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Nov 23, 2024
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2024-2025 Catalog
Physics, Biophysics and Soft Matter Emphasis, B.S.
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Requirements for the Physics Major
To receive the B.S. in Physics, students must adhere to General Education and School of Natural Sciences Requirements . The Physics program consists of 78-85 units with a minimum of 24 courses (12 lower division and 12 upper division) designed to give all students a common foundation of core knowledge specific to the discipline, plus breadth in an application area.
Lower Division Major Requirements [42 Units]
Chemistry Requirement [4 units]
Complete the following course:
Computer Science Requirement [4 units]
Complete one of the following courses:
Mathematics Requirement [20 units]
Complete the following five mathematics courses:
Physics Requirement [14 units]
Complete the following lower division physics courses. Note that registration in PHYS 008 and PHYS 009 also requires registration in a corresponding Lab and Discussion.
Upper Division Core Physics Courses [28 Units]
Complete all of the following courses:
Senior Thesis Requirement [4-5 Units]
All students are required to complete a senior thesis usually based on independent research performed under the tutelage of a faculty advisor. Typically, this research is the culmination of a student’s emphasis track (see below). The thesis advisor may be a faculty member in either physics or another discipline, allowing for the possibility of cross-disciplinary research projects. To complete the thesis, a student must take (at least) 2 units of PHYS 195 and 2 units of PHYS 196 , typically in the fall and spring, respectively, of the senior year. Note that PHYS 196 can only be taken once, and PHYS 195 can be repeated.
Alternatively, students with an industry focused career in mind may choose to complete this requirement with the Engineering Capstone Design Courses where the student will work in multidisciplinary teams on completing design projects presented by industrial partners.
Requirements for Biophysics and Soft Matter Emphasis [12-13 Units]
Biophysics and Soft Matter focuses on the application of physics to biological and strongly deformable materials, often at the interface of physics, biology, and chemistry. This emphasis prepares students to explore new frontiers in biology, medicine and materials science with applications ranging from novel drugs and diagnostic devices to metamaterials and soft robotics.
Required Biophysics and Soft Matter Courses [8 units]
Additional Elective Course [4-5 units]
Students must complete at least one additional upper division elective from this list. Other courses may be substituted with advisor approval. It is also highly recommended students take the lower division course BIO 011 as a free elective.
Transfer Students
To be admitted to the Physics major transfer students must meet the following requirements:
Applicants will, at the time of admission have completed at minimum each of the following courses (or their equivalent) with a “C-” or better: |
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