Program Overview

Course Overview

The course PHYS 415, Electromagnetism, is an advanced course in classical electromagnetism. It builds on mathematical frameworks from undergraduate physics, including vector calculus and complex phasor notation. Students will apply Maxwell's theory of classical electromagnetism to a selection of topics relevant to today's technologies.

Course Details

• Dates: 23 Feb 2026 to 21 Jun 2026
• Starts: Trimester 1
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,384.80 for domestic students
  • NZ$5,679.00 for international students
• Campus: Kelburn
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 150 hours or 8.8 hours per week for 17 weeks
• Points: 15

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: None
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: None

Taught By

The course is taught by the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences — Faculty of Science and Engineering.

About This Course

This course covers a selection of topics from:

• Maxwell's equations in media, wave equation
• Guided waves
• Dielectric waveguides and fibre optics
• Electromagnetic pulses
• Anisotropic and nonlinear optics
• Numerical simulations of electromagnetic waves in different structures (analytical and numerical methods)
• Introduction to light scattering

Relativistic aspects of electromagnetism are covered in trimester 2 in PHYS 416.

Course Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Describe, including mathematically, the key physical concepts treated in this course.
2. Solve mathematically problems involving the concepts listed in the course concepts.
3. Program and use numerical methods to illustrate or solve relevant problems involving electromagnetic fields.
4. Access and read critically relevant scientific literature, making original connections to other publications and to the course.
5. Effectively communicate scientific concepts and results in written as well as oral form.
6. Organise their time to successfully carry out tasks and projects.

How This Course Is Taught

This course is designed for in-person study, and students are strongly recommended to attend lectures and tutorials on campus. Some assessment items will require in-person attendance.

Assessment

• Final Exam: 30%
• Four Assignments: 30%
• Mini-Project: 20%
• Mid-term Test: 20%

Mandatory Requirements

To pass this course, students must:

1. Achieve an overall pass mark of at least 50%.
2. Submit a report on their mini-project.

What You'll Need to Get

You do not need to get any texts or equipment for this course.