Major Requirements
The requirements for a major in physics are 58 credits:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Physics Courses | ||
| PHYS 115 | Foundations of Modern Physics | 4 |
| PHYS 128 | Physics for Scientists and Engineers | 4 |
| PHYS 211 | Physics for Scientists and Engineers II | 4 |
| PHYS 231 | Introduction to Instrumentation | 2 |
| PHYS 233 | Introduction to Computational Physics | 2 |
| PHYS 324 | Modern Physics | 4 |
| PHYS 327 | Techniques for Experimental Physics | 4 |
| PHYS 430 | Senior Seminar | 2 |
| 4 additional courses at 300-level or above | 16 | |
| Required Supporting Courses | ||
| MATH 121 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 122 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 223 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 311 | Differential Equations | 4 |
| Total Hours | 58 | |
The following courses are recommended but not required:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CSC 125 | Introduction to Computer Science | 4 |
| CHEM 127 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 128 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
Degree and Graduation Requirements
In addition to the program-specific requirements listed above, all students must complete the graduation requirements specified for their degree. See the Degree and Graduation Requirements section for more information.
Suggested Four-Year Plan
The four-year plan detailed below is a suggested coursework sequence. This plan may need to be adapted based on course offerings as well as individual student circumstances, such as transfer credit and study away experiences.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| PHYS 115 | Foundations of Modern Physics 1 | 4 |
| MATH 121 | Calculus I 2 | 4 |
| FYS 110 | Engaged Citizenship Seminar | 4 |
| COM 110 or ENG 110 |
Communicating to Engage or Writing to Engage |
4 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHYS 128 | Physics for Scientists and Engineers 1 | 4 |
| MATH 122 | Calculus II 2 | 4 |
| COM 110 or ENG 110 |
Communicating to Engage or Writing to Engage |
4 |
| Core course 1 | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHYS 211 | Physics for Scientists and Engineers II 1 | 4 |
| PHYS 231 & PHYS 233 |
Introduction to Instrumentation and Introduction to Computational Physics 1 |
4 |
| MATH 223 | Calculus III 2 | 4 |
| Core course 2 | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHYS 324 | Modern Physics 1 | 4 |
| MATH 311 | Differential Equations 2 | 4 |
| Core course 3 | 4 | |
| PEAK course 1 | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHYS 315 | Electrodynamics (suggested Advanced Course I) 1 | 4 |
| Core course 4 | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHYS 327 | Techniques for Experimental Physics 1 | 4 |
| PHYS 429 | Quantum Mechanics (suggested Advanced Course II) 1 | 4 |
| Core course 5 | 4 | |
| Core course 6 | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHYS 430 | Senior Seminar 1 | 2 |
| PHYS 314 | Classical Mechanics (suggested Advanced Course III) 1 | 4 |
| Core course 7 | 4 | |
| PEAK Course 2 | 4 | |
| Elective | 2 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHYS 316 | Statistical Physics (suggested Advanced Course IV) 1 | 4 |
| Core course 8 | 8 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Hours | 20 | |
| Total Hours | 132 | |
- 1
Offered by the Physics department
- 2
Supporting courses offered by the Mathematics department
Suggested Physics Major path for students entering the college on an even-numbered year. Students starting on an odd-numbered year follow a similar path, with the advanced physics courses for Fall 3/Fall 4 and Spring 3/Spring 4 swapped, except for PHYS 430 Senior Seminar .