SAMPLE PROGRAMS FOR PHYSICS MAJORS
This section describes a number of different schedules of course work corresponding to certain common student goals. All assume full-time study and a four-year college program without summer quarter enrollment. There are, of course, many additional possibilities.
Students who wish to make use of summer quarters as well as the regular academic year can either shorten the overall time required to earn a degree or can spread their work over a larger number of quarters. They must note, however, that it is rare for advanced work in physics and other sciences to be offered during summer quarters.(Physics 121, 122, 123, 224, 225 ordinarily are offered in summer quarters as well as every quarter of the regular academic year.)
Program 1: Maximum Electives in Physics and Related Fields
Program 2: Best Preparation for Graduate Study in Physics
Program 3: Program for Students who Start with Math 120
Program 4: Crash Program to Get Maximum Physics in Three Years
Program 5: A Program Emphasizing Applied Physics
Program 1: Maximum Electives in Physics and Related Fields
The following program begins in the freshman year and combines the minimum requirements in physics and mathematics with electives. This program pattern is suiTABLE for students who enter the University with good preparation in mathematics and science and who plan to use the strong foundation provided by the core of physics courses as the basis for work or further study in related fields.
This program concentrates the minimum required work in physics and mathematics in the first two years, leaving most of the later years open for advanced elective courses. The outline following includes 117 to 141 elective credits. The latter includes all courses for which the student has at least some degree of personal choice: distribution requirements, related science requirements, electives in physics or cognate subjects needed to complete the major, and completely unspecified electives. Note that among the electives must be at least three credits of physics research or seminar.
First Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Math 124 5 Math 125 5 Math 126 5 Phys 121 5 Phys 122 5 Phys 123 5 Electives 5-7 Electives 5-7 Electives 5-7 Totals 15-17 15-17 15-17
Second Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Phys 227* 3 Math 308 3 Phys 225 3 Math 324 4 Phys 224 3 Phys 228 3 Phys 229 (optional) 3 Phys 231 3 Phys 334 3 Phys 335 3 Electives 6-8 Electives 6-8 Electives 6-8 Totals 18-20 15-17 16-18 *If you do not take Phys 227 in the Fall along with Math 308, it may delay your graduation by a year.
Third Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Phys 321 4 Phys 322 4 Electives 12-14 Electives 12-14 Electives 12-14 Totals 15-17 15-17 15-17
Fourth Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Electives 15-17 Electives 15-17 Electives 15-17 Totals 15-17 15-17 15-17
Program 2: Best Preparation for Graduate Study in Physics
About one out of five physics B.S. recipients continues in graduate study leading to the Ph.D. degree in physics. Traditionally, such a course of study involves no specialization within physics until at least the second year of graduate work. But it does require a sound and thorough undergraduate training in physics. The first two years of the undergraduate program for this goal are the same as described in the Maximum Electives example. The third and fourth years are recommended to be the following:
Third Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits AMath 401 4 AMath 402 4 AMath 403 4 Phys 321 4 Phys 322 4 Phys 323 4 Phys 324 4 Phys 325 4 Phys 328 3 Phys 331 3 Electives 5-7 Electives 5-7 Electives 2-4 Totals 15-17 15-17 15-17
Fourth Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Phys 423 3 Phys 421 3 Phys 422 3 Phys 431 3 Phys 432 3 Phys 433 3 Phys 424 3 Electives 6-8 Electives 6-8 Electives 6-8 Totals 15-17 15-17 15-17
Program 3: Program for Students who Start with Math 120
Students who do not qualify to take Math 124 in the first quarter of their freshman year must delay starting physics. The following program catches up this delay by the end of the second year.
First Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Math 120 5 Math 124 5 Math 125 5 Phys 121 5 Phys 122 5 Electives 10-12 Electives 5-7 Electives 5-7 Totals 15-17 15-17 15-17
Second Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Phys 227* 3 Math 308 3 Math 126 5 Math 324 3 Phys 123 5 Phys 224 3 Phys 225 3 Phys 334 3 Phys 335 3 Electives 5-7 Electives 3-5 Electives 3-5 Totals 18-20 15-17 15-17 *If you do not take Phys 227 in the Fall along with Math 308, it may delay your graduation by a year.
This program makes no use of summer quarters. Students who use summer quarters can accomplish the same end either by (a) taking Math 126, and Phys 123 during the summer between their first and second years; or (b) taking Math 324 and Phys 225 during summer quarter after their second year. Phys 227 is offered summer quarter as well.
Program 4: Crash Program to Get Maximum Physics in Three Years.
Some students do not begin study of physics at the college level until their second year because of changed goals, or because they transfer from institutions that offer little work in physics, or, unhappily, because of misadvice about scientific work. If the study of calculus also has been postponed, there is little alternative to planning a program based on the minimum possible requirements, if graduation in four years is necessary, or to planning a five-year program if the best preparation for graduate study in physics is desired.
However, a student who did not delay taking calculus can include almost all of the courses of the graduate preparation program in three years of study by following the crash program outlined below. Be warned, however, that this is a difficult undertaking about which survivors express mixed feelings.
First Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Math 124 5 Math 125 5 Math 126 5 Electives 10-12 Electives 10-12 Electives 10-12 Totals 15-17 15-17 15-17
Second Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Phys 227* 3 Math 308 3 Math 324 3 Phys 224 3 Phys 121 5 Phys 122 5 Phys 123 5 Electives 7-9 Electives 7-9 Electives 7-9 Totals 18-20 15-17 15-17 *If you do not take Phys 227 in the Fall along with Math 308, it may delay your graduation by a year.
Third Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits AMath 401 4 AMath 402 4 AMath 403 4 Phys 225 3 Phys 227 3 Phys 228 3 Phys 321 4 Phys 322 4 Phys 323 4 Phys 334 3 Phys 335 3 Phys 331 3 Electives 5-7 Electives 2-5 Electives 0-1 Totals 15-17 15-17 16-17
Fourth Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Phys 324 4 Phys 325 4 Phys 328 3 Phys 422 3 Phys 423 3 Phys 424 3 Phys 425 3 Phys 426 3 Phys 431 3 Phys 432 3 Phys 433 3 Electives 6-8 Electives 3-5 Electives 3-5 Totals 15-17 15-17 15-17
The only course in the recommended program for preparation for graduate study which is not included in this crash program is Physics 421. The crash program does not call for heavier than normal credit loads, though it does assume that the electives chosen in the first year all will be useful in fulfillment of requirements. It does violate prerequisites at some points. It is extremely demanding because it concentrates so much work in physics in the last two years. It should be attempted only by students very confident of earning good grades while carrying a demanding academic load. It is very easy to create an academic record in this crash program which, in effect, would make graduate study impossible -- thereby defeating the purpose of the program.
Program 5: A Program Emphasizing Applied Physics
The following program is an example of how a program emphasizing applied physics might be arranged (see the earlier section on applied physics). It differs from the general program of Maximum Electives Program only in that chemistry is included specifically and in courses recommended for the last two years. It heavily emphasizes laboratory work in the fourth year. There are, of course, many other possible plans.
First Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Math 124 4 Math 125 5 Math 126 5 Phys 121 5 Phys 122 5 Phys 123 5 Chem 140 4 Chem 150 4 Chem 160 4 Chem 141 1 Chem 151 1 Chem 161 1 Electives 1-3 Electives 0-22 Electives 0-2 Totals 15-17 15-17 15-17
Second Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Phys 227* 3 Math 308 3 Math 324 3 Phys 224 3 Phys 225 3 Phys 231 3 Phys 228 3 Phys 229 (optional) 3 Phys 334 3 Phys 335 3 Electives 6-8 Electives 6-8 Electives 6-8 Totals 18-20 15-17 15-17 *If you do not take Phys 227 in the Fall along with Math 308, it may delay your graduation by a year.
Third Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits AMath 401 4 AMath 402 4 AMath 403 4 Phys 321 4 Phys 322 4 Phys 323 4 Phys 324 4 Phys 325 4 Phys 328 3 Electives 2-6 Electives 2-6 Electives 2-6 Totals 15-17 15-17 15-17
Fourth Year
AUTUMN Credits WINTER Credits SPRING Credits Phys 431 3 Phys 432 3 Phys 433 3 Phys 434 3 Lab 3-6 Lab 3-6 Lab 3-6 Electives 5-8 Electives 6-9 Electives 6-9 Totals 15-17 15-17 15-17
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Updated 1/8/2008
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