May 03, 2025  
2025-2026 Catalog 
    
Catalog Navigation
Catalog Home

Academic Calendar
Academic Programs
Course Descriptions


Undergraduate Education
General Education
School of Engineering
School of Natural Sciences
School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
Graduate Studies
Research at UC Merced


About UC Merced
Academic Policies
Undergraduate Admissions
Fees and Expenses
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Directions and Map
Directory
Veteran Services
My Catalog
2025-2026 Catalog

Physics, Engineering and Applied Physics Emphasis, B.S. Four-Year Course Plan

All General Education course options can be found here.  

Please Note: This four-year plan serves as a general guide and assumes that all prerequisite requirements have been met prior to each course. Students may need to complete additional prerequisite coursework (MATH 005 , CHEM 001 , WRI 001 ) based on placement results or prior preparation. Be sure to consult with your academic advisor to create a personalized plan that aligns with your individual progress and goals.

First Year
Fall Spring
MATH 021: Calculus I for Physical Sciences and Engineering   MATH 022: Calculus II for Physical Sciences and Engineering  
SPRK 001: Spark Seminar  or SPRK 010: Spark Seminar   Major Computer Science Requirement
PHYS 008: Introductory Physics I for Physical Sciences  and PHYS 008L   WRI 010: College Reading and Composition  
CHEM 002: General Chemistry I  and CHEM 002L   PHYS 009: Introductory Physics II for Physical Sciences  and PHYS 009L  

Second Year
Fall Spring
General Education: Area B–Approaches to Knowledge Social Science, Literary and Textual Analysis, Media and Visual Analysis, Societies and Cultures of the Past MATH 023: Vector Calculus  
PHYS 108: Thermal and Statistical Physics Core   PHYS 105: Analytic Mechanics Core  
MATH 024: Linear Algebra and Differential Equations   PHYS 126: Special Relativity Minicourse  
Free Elective  PHYS 010: Introductory Physics III  

Third Year
Fall Spring
MATH 032: Probability and Statistics   PHYS 115: Electrodynamics Core II Waves and Dynamic Electromagnetic Fields  
PHYS 110: Electrodynamics Core   PHYS 138: Quantum Mechanics II Core  
PHYS 137: Quantum Mechanics Core   PHYS 160: Modern Physics Lab  
General Education: Area B–Approaches to Knowledge Social Science, Literary and Textual Analysis, Media and Visual Analysis, Societies and Cultures of the Past General Education: Upper Division Crossroads

Fourth Year
Fall Spring
General Education: Area B–Approaches to Knowledge Social Science, Literary and Textual Analysis, Media and Visual Analysis, Societies and Cultures of the Past Major Upper Division Engineering and Applied Physics Emphasis Elective
General Education: Area A–Life Science Major Upper Division Engineering and Applied Physics Emphasis Elective
Major Upper Division Engineering and Applied Physics Emphasis Elective Major Upper Division Engineering and Applied Physics Emphasis Elective
ENGR 193: Engineering Capstone Design I  ENGR 194: Engineering Capstone Design II