 320 - Optics 3 credits
PHYS 360 - Astrophysics 3 credits
PHYS 375 - Physics of Materials (Solid State Physics) 3 credits
Mathematical Methods Group:
MATH 242 - Introduction to Applied Elementary Linear Algebra 3 credits
MATH 345A - Differential Equations I 3 credits
PHYS 325 - Computational Physics 3 credits
Additional Electives:
PHYS 305 - Robotics with Arduino 3 credits
PHYS 306 - Computer Logic and Circuit Design 3 credits
PHYS 396 - Physics Research 1 to 3 credits

Option II

Complete 12 credits from the list above (at least 9 in physics). At least one course must be from the “theory” group of PHYS 315, 330, or 350. At least one course must be from the “topics” group of PHYS 320, 360, or 375. At least one course must be from the “mathematical methods” group of MATH 242, 345A, or PHYS 325. In addition, complete two semesters in another science approved by the department:

CHEM 110A - General Chemistry I 4 credits and
CHEM 110B - General Chemistry II 4 credits
or
BIOL 151 - Cell & Molecular Biology 4 credits and
BIOL 152 - Biology of Organisms 4 credits
or
ENVS 100 - Introduction to Environmental Science 4 credits and
ENVS 251 - Ecology & Evolution of Organisms 4 credits
or
PHYS 100 - Astronomy of the Solar System 3 credits and
PHYS 101 - Astronomy of Stars, Galaxies and the Universe 3 credits

Graduate School Track

Recommended Graduate School Track:

Students planning on enrolling in graduate school in Physics should take all three courses from the “theory” group of PHYS 315 , PHYS 330 , and PHYS 350 .