PREPARATION FOR MAJORING IN PHYSICS

Mathematics:

The most important preparation needed for majoring in physics is mathematics. Ordinarily you are expected to have completed four full years of college preparatory mathematics in high school. On entering the University of Washington as a freshman you must take a Mathematics placement test, on which you should score high enough to be able to start college-level study with the first course in college calculus, Mathematics 124 or 134. You will be able to take (and should take) Physics 121 concurrently. If you have less preparation than this, you will be delayed in beginning the physics courses.

A strong record in high school mathematics is a good indicator of likely success in college physics courses. Physics graduates who enter the University of Washington directly from high school historically have had an overall school grade average of 3.6. Their mathematics or "quantitative" scores on the Scholastic Aptitude or Washington Pre-College Tests have averaged 685.

High school calculus courses and advanced placement mathematics are not required, though they are helpful. Experience suggests that not having had a gap of a semester or more in mathematics classes in high school is more important than having had accelerated mathematics. Mathematics, like a foreign language, requires constant exercise to remain fully useful.

There is wide-spread misunderstanding to the effect that it is helpful to complete college-level courses in calculus before beginning the study of physics. It is actually more important that your skills in problem solving and analytical reasoning be strong. To repeat, Physics 121 is designed to be taken concurrently with Mathematics 124 or 134.

High School Science:

It is very desirable that you have completed three full years of high school science - biology, chemistry, and, particularly, physics. If you have not done so in high school, you should plan to take chemistry in college. If you did not take high school physics, you may want to consider taking Physics 101, 102, 103 before you start on more technical physics courses. This will cost you an extra year of undergraduate study if you wish to complete the full undergraduate physics program, but it may be worth the extra time and expense.

English:

Thorough training in English, especially in composition, is of very great value in the sciences. College-level work in writing is therefore important. At the University of Washington, it is required. So are advanced courses which require significant writing-- including courses in physics with specific writing requirements.

Studying physics requires much reading, and very careful attention to exact meanings. Practicing physics usually involves more reading and considerable writing. In 1977, a large group of leaders in industrial science, asked what universities could do to improve the value of their physics graduates, placed additional skills in writing ahead of all other things, including more scientific training.

Foreign Languages:

There are no undergraduate language requirements for physics majors, other than those of the College of Arts and Sciences. Most physics graduate schools have reduced or eliminated foreign language requirements. However, a good knowledge of a foreign language often can be an aid to a physicist.

If you continue to the PhD and enter a research career, you likely will travel to international meetings or visit major research facilities such as the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland, Kamiokande (KEK) in Japan, the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) in Germany, or the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in France. Although meetings are conducted in English, knowledge of foreign languages will enhance and facilitate your travel experiences.

Knowledge of a foreign language is an important part of a liberal education, and the Physics Department encourages you to learn at least one language. For a foreign language to be useful, you should complete at least two full years of college study of a single language -- or the equivalent four years of high school study of that language.

The Department of Physics has exchange programs under which it is possible to spend an academic year at one of the German Universities in Giessen and Mainz. While the terms of support are different for the two Universities, both require good command of German.

Previous: Declaring a Major in Physics	Next: The Physics Major