Pictured | Emilee Edmonds | Bachelor of Science in Mathematics; Bachelor of Science in Physics | Goshen, Indiana (hometown)
Honors Program (intern)
Club Affiliation | Physics Club (co-president)

Bachelor of Science in Physics

A Bachelor of Science (BS) in Physics is a versatile degree, with some students seeking immediate employment upon graduation, while others pursue advanced degrees in physics or a closely allied science or medical field.

Additionally, an undergraduate physics curriculum provides an excellent foundation for those ultimately interested in becoming engineers, with some becoming employed with no further education, some transferring to, or seeking a second undergraduate degree from, an engineering school, and some transitioning straight from a BS in Physics to a graduate programs in engineering.

Accordingly, even though we offer a single BS in Physics, we make strong recommendations for elective choices based upon each student’s intended path. We refer to these sets of recommendations as “tracks".

Academic Advising

Your academic advisor is a critical partner in fostering your success at IU South Bend and beyond. Your advisor will help you explore academic majors and careers, plan your degree, choose classes, learn about internships and study abroad, and much more. To see who is assigned as your advisor, visit your Student Online Advising Record in one.iu.edu. For more information about advising at IU South Bend, visit the website for the Undergraduate Advising Center.

Final responsibility for meeting degree requirements rests with the student.

Questions about advising? Email sbadvise@iu.edu or call (574) 520-4550.

Degree Requirements (120 cr.)

Degree Map >>

Students receiving the Bachelor of Science degree in Physics must complete 120 total credit hours including

• IU South Bend Campuswide General Education Curriculum (33 cr.)

• The following requirements, or electives, for the BS in Physics may also be used towards fulfilling the general education curriculum:

• AST-N 390 (300–Level Natural World Common Core)
• CSCI-A 201 OR CSCI-B 100 OR CSCI-C 101 (Computer Literacy Extended Literacy)
• MATH-M 215 (Quantitative Reasoning)

• Requirements Specific to the BS in Physics (58-62 cr.)

• Core Requirements (36 cr., must be completed with a C- or higher; cannot be used to satisfy the requirements for another major or minor)

• Fundamental Core (17 cr.)
• Advanced Core (6-12 cr.)
• Research and Capstone (1-4 cr.)
• Core Electives (balance of credits needed to reach 36 cr. in Core Requirements)

• Supporting Requirements (20-26 cr.)

• Math Cognates (16 cr.)
• Computer Programming Cognates (4 cr.)
• World Languages (0-6 cr.)

• Free Electives (balance of credits to equal 120 cr. requirement)

• Minimum of 30 credit hours at the 300– or 400–level.
• Courses required for the major must be completed with a grade of C– or higher.
• A minimum CGPA of 2.0 is required.
• All courses are 3 credits, unless otherwise noted

Core Requirements (36 cr.)

Fundamental Core (17 cr.)

• PHYS-S 106 Contemporary Physics Seminar (1 cr.)
• PHYS-P 221 Physics 1 (5 cr.)
• PHYS-P 222 Physics 2 (5 cr.)
• PHYS-P 301 Physics 3
• PHYS-P 309 Modern Physics Laboratory

Advanced Core (6-12 cr.)

• PHYS-P 331 Theory of Electricity and Magnetism
• PHYS-P 340 Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
• PHYS-P 441 Analytical Mechanics I
• PHYS-P 453 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics

Physics Electives (0-12 cr. to reach total of 36 cr. in Physics Requirements)

• AST-A 453 Topical Astrophysics
• AST-N 390 The Natural World
• PHYS-P 303 Digital Electronics (4 cr.)
• PHYS-P 321 Techniques of Theoretical Physics
• PHYS-P 334 Fundamentals of Optics
• PHYS-P 410 Computing Applications in Physics
• PHYS-P 473 Introduction to String Theory
• PHYS-S 405 Readings in Physics (1-3 cr.; limited to 6 cr.)

Research and Capstone (1-4 cr.)

• PHYS-S 406 Research Project (1-4 cr.)
• PHYS-S 490 Physics Capstone (0 cr.)

Cognate Requirements (20 cr.)

Math Requirements (16 cr.)

• MATH-M 215 Calculus I (5 cr.)
• MATH-M 216 Calculus II (5 cr.)
• MATH-M 301 Linear Algebra and Applications
• MATH-M 311 Calculus 3 

Computer Programming (4 cr.)

Select one from the following:

• CSCI-A 201 Introduction to Programming I (4 cr.)
• CSCI-B 100 Problem Solving Using Computers (4 cr.)
• CSCI-C 101 Computer Programming I (4 cr.)

World Languages (0-6 cr.)

• World Language | Successful completion of a second-semester language class, designated as 102, or formal training, as evidenced by secondary or university diplomas, in a language other than English. The Department of World Language Studies (W.L.S.) offers a placement examination to determine into which semester a student should enroll and/or to qualify students for credit by examination.

Track Recommendations