SUBSTITUTIONS, WAIVERS FOR REQUIREMENTS

There are various reasons why substitutions for graduation requirements or waivers of them may be permitted. For requirements which are set by the University at large or by the College of Arts and Sciences, waivers or substitutions are considered on presentation of a formal petition. Petition blanks are obtainable from the Physics Advising Office. They should be filled out carefully by the student and forwarded through the Department of Physics to the appropriate University office for action. Approval of such petitions is not common and requires sound, academic justification.

Graduation requirements set by the Department of Physics may be waived or substitutions allowed by Professor Robert Van Dyck (vandyck@phys.washington.edu / 206-543-2393 / B445, PAB). In such cases, it is absolutely essential that an explanation for any such waiver or substitution be filed by the adviser in the student's Physics Department file.

Physics requirements are waived or substitutions allowed when a reasonable case is presented that the objective of the requirement has been met in some other verifiable way. Substitutions for required physics courses are approved only when the student clearly did not have a reasonable opportunity to complete the required course, but will complete a closely equivalent course in another department. Please note: carelessness, unsatisfactory grades, and the like are not sufficient reasons.

The most frequently waived physics graduation requirement is that which requires a grade of 2.0 or better in all courses presented to fulfill the minimum requirements for the physics major. This is done routinely but only in cases where there is a single grade below 2.0 among the required courses at the time of graduation -- where there clearly is not a pattern of poor grades developing.

Previous: Required and Recommended Mathematics	Next: Unusual Grades for Physics Majors