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Physics Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

General Statement: The objectives of the Physics Program are :

1. to provide training relating to scientific work in industry and government requiring (a) a clear understanding of the principles of physics and their application, and (b) the ability to reason logically and to analyze critically;
2. to provide a foundation for graduates to do graduate study in physics or related areas;
3. to provide majors from any of the science and engineering areas with the requisite knowledge in physics required to complete their various programs of study.

Departmental Requirements for Bachelor of Science in Physics       (39 semester hours)

The curriculum of the B.S. degree in Physics consists of a minimum of 120 semester hours, of which 42 must be at the 3000 or 4000 level. A minimum of 39 hours must be taken in Physics courses with a minimum of 28 hours selected from Physics courses numbered 3000 and above. No course with a letter grade below C will be counted towards meeting the 39 hours of work required in Physics. In addition to successfully completing 39 hours of course work, the major must pass a written comprehensive examination on the core requirements.

Students who minor in Physics must earn at least 23 hours in Physics, including the three semester general physics sequence (PHYS 2110, 2111, 2120, 2121, and 2230) and a minimum of 12 semester hours of 3000 and 4000 level PHYS courses.

General Education Core (42)

Upper-division Admission

For admission into the upper-division program of the Physics major, students must complete all of the requirements listed above under General Education Core and Required Support Courses. In addition, they must have removed all high school deficiencies, passed all required remedial/developmental courses earned a cumulative grade point average of a least 2.0 on college level course work, and completed the Rising Junior Examination. They must also have earned a grade of C or better in PHYS 2030, 2031, 2040 and 2041.

Major Core (31)

Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics

Suggested Four-Year Plan

  *MATH 1710 and/or 1720 must be taken prior to MATH 1910 if need is indicated.

  Course Descriptions

Physics (PHYS)

PHYS 2010 College Physics I (3). The first course in a non-calculus-based introductory physics sequence. Topics included are mechanics and heat. The course presents the basic principles of physics. It is required of biology, pre-medicine, and allied health profession majors. Prerequisite: grade of C or better in MATH 1140, 1720, or 1730. Offered in fall, spring, and summer.

PHYS 2011 College Physics I Laboratory (1). One two-hour laboratory each week. This course is designed to be taken concurrently with the corresponding lecture course, PHYS 2010. Offered in fall, spring, and summer.

PHYS 2020 College Physics II (3). The second course in a non-calculus-based physic sequence. Topics included are sound, light, electricity, magnetism, and modern physics. Prerequisite: grade of C or better in PHYS 2010. Offered in fall, spring, and summer.

PHYS 2021 College Physics II Laboratory (1). One two-hour laboratory each week. This course is designed to be taken concurrently with the corresponding lecture course, PHY 2020. Offered in fall, spring, and summer.

PHYS 2110 General Physics I (3) (Formerly PHYS 2030). Principles of mechanics, rotational mechanics, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. The first course in calculus-based physics sequence that is intended for student with majors in physics, engineering, mathematics, or a physical science. PHYS 2110 with accompanying laboratory, is required of all physics and Mathematics majors. Prerequisite: MATH 1720 and 1915; Co-requisite: MATH 1925. Offered in fall, spring, and summer.

PHYS 2111 General Physics I Laboratory (1) (Formerly PHYS 2031). One two-hour laboratory per week designed to be taken concurrently with the corresponding lecture course, PHY 2110. Required of all Physics and Mathematics majors. Offered in fall, spring, and summer.

PHYS 2120 General Physics II (3) (Formerly PHYS 2040). Principles of sound, electricity, magnetism, and optics. The second course in calculus-based physics sequence. PHYS 2120 with accompanying laboratory, is required of all Physics and Mathematics majors. Prerequisite: PHYS 2110. Offered in fall, spring, and summer.

PHYS 2121 General Physics II Laboratory (1) (Formerly PHYS 2041). . One two-hour laboratory per week designed to be taken concurrently with corresponding lecture course, PHYS 2120. Required of all Physics and Mathematics majors. Offered in fall, spring, and summer.

PHYS 2230 General Physics III (3) (Formerly PHYS 223). Principles of gravitation, wave mechanics, and modern physics. Problem solving techniques. The third course in a calculus-based physics sequence. Prerequisite: PHYS 2120. Offered in fall, spring, and summer.

PHYS 3110, 3120 Electricity and Magnetism I, II (3, 3) (Formerly PHYS 311, 312). Fundamentals of theoretical electricity and magnetism. Emphasis is placed upon problems using vector calculus in three dimensions. Prerequisites: MATH 2110 or 2125, AND PHYS 2120, 2121, all with a grade of C or better. Three lectures per week. Required of all Physics majors. PHYS 3110 is offered in fall of even-numbered years and 3120 in spring of odd-numbered years.

PHYS 3140 Optics (3) (Formerly PHYS 314). A brief review of geometrical optics and a study of physical optics, including spectroscopy. Prerequisites: MATH 1920 and either of the sequences: PHYS 2020, 2021 or PHYS 2120, 2121. Three lectures and one laboratory period per week. Offered in fall of even-numbered years.

PHYS 3200 Heat and Thermodynamics (3) (Formerly PHYS 320). A study of the fundamentals of heat and an introduction to thermodynamics with applications to chemistry. Prerequisites: PHYS 2120, 2121, and MATH 1920. (MATH 3610 and either MATH 2110 or 2125 recommended). Three lectures per week. Required of all Physics majors. Offered in spring of even-numbered years.

PHYS 3210, 3220 Mechanics I, II (3, 3) (Formerly PHYS 321, 322). Statics and dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, Lagrange’s and Hamilton’s equations, fluid statics, and vibrations. Prerequisites: PHYS 2120, 2121, and MATH 1920. MATH 3610 and either MATH 2110 or 2125 recommended. Three lectures per week. PHYS 321 required of all Physics majors. PHYS 3210 is offered in fall of odd-numbered years and 3220 is offered on demand.

PHYS 3311, 3321 Electrical Measurements I, II (2, 2) (Formerly PHYS 331, 332). The theory of electrical circuits. The laboratory is intended to give experience and facility with electrical measuring instruments. Prerequisites: MATH 1920 and either of the sequences PHYS 2020, 2021 or PHYS 2120, 2121. Two laboratory periods per week. Either this sequence or PHYS 3411-3421 is required of all Physics majors. PHY 3311 is offered in fall of odd-numbered years and 3321 in spring of even-numbered years.

PHYS 3411, 3421 Advanced Physics Laboratory I, II (2, 2) (Formerly PHYS 341, 342). A course designed to permit the student to develop a variety of laboratory skills and techniques by performing advanced experiments in mechanics, heat, sound, light, and modern physics. Prerequisites: PHYS 2120, 2121, and MATH 1920. Two laboratory periods per week. Either this sequence or PHYS 3311-3321 is required of all Physics majors. PHY 3411 is offered in fall of even-numbered years and 3421in spring of odd-numbered years.

PHYS 3610 Solid State Physics (3) (Formerly PHYS 361). A physical interpretation of the conductive properties of metal and semi-conductor materials based on the periodic nature of the crystalline solid, with applications including the transistor. Primarily for engineering, physics, or computer science students with junior standing. Prerequisites: PHY 2120, 20121 and either MATH 2110 or 2125. Required of all Physics majors. Offered in fall of odd-numbered years.

PHYS 4100, 4110 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics I, II (3, 3) (Formerly PHYS 410, 411). Introduction to fundamental principles of quantum mechanics and methods of calculation, with application to atomic, molecular, and nuclear physics. PHYS 4100 is required of all Physics majors. Prerequisites: PHY 2120, 2121, and MATH 1920. PHYS 4100 is offered in fall of even-numbered years and 4110 is offered on demand.

PHYS 4120, 4130 Modern Physics I, II (3, 3) (Formerly PHYS 412, 413). The classical and modern concepts of the atom and introduction to molecular structure, the chemical bond, nuclear physics, fission, isotopic tracers, medical radiology, cosmic rays. PHYS 4120 is required of all Physics majors. Prerequisites: MATH 1070 and either of the following two sequences: PHYS 2020, 2021, or PHYS 2120, 2121. PHYS 4120 is offered in spring of odd-numbered years and 4130 is offered on demand.

PHYS 4500 Senior Project (3) (Formerly PHYS 450). Individual study and presentation of a special topic in physics. Required of all Physics majors. Prerequisite: senior standing. Offered in spring.

PHYS 4600 Undergraduate Readings and Research (3) (Formerly PHYS 460). Individual study and research under faculty guidance. Prerequisites: 12 hours of upper-level physics and permission of instructor. Offered on demand.

PHYS 4900 Special Topics in Physics (Up to 9 hours total) (Formerly PHYS 490). Courses offered to the preference and needs of the student. The credits for each course vary from two to three semester hours, with a total of nine credit hours the maximum from this group permitted toward the Physics degree. Prerequisites: PHYS 2120, 2121, and permission of the instructor. Offered on demand.

  PHYS 4905 Advanced Laboratory Studies (2)

  PHYS 4906 Analytical Mechanics (3)

  PHYS 4907 Electricity and Magnetism (3)

  PHYS 4908 Modern Physics (3)

  PHYS 4909 Optics (3)

  PHYS 4910 Quantum Mechanics (3)

  PHYS 4911 Research Project (3)

  PHYS 4912 Solid State Physics (3)

  PHYS 4913 Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (3)