Departments & Programs
Department of Physics
Bachelor of Science
Degree Requirements
First-Year Experience Course Beginning freshmen and transfer students with fewer than 19 credit hours are required to take SCI-I120 Windows on Science (1 cr.) or an equivalent first-year experience course.
Area I English Composition and Communication Competency
Minimum requirements for the School of Science are given in this bulletin (see the School of Science requirements under “Undergraduate Programs”). The second semester of English composition may be satisfied only with ENG-W270 (or ENG-W150), ENG-W231, ENG-W250, ENG-W230, ENG-W331, ENG-W350, TCM 22000, or TCM 32000.
Area II World Language Competency
No world language proficiency is required for a Bachelor of Science degree.
Area IIIA Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Cultural Understanding Competencies (12 cr.)
List H course: Choose one course (3 cr.) from this list. The list of course choices is located under the School of Science requirements “Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin.
List S course: Choose one course (3cr.) from this list. The list of course choices is located under the School of Science requirements “Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin.
One additional course from either list H or List S.
List C course: Choose one course (3 cr.) from this list. The list of course choices is located under the School of Science requirements “Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin.
For the most current list of courses in the areas of Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Understanding, please refer to the IUPUI General Education Curriculum.
Area IIIC Life and Physical Sciences Competency
Minimum requirements for the School of Science are given in this bulletin (see the School of Science requirements under “Undergraduate Programs”).
Courses must include CHEM-C105 / CHEM-C125 and CHEM-C106 / CHEM-C126 with laboratory or their approved equivalent. For Physics majors, course options in this area also include: ECE 20100, ECE 20200, ECE 20400, ECE 27000, ME 30100, ME 31000, ME 31400 and ME 34000.
Students must have grades of C- or higher in Life and Physical Sciences courses. A grade of D or D+ will be allowed for one course only.
Area IIID Analytical Reasoning Competency
Minimum requirements for the School of Science are given in this bulletin (see the School of Science requirements under “Undergraduate Programs”).
Twenty-four (24) credit hours of courses in mathematics are required, which must include MATH 16500, MATH 16600, MATH 17100, MATH 26100 and MATH 26600 and two (2) additional courses beyond MATH 26600.
The computer programming requirement of the School of Science may be satisfied with CSCI 23000, CSCI-N305, CSCI-N331, or any higher-level CSCI course.
Students must have grades of C- or higher in Analytical Reasoning courses. A grade of D or D+ will be allowed for one course only.
Note: Computer Science CSCI-N241 and CSCI-N299 do not count in Area IIID, but may count as a general elective.
Area IV Physics Concentration
The Department of Physics offers four options for students pursuing the Bachelor of Science degree: a traditional physics program; a biophysics option; a program designed for students planning a career in physics teaching; an accelerated program with a B.S. in physics and a B.S. in electrical engineering; and an accelerated program known as the BPMME program because students earn both a bachelor’s in physics and a master’s in mechanical engineering.
Students pursuing the traditional program must complete PHYS 15200, PHYS 25100, PHYS 30000, PHYS 31000, PHYS 33000, PHYS 34200, PHYS 35300, PHYS 40000, PHYS 40100, PHYS 41800, PHYS 44200, and PHYS 49000. These students must complete 6 hours of mathematics above the level of MATH 26600 in courses approved by the Department of Physics.
Students pursuing the biophysics option must complete: Introductory course sequence PHYS-P201 or PHYS 15200, PHYS-P202 or PHYS 25100; PHYS 31000, PHYS 33000, PHYS 34200, PHYS 35300, PHYS 44200, PHYS 58500, and PHYS 49000 (Biophysics Capstone). In addition, a minimum of 13 credit hours of biology and 21 credit hours of chemistry is required. Please refer to the Biophysics Option section of the bulletin for detailed information. Note: For this option, students are NOT required to complete two (2) additional courses beyond MATH 26600.
Students pursuing the teaching option must complete: PHYS 15200, PHYS 25100, PHYS 30000, PHYS 31000, PHYS 33000, PHYS 34200, PHYS 35300, and PHYS 49000. The Department of Physics may substitute other science courses for the 400-level courses and recommend education courses in order to meet teacher certification requirements. These students must complete 6 hours of mathematics above the level of MATH 26600 in courses approved by the Department of Physics.
Students pursuing the program in physics and mechanical engineering must complete: PHYS 15200, PHYS 25100, PHYS 31000, PHYS 33000, PHYS 34200, PHYS 35300, and PHYS 41800. These students must complete 3 hours of mathematics above the level of MATH 26600 in courses approved by the Department of Physics. Students in this program must satisfy additional requirements specified by the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Unless approved as part of the major, note that all courses taken outside the Schools of Science and Liberal Arts must receive approval from the student's major department and the School of Science Academic Dean's Office. Consult with your major department advisor for information and additional course restrictions.No more than 6 credit hours of studio, clinical, athletic, or performing arts courses will be approved. See the departmental advisor for details.
