Physics Major
Required physics courses:
| PHYS 221/222 | General Physics I & II, with lab | 8 hours |
| PHYS 321 | Modern Physics | 3 hours |
| PHYS 325 | Mathematical Methods for Physics | 3 hours |
| PHYS 331/332 | Experimental Physics I & II | 4 hours |
| PHYS 342 | Classical Mechanics I | 3 hours |
| PHYS 352 | Electricity and Magnetism I | 3 hours |
| PHYS 362 | Quantum Mechanics I | 3 hours |
| PHYS 491/492 | Physics Research I & II | 3 hours |
| Subtotal, required physics: | 30 hours |
Required technical courses outside physics:
| MATH 125 | Calculus I | 4 hours |
| MATH 126 | Calculus II | 4 hours |
| MATH 225 | Calculus III | 4 hours |
| MATH 302 | Differential Equations with Numerical Methods | 3 hours |
| CSCI 210 | Scientific Computing and Problem Solving | 3 hours |
| CHEM 131/133 | General Chemistry I, with lab | 4 hours |
| Subtotal, required technical courses: | 22 hours |
Plus 6 hours selected from the following list of technical electives:
| PHYS 381 | Special Topics | 3 hours |
| PHYS 442 | Classical Mechanics II | 3 hours |
| PHYS 452 | Electricity and Magnetism II | 3 hours |
| PHYS 462 | Quantum Mechanics II | 3 hours |
| Subtotal, technical electives: | 6 hours | |
| Total hours for the Physics Major: | 58 hours | |
Students planning to attend graduate school should take all 4 of the technical electives listed above (if possible) and as many as possible from the following:
| PHYS 322 | Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics | 3 hours |
| PHYS 499 | Physics Teaching Assistant Preparation | 1 hour |
| CSCI 115 | Computer Programming I | 3 hours |
| MATH 304 | Linear Algebra | 3 hours |
| MATH 340 | Numerical Analysis | 3 hours |
Note:If the particular choice of technical electives results in a total of more than 58 hours, only 58 hours will be applied toward the major; the remaining hours will count toward graduation. Some of the technical electives may have prerequisites that do not count toward the major because no particular technical elective is specifically required for the major. Because students have the option of not taking any particular technical elective, any prerequisites do not apply toward satisfaction of the major.
Suggested Sequence of Courses Required for the Physics Major
| Year | Fall | Spring |
| Freshman | PHYS 221 MATH 125 |
PHYS 222 MATH 224 CSCI 210 |
| Sophomore | PHYS 321 PHYS 331 MATH 225 |
PHYS 325 PHYS 332 MATH 304 |
| Junior | PHYS 342 PHYS 352 |
PHYS 442 PHYS 452 |
| Senior | PHYS 362 PHYS 491 PHYS 499 |
PHYS 462 PHYS 492 PHYS 499 |
For more information, see the Undergratuate Catalog.