Program Overview

Program Overview

The BS in Applied Physics program is designed to provide students with a flexible curriculum that aligns with their interests and goals. The program requirements and policies are outlined below.

Program Requirements and Policies

• PHY 11 and 12 (or equivalent) are prerequisites for all Physics majors.
• A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for the courses applied to the major, and no more than one course applied to the major may have a grade of less than C-.
• No major courses may be taken Pass/Fail.
• If a student has more than one major, they must follow the rules on double-counting courses as outlined in the Bulletin.
• If a student has a minor, no more than two course credits used toward the minor may be used toward foundation, distribution, major, or other minor requirements.

Course Requirements

The program consists of 10 courses:

• Two required courses:
  • PHY 13: Introduction to Modern Physics
  • PHY 64: Advanced Experimental Physics
• Three electives in Physics numbered above PHY 12 (excluding seminar courses of 2.0 units or less, such as PHY 103, PHY 107, and PHY 108).
• Two courses in Mathematics above MATH 42/44.
• Three courses with the SOE-Engineering attribute that could be used to satisfy the major requirement of an engineering degree program. One course in the electives section may be an approved course in a related field, and one course in the Mathematics section may also be an approved course in a related field.

Student Resources

• Applied Physics Major Checklist
• AP and Transfer Credit
• Senior Honors Thesis
• Learning Objectives

Related Programs

The university offers several related programs, including:

• BS in Physics
• BS in Astrophysics
• BS in Chemical Physics
• BS in Engineering Physics
• Minor in Physics
• Minor in Astrophysics
• Minor in Applied Computational Science
• MS in Physics
• MS in Physics: Astrophysics
• MS in Physics: Physics Education
• PhD in Physics
• PhD in Physics: Astrophysics
• PhD in Physics: Physics Education
• PhD in Physics: Chemical Physics
• Joint PhD in Physics and Materials Science and Engineering

Research Areas

The Department of Physics and Astronomy has research areas in:

• Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Cosmology and Relativity
• High Energy Physics
• Physics Education Research