Departments & Programs
Department of Physics
Bachelor of Science Physics
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
Written Communication (6 cr.)
ENG-W131 or W140 Reading Writing and Inquiry (3 cr.)
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 with ENG-W150, ENG-W230, ENG-W231, ENG-W270, TCM 22000, or TCM 32000 (or an approved second composition course) with a grade of C (2.0) or higher.
Speech Communication Competency
COMM-R110, Fundamentals of Speech Communication (3 cr.).
Area II World Language Competency
No world language proficiency is required for a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Science with the exception of Mathematical Science majors.
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
Chemistry Courses
Complete CHEM-C105/CHEM-C125 (5 credits) and CHEM-C106/CHEM-C126 (5 credits) with a grade of C- or better in each course.
Science Electives
Complete two additional approved courses in biology, chemistry, forensic science, geology or approved ECE or ME courses (6 credits).
Area IIID Analytical Reasoning Competency (27 credits)
Required Math courses
Complete MATH 16500, MATH 16600, MATH 17100, MATH 26100, and MATH 26600 with a grade of C- or higher in each course.
Math Electives
Complete an additional 6 credits of mathematics beyond MATH 26600. Please consult your advisor for approved courses.
Computer Science courses
The computer programming requirement (3 cr.) of the School of Science may be satistied with CSCI 23000 or CSCI-N317. Students with significant programming experience may request authorization to satisfy this requirement with other courses.
Students mus 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 Major Requirements
Physics: A minimum of 38 credit hours of physics is required. No grade below C- is acceptable for courses within the major subject.
Introductory:
- PHYS 15200 Mechanics (4 cr.)
- PHYS 25100 Heat, Electricity & Optics (5 cr.)
- PHYS 29900 Introduction to Computational Physics (2 cr.)
Intermediate/Advanced:
- PHYS 30000 Introduction to Elementary Mathematical Physics (3 cr.)
- PHYS 31000 Intermediate Mechanics (4 cr.)
- PHYS 33000 Intermediate Electricity & Magnetism (3 cr.)
- PHYS 34200 Modern Physics (3 cr.)
- PHYS 35300 Advanced Physics Laboratory I: Modern Physics and Electronics (2 cr.)
- PHYS 40000 Physical Optics (3 cr.)
- PHYS 40100 Advanced Physics Laboratory II Modern Optics (2 cr.)
- PHYS 41600 (Honors Thermal & Statistical Physics - 4 cr.) or PHYS 41800 (Thermal & Statiscal Physics - 3 cr.)
- PHYS 44200 Quantum Mechanics (3 cr.)
- PHYS 49000 Capstone Experience (3 cr.)
A minimum of 120 credits is required for graduation. this total must include at least 32 credits in courses at the 300-400 level taken at the IUPUI campus. residence of at least two semesters on the IUPUI campus is also required for graduation.
No more than 6 credit hours of clinical, athletic, or performing arts courses will be approved. see the advisor for your field for details.
