Physics, B.S.

	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	Physics, B.S.
2	College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)
3	Department of Physics
4	Catalog Year: 2024
5
6	This is a sample schedule of all general education, CAS Exploratory and major requirements for this degree in a 4-year plan. Courses in bold are designated as critical and may be prerequisites to subsequent major courses or may affect
7	timeline for graduation due to specific semester offering. Please see the notes column for further clarification.
8	The below plan is based on SAT Writing 410-610 (or ACT English 16-27) and SAT math 540-650 (ACT math 22-27) or AP/IB/CLEP equivalents.
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10	Semester One (17 Credit Hours)
11	Course, Subject, and Title	Credits	Minimum Grade	Course Type	Prerequisites	Notes
12	PHY 1510: Introductory Physics I	4	Passing	Major	(Pre/Corequiste) MTH 1554
13	PHY 1100: General Physics Lab I	1	Passing	Major		Accompanies PHY 1510, strongly encouraged to be taken concurrently
14	MTH 1554: Calculus I	4	C	Multiple	MTH 1441 with a grade of C or higher; or both MTH 1331 and MTH 1332, each with a grade of C or higher; or placement.
15	WRT 1050: Composition I	4	C	General Education	WRT 1020 with a grade of C or higher; placement
16	General Education Category	4	Passing	General Education		General Education in Course Catalog
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18	Semester Two (17 Credit Hours)
19	Course, Subject, and Title	Credits	Minimum Grade	Course Type	Prerequisites	Notes
20	PHY 1520: Introductory Physics II	4	Passing	Major	(Prerequiste) PHY 1510 (Pre/Corequite) MTH 1555
21	PHY 1110: General Physics Lab II	1	Passing	Major		Accompanies PHY 1520, strongly encouraged to be taken concurrently
22	MTH 1555: Calculus II	4	C	Multiple	MTH 1554 with a grade of C or higher
23	WRT 1060: Composition II	4	C	General Education	WRT 1050 with a grade of C or higher; placement
24	General Education Category	4	Passing	General Education		General Education in Course Catalog
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26	Semester Three (15 Credit Hours)
27	Course, Subject, and Title	Credits	Minimum Grade	Course Type	Prerequisites	Notes
28	Chemistry Co-req Elective 1 of 2	5	Passing	Major		CHM 1440 & 1470 suggested (Fulfills NSTN Gen Ed Requirement). Cannot use CHM 3000.
29	MTH 2554: Multivariable Calculus	4	Passing	Major	MTH 1555 with a grade of C or higher
30	PHY 3710: Foundations of Modern Physics	4	Passing	Major	PHY 1020 or PHY 1520 and MTH 1555	Offered Fall Only.
31	PHY 3170: Modern Physics Laboratory	2	Passing	Major	(Prerequistes) PHY 1100 and PHY 1110 Recommended (Corequiste) PHY 3710 Recommended	Offered Fall Only.
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33	Semester Four (15 Credit Hours)
34	Course, Subject, and Title	Credits	Minimum Grade	Course Type	Prerequisites	Notes
35	Physics Lecture Elective 1 of 4	4	Passing	Major		See catalog or consult adviser for course options. 12 of the 16 credits of PHY electives must be at the 2000 level or higher.
36	Chemistry Co-req Elective 2 of 2	5	Passing	Major		CHM 1450 & 1480 suggested
37	Physics Lab Elective	2	Passing	Major		See catalog for course options; Must be 2000 level or higher
38	MTH 2775: Linear Algebra or APM 2555: Introduction to Differential Equations with Matrix Algebra	4	Passing	Major	MTH 1555 with a grade of C or higher
39
40	Semester Five (16 Credit Hours)
41	Course, Subject, and Title	Credits	Minimum Grade	Course Type	Prerequisites	Notes
42	PHY 3510: Intermediate Theoretical Physics	4	Passing	Major	PHY 1020 or PHY 1520 and MTH 1555 recommended	Offered Fall Only.
43	Physics Lecture Elective 2 of 4 (see note)	4	Passing	Major		PHY 3610 recommended and offered Fall only.
44	General Education Category	4	Passing	General Education		General Education in Course Catalog
45	Elective	4	Passing	Elective		"Elective" may need to include university requirements of general education integration or credits at the 3000-4000 level. Consult with academic adviser.
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47	Semester Six (16 Credit Hours)
48	Course, Subject, and Title	Credits	Minimum Grade	Course Type	Prerequisites	Notes
49	Physics Lecture Elective 3 of 4	4	Passing	Major		See catalog or consult adviser for course options. 12 of the 16 credits of PHY electives must be at the 2000 level or higher.
50	Physics Lecture Elective 4 of 4 (see note)	4	Passing	Major		PHY 3810 recommended and offered Winter only.
51	General Education Category	4	Passing	General Education		General Education in Course Catalog
52	CAS Exploratory or Elective	4	Passing	Exploratory		See CAS Exploratory Requirement below
53
54	Semester Seven (15 Credit Hours)
55	Course, Subject, and Title	Credits	Minimum Grade	Course Type	Prerequisites	Notes
56	PHY 4970: Undergraduate Seminar or PHY 4995: Independent Research	3	C	Major	(PHY 4970) WRT 1060 or equivalent with a grade of C or higher. (PHY 4995) WRT 1060 or equivalent with a grade of C or higher, junior standing, and written agreement with a physics faculty member	Either course fulfills the university general education requirement for the capstone course in the major
57	CAS Exploratory or Elective	4	Passing	Exploratory		See CAS Exploratory Requirement below
58	General Education Category	4	Passing	General Education		General Education in Course Catalog
59	Elective	4	Passing	Elective		"Elective" may need to include university requirements of general education integration or credits at the 3000-4000 level. Consult with academic adviser.
60
61	Semester Eight (13 Credit Hours)
62	Course, Subject, and Title	Credits	Minimum Grade	Course Type	Prerequisites	Notes
63	Physics Lecture Elective 4 of 4	4	Passing	Major		See catalog or consult adviser for course options. 12 of the 16 credits of PHY electives must be at the 2000 level or higher.
64	CAS Exploratory or Elective	4	Passing	Exploratory		See CAS Exploratory Requirement below
65	General Education Category	4	Passing	General Education		General Education in Course Catalog
66	Elective	1	Passing	Elective		"Elective" may need to include university requirements of general education integration or credits at the 3000-4000 level. Consult with academic adviser.
67
68	Sample Schedule Notes:
69	PHY 4720 is suggested to take for GRE Exam preparation
70	PHY 3810 and PHY 4720 are recommended as PHY electives for students who plan to pursue advanced study
71	The SAT score above refers to exams taken March 2016 or later. If taken prior to March 2016, Math SAT score must be Math 520-630.
72	Complete the requirements for a major offered by the College of Arts and Sciences with a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.00.
73
74	CAS Exploratory Requirement
75	In addition to satisfying the university-wide general education requirements, all students with majors in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to complete at least three courses outside of their major rubric, for a minimum of 12 credits.
76	A student may select these courses from either of the following: A single rubric of their choosing (e.g., HST) within the College of Arts and Sciences. A predefined thematic set of courses identified on the College of Arts and Sciences website.
77	Additionally, earning a double major or degree, completion of a College of Arts and Sciences minor or concentration, or completion of honors college requirements (including HC 3900) satisfies the exploratory requirement.
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79	Degree Requirements	Credits	Note
80	General Education	28	Multiple General Education course are fulfilled with courses in the Major to reach the 40 required credits
81	Diversity	Included	Multiple General Education and/or major courses also fulfill this area
82	WIM/WIGE/Capstone	Included	Multiple General Education and/or major courses also fulfill this area. Students should select a general education course that also satisfies the WIG requirement
83	CAS Exploratory Requirement	12
84	Major	71
85	Electives	13
86	Total Credits:	124
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