PROGRAMS FOR ENTERING FRESHMEN

If you are entering the University as a freshman, or if you are entering the physics major without having completed college-level physics courses, this section will help you select the right courses for your first year of study.

1. Selecting the Right Mathematics Course

   Mathematics is the working language of physics. The first step in planning your program is to determine the correct mathematics course to take.

   Ideally, physics majors entering the University directly from high school should take Math 124 Calculus with Analytic Geometry (5) in their first quarter; this course is a prerequisite for taking Phys 121. Under normal circumstances we advise students to take Math 124 and Phys 121 concurrently. To qualify for Math 124 most students will need to pass either a placement test or show they have earned grades of 2.5 or better in Math 120 Precalculus (5).

   If you already have completed Math 124 or the equivalent, you should continue in whatever required mathematics course normally would follow the last mathematics course you completed.

   If you do not qualify for Math 124 you will have to postpone starting physics. In that case you may need additional time to graduate or may have to settle for a reduced major program. (See Sample Programs.)

   It is vitally important to complete the mathematics needed as prerequisite for Phys 227 (Math 308) before the winter quarter in which you take Phys 227, and Math 324 which is needed for the 300-level physics courses before the autumn quarter you begin Physics 321 and 324 (or 315 in the Winter). If you do not, you will have to wait an additional full academic year to do so. (Phys 227 and 228 and the 300-level and more advanced physics courses are offered no more than once a year, with Electricity and Magnetism and Quantum Mechanics sequences beginning in autumn quarter.)

2. Selecting the Right Physics Courses

   It is important to begin your work in physics as soon as possible, preferably in your first quarter in college. While a delay of up to a year will not prevent your earning a bachelor's degree in physics, it will limit severely your choices in later years or will require that you take more than four years to earn a degree.

   Students who qualify to take Math 124 (or a more advanced mathematics course) also should take Physics 121 Mechanics (5). These are the first of the required physics courses. It is usual to take them concurrently with Math 124, not after Math 124. It is best, if possible, to take them in the autumn quarter of the freshman year.

3. Typical Credit Load

   The typical credit load for full-time undergraduate students is 15 to 17 credits per quarter. The State of Washington and the University expect students to complete undergraduate degree requirements in four years (12 quarters). That requires 15 credits a quarter. If you do take a reduced load any quarter, you must remember to compensate by taking a heavier load at a later time.

   If you work at an outside job, 15 hours a week is probably the maximum you should do. A full-time course load of 15 to 17 credits means, on the average, that you will need to devote at least 45 to 51 hours a week to class attendance and study. Taking too heavy a course load along with substantial outside work often leads to mediocre or failing grades, poor understanding of the material studied, and reduced opportunities later.

   Many students (in all majors) report that, while they could make better then passing grades in 100- and 200-level courses while working more than 15 hours a week, that 300- and 400-level courses are much more demanding in time.

   After selecting the correct mathematics and physics courses, you should choose additional course work to bring the total number of credits up to the 15 to 17 range. Most students select additional courses which add to their scientific background or which help fulfill the proficiency and "areas of knowledge" (distribution) requirements.

4. Chemistry Courses

   Many students take introductory college chemistry courses along with Math 124, and Physics 121. This combination of mathematics, physics and chemistry provides an ideal background for majoring in any scientific or technical field. It is the most common combination of courses taken by freshmen science majors in the better colleges and universities in the United States. Such a program is demanding, but is easily within the capacity of well-prepared students contemplating scientific careers.

   The introductory chemistry courses most appropriate for physics majors are Chemistry 140, 150, 160 (or the honors sequence Chemistry 142, 152, 162) and the associated laboratory courses, Chemistry 141, 151, 161. These courses assume good preparation and an aptitude for science.

   Chemistry is not a required subject for physics degrees at the University of Washington, though it is at many other institutions. This allows students the privilege of selecting other scientific courses if they prefer to do so. (See the Related Sciences Requirement.)

5. Proficiency Requirements

   Students seeking bachelor's degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to fulfill proficiency requirements in writing, in foreign languages and in quantitative and symbolic reasoning.

   The writing proficiency requirement is fulfilled by successful completion of any 5-credit lower-division English composition course, or some other approved writing course.

   The foreign language proficiency requirement is fulfilled by completion of a foreign language "103'' course or its equivalent, or by passing an approved test.

   The quantitative and symbolic reasoning proficiency requirement is passed by completion of 5 credits of course work in mathematics, logic, statistics or computer science. (The required mathematics for the physics major, of course, automatically satisfies this requirement.)

6. General Education Requirements

   Students seeking bachelor's degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to fulfill "areas of knowledge" (general education) requirements in the Humanities, the Social Sciences, and the Natural Sciences. In each of these three areas the student must complete at least 20 approved credits. Please see the Undergraduate Advising Center's List of Suggested General Education Courses for recommendations.

   It is almost impossible for a student majoring in physics not to fulfill the "natural world" (science) "areas of knowledge" (general education) requirement. Although credits in physics may not be counted by physics majors, the general requirements for the bachelor's degree include enough mathematics and other sciences that majors usually automatically fulfill this education requirement.

   Also note that all 100- and 200-level astronomy courses are very qualitative and are not at all suitable for physics majors (even as freshmen). If you wish a single introductory course that is suitable for physics majors, try Astronomy 301, 321, or 322.

   The Department of Physics makes no specific recommendations regarding the choice of "areas of knowledge" (general education) courses. You should make the selection according to your personal preferences and needs. Be careful, however, to make choices from the list of courses approved for these purposes. Check with Margot Nims (margot@phys.washington.edu / 206-543-2772 / C139A, PAT).

   Students interested in the history of science and technology should note that there is a program in this area administered through the Department of History.

   In addition to the proficiency requirement in writing described above, all students must select at least 10 credits in courses designated "W" for their emphasis on writing. See the Undergraduate Advising Center's Additional Writing Requirement page for additional information.

   To find an available courses in any of the "Areas of Knowledge" categories, see the Undergraduate Advising Center's General Education Requirement Course Search

Registration and Advising	Next: Programs for Transfer Students