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Nov 23, 2024
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2024-2025 Catalog
Physics, Astrophysics 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 Astrophysics Emphasis [12 Units]
Astrophysics focuses on the physical nature of star, galaxies, and other celestial bodies and the application of physical laws to the interpretation of astronomical observations. Students completing this track are prepared to pursue graduate studies in astronomy or astrophysics and a wide variety of careers utilizing their analytical and data driven skills.
Required Astrophysics Courses [8 units]
Additional Elective Courses [4 units]
Complete at least one additional course from this list. Other courses may be substituted with assigned faculty advisor approval.
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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