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DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

The degree programs offered by the Department of Physics and Astronomy reflect its policy of offering the opportunity for a comprehensive education of the highest quality, individualized to the needs and interests of the students. Completion of a Bachelor's degree in Physics allows students entry into one of the highly specialized areas in science and technology, and ability to apply for positions in industry and government, as well as entry into professional and graduate schools.

Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics

The Bachelor of Science degree in Physics provides opportunities for preparation for careers in industry and governmental agencies and for graduate study in physics or related fields.

The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree, including the Core Curriculum requirements, is 124.

All candidates seeking this degree must fulfill the Core Curriculum requirements and the degree requirements, which are listed below.

All Bachelor of Science degree candidates are required to take a standardized assessment test during the semester of graduation. This test will be used to assess the effectiveness of the Physics Program. There is no “minimum score” required for graduation; merely taking the test satisfies this degree requirement.

Core Curriculum requirements: Students seeking the Bachelor of Science degree in Physics must fulfill University Core Curriculum requirements in the same manner as other students. The courses listed in the table below satisfy both major requirements and Core Curriculum requirements; however, if these courses are taken to satisfy both requirements, then students will need to take additional courses in order to meet the minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree. For a complete listing of courses that satisfy the Core Curriculum requirements in this catalog

Core Curriculum Requirements	Courses that Satisfy Core Curriculum and Degree Requirements
Rhetoric (6 semester credit hours)	All students must take the following six hours to meet this core requirement: WRC 1013 Freshman Composition I WRC 1023 Freshman Composition II
Domain I: Mathematics and Science	Mathematics(3 semester credit hours) MAT 1214 Calculus I Science (6 semester credit hours) Any 6 semester credit hours from the following list will satisfy this core requirement: CHE 1103 General Chemistry I CHE 1303 General Chemistry II PHY 1904, 1911 Technical Physics I and Laboratory PHY 1924, 1931 Technical Physics II and Laboratory
Domain II: Society and Culture	*United States History and Diversity* (6 semester credit hours) Any six hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement. Political Studies (6 semester credit hours) POL 1013 plus 3 additional hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement. Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 semester credit hours) Any three hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement. Economics (3 semester credit hours) Any three hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement.
Domain III: Literature and the Arts	Literature (3 semester credit hours) Any three hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement. *The Arts* (3 semester credit hours) Any three hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement.
Domain IV: World Society and Issues	(3 semester credit hours) Any three hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement.

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Degree Requirements

A. 55 semester credit hours:

1. 43 semester credit hours of required courses:

PHY 1904, 1911 Technical Physics I and Laboratory
PHY 1924, 1931 Technical Physics II and Laboratory
PHY 3103 Modern Physics
PHY 3203 Classical Mechanics I
PHY 3293 Thermal Physics
PHY 3343 Advanced Physics Laboratory
PHY 3423 Electricity and Magnetism
PHY 3443 Modern Optics
PHY 3513 Electrodynamics
PHY 3823 Mathematical Physics I
PHY 4263 Quantum Mechanics I
PHY 4423 Quantum Mechanics II
PHY 4823 Mathematical Physics II

2. 12 additional approved semester credit hours selected from the following (a maximum of 6 hours from either PHY 4911-3 or PHY 4953 may apply to this requirement):

PHY 3123 Semiconductor Technology
PHY 3143 Computer Visualization of Physics
PHY 3313 Solid State Physics
PHY 3453 Lasers: Theory and Applications
PHY 4003 Introduction to Astrophysics
PHY 4013 Relativity: Special and General
PHY 4033 Cosmology
PHY 4133 Numerical Methods for Physicists
PHY 4203 Classical Mechanics II
PHY 4563 Biophotonics
PHY 4911-3 Independent Study
PHY 4953 Special Studies in Physics
PHY 4993 Honors Research

B. 36 semester credit hours required in the College of Sciences:

1. 27 semester credit hours of required courses (excluding physics):

CHE 1103 General Chemistry I
CHE 1303 General Chemistry II
CHE 1312 General Chemistry II Laboratory
CS 1073 Introductory Computer Programming for Scientific Applications
MAT 1214 Calculus I
MAT 1223 Calculus II
MAT 2213 Calculus III
MAT 2233 Linear Algebra
MAT 3613 Differential Equations I