Physics
2024-2025
FIRST YEAR
Semester 1
COURSE | TITLE | CREDITS | FREQUENCY | COURSE NOTES | MIN. GRADE | CATEGORY |
MATH 221 |
Calculus and Analytic Geomentry I |
5 |
Fall/Spring |
MATH 112 and 113 or equivalent or appropriate placement score |
C |
Major/ NS |
PHYS 201 |
General Physics I |
5 |
Fall |
MATH 221 ("C" or better) or concurrent registration |
C |
Major/ NS |
ENGL 101 |
Composition and Reading |
3 |
Fall/Spring |
Placement score or grade of C or better in ENGL 100 |
C- | |
General Education (SB) |
Elective |
3 |
Fall/Winter/ Spring/Summer |
SB |
||
UWP 101 | Freshman Seminar | 1 | ||||
TOTAL | 17 |
Winterim Year 1 - optional
Consult with your advisor whether winterim is appropriate for you in your first year.
Semester 2
COURSE | TITLE | CREDITS | FREQUENCY | COURSE NOTES | MIN. GRADE | CATEGORY |
MATH 222 |
Calculus and Analitic Geometry II |
5 |
Fall/Spring |
MATH 221 |
C |
Major/NS |
PHYS 202 |
General Physics II |
5 |
Fall/Spring |
PHYS 201; MATH 222 or concurrent registration |
C |
Major/NS |
Humanities |
Elective |
3 |
Fall/Winter/ Spring/Summer |
HU |
||
General Education (SB) |
Elective |
3 |
Fall/Winter/ Spring/Summer |
SB |
||
TOTAL | 16 | |||||
YEAR TOTAL | 32 |
Summer Year 1 - optional
Enrollment in Summer courses is recommended for students who end their first year with less than 30 credit hours.
SECOND YEAR
Semester 1
COURSE | TITLE | CREDITS | FREQUENCY | COURSE NOTES | MIN. GRADE | CATEGORY |
MATH 223 |
Calculus and Analytic Geometry III |
5 |
Fall |
MATH 222 |
Major |
|
PHYS 205 |
Modern Physics |
3 |
Fall |
CHEM 101, MATH 222, PHYS 202 |
Major |
|
General Education (SB) |
Elective |
3 |
Fall/Winter/ Spring/Summer |
SB | ||
Foreign Language 103 |
4 |
Placement exam or no prior knowledge |
||||
TOTAL | 15 |
Winterim Year 2 - optional
Enrollment in Winterim courses is strongly recommended for students who have accumulated less than 45 credits.
Semester 2
COURSE | TITLE | CREDITS | FREQUENCY | COURSE NOTES | MIN. GRADE | CATEGORY |
PHYS 303 |
Computational Physics |
3 |
Spring |
PHYS 201 and 202 with grades of C or better; MATH 223, PHYS 205 and 241 or consent of instructor |
Major |
|
PHYS 306 |
Advanced Experiments in Physics |
3 |
Alternate Springs |
PHYS 201 and 202 with grades of C or better; PHYS 205 |
Major |
|
PHYS 241 |
Scientific Programming |
3 |
Spring |
PHYS 201 and MATH 221 or consent of instructor |
Major |
|
General Education (HU) |
Elective |
3 |
Fall/Winter/ Spring/Summer |
HU |
||
Foreign Language 104 |
Modern Language II |
4 |
Foreign Language 103 or equivalent or placement exam |
|||
TOTAL | 16 | |||||
YEAR TOTAL | 31 |
Summer Year 2 - optional
Enrollment in Summer courses is recommended for students who end their first year with less than 60 credit hours.
THIRD YEAR
Semester 1
COURSE | TITLE | CREDITS | FREQUENCY | COURSE NOTES | MIN. GRADE | CATEGORY |
MATH 301 |
Linear Algebra |
4 |
Fall |
MATH 222 or MATH 223 and consent of instructor |
Major |
|
PHYS 301 |
Classical Mechanics |
4 |
Alternate Falls |
PHYS 201 and 202 with grades of C or better; MATH 317 or concurrent registration or consent of instructor |
Major |
|
General Education (HU) |
Elective |
3 |
Fall/Winter/ Spring/Summer |
HU |
||
General Education (SB) |
Elective |
3 |
Fall/Winter/ Spring/Summer |
SB
|
||
TOTAL | 14 |
Winterim Year 3 - optional
Enrollment in Winterim courses is strongly recommended for students who have completed less than 75 credit hours.
Semester 2
COURSE | TITLE | CREDITS | FREQUENCY | COURSE NOTES | MIN. GRADE | CATEGORY |
PHYS 403 |
Thermodynamics & Statistical Physics |
4 |
Spring |
PHYS 201 and 202 with grades of C or better; PHYS 205; MATH 301 and 317 or PHYS 401 or consent of instructor |
Major |
|
General Education (NS) |
Elective |
3 |
NS |
|||
DV Course |
3 |
DV |
||||
General Education (HU) |
Elective |
3 |
Fall/Winter/ Spring/Summer |
HU |
||
PHYS 499 |
GRE Prep |
1 |
Occasionally |
Consent of instructor and department chair |
Major |
|
TOTAL | 14 | |||||
YEAR TOTAL | 28 |
Summer Year 3 - optional
Enrollment in Summer courses is strongly recommended for students who end their third year with less than 90 credit hours.
FOURTH YEAR
Semester 1
COURSE | TITLE | CREDITS | FREQUENCY | COURSE NOTES | MIN. GRADE | CATEGORY |
PHYS 302 |
Electiricity and Magnetism |
4 |
Fall |
PHYS 201 and 202 eith a grade of C or better; MATH 317 or concurrent registration or consent of instructor |
Major |
|
PHYS 401 or Math 401 |
Mathematical Methods of Physics or Applied Mathematics |
3 |
Alternate Falls |
MATH 223, 317 |
Major |
|
MATH 317 |
Differential Equations & Their Applications |
4 |
Fall |
MATH 222 |
Major |
|
XXXX- General Elective |
Elective |
3 | ||||
PHYS 495 |
Senior Seminar |
1 |
Fall/Spring |
PHYS 201 and 202 with grades of C or better; Junior or Senior standing |
Major |
|
TOTAL | 15 |
Winterim Year 4 - optional
Enrollment in Winterim courses is strongly recommended for students who have completed less than 105 credit hours.
Semester 2
COURSE | TITLE | CREDITS | FREQUENCY | COURSE NOTES | MIN. GRADE | CATEGORY |
PHYS 441 |
Quantum Physics |
4 |
Alternate Springs |
PHYS 201 and 202 with grades of C or better; PHYS 205; MATH 301 and 317 or PHYS 401 or consent of instructor |
Major |
|
XXXX- General Elective |
Elective |
3 | ||||
XXXX- General Elective |
Elective |
3 | ||||
PHYS 495 |
Senior Seminar |
1 |
Fall/Spring |
PHYS 201 and 202 with grades of C or better; Junior or Senior standing |
Major |
|
PHYS 499 |
Research |
1-3 |
Occasionally |
Consent of instructor and department chair |
Major |
|
TOTAL | 12-15 | |||||
YEAR TOAL | 27-30 |
Summer Year 4 - if needed
Enrollment in Summer courses is strongly recommended for students who have not completed the required 120 hours.
Graduation Requirements Summary
Minimum Total Hours | Minimum Upper-Division Hours | Min. Core Hours | Major GPA | Overall GPA |
120 | 36 | 65 | 2.0 | 2.0 |