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Undergraduate Bulletin College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Physics

Bachelor of Arts in Physics

Students on Summer 2018, Fall 2018, or Spring 2019 requirements PHYSBA
The Bachelor of Arts in Physics curriculum introduces students to the study of matter and energy, including their nature and properties. Students learn theoretical and experimental approaches including Newtonian mechanics, oscillations, and waves, bulk properties of matter and thermodynamics. Upper-level courses focus modern, environmental and theoretical physics, materials science, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, radiation science, analog and digital electronics. At all levels, physics courses combine lectures and labs, and majors gain hands-on experience using advanced instruments and computing systems, gaining the skills necessary for successful research and industry careers.

Requirements

The major requires at least 30 credit hours, including the requirements listed below.
  1. Physics I. One (1) course:
    • PHYS-P 201 General Physics I
    • PHYS-P 221 Physics I
    • PHYS-H 221 Honors Physics I
  2. Physics II. One (1) course:
    • PHYS-P 202 General Physics II
    • PHYS-P 222 Physics II
    • PHYS-H 222 Honors Physics II
  3. Physics III. One (1) course:
    • PHYS-P 301 Physics III
  4. Electives. Additional courses, as needed to fulfill remaining requirements, from the Physics Electives list.
    • PHYS-P 309 Modern Physics Laboratory
    • PHYS-P 310 Environmental Physics
    • PHYS-P 314 Introduction to Medical Physics
    • PHYS-P 317 Signals and Information Processing in Living Systems
    • PHYS-P 318 Scattering Methods in Materials Science
    • PHYS-P 321 Techniques in Theoretical Physics
    • PHYS-P 325 Computing Skills for Physical Scientists
    • PHYS-P 331 Theory of Electricity and Magnetism I
    • PHYS-P 332 Theory of Electricity and Magnetism II
    • PHYS-P 340 Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
    • PHYS-P 350 Applied Physics Instrumentation Laboratory
    • PHYS-P 371 Radiation Science Fundamentals
    • PHYS-P 400 Analog and Digital Electronics
    • PHYS-P 408 Current Research in Physics
    • PHYS-P 410 Computing Applications in Physics
    • PHYS-P 411 Computing Applications in Physics II
    • PHYS-P 425 Introductory Biophysics
    • PHYS-P 441 Analytical Mechanics I
    • PHYS-P 442 Analytical Mechanics II
    • PHYS-P 451 Experiments in Modern Physics I
    • PHYS-P 453 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
    • PHYS-P 454 Modern Physics
    • PHYS-P 455 Quantum Computing I
    • PHYS-P 456 Quantum Computing II
    • PHYS-P 460 Modern Optics
    • PHYS-P 470 Introduction to Accelerator Physics
    • PHYS-P 472 Radiation Oncology Physics
    • PHYS-P 478 Radiation Biophysics
  5. Addenda Requirements*.
    • Calculus I. One (1) course:
      • MATH-M 211 Calculus I
      • MATH-S 211 Honors Calculus I
    • Calculus II. One (1) course:
      • MATH-M 212 Calculus II
      • MATH-S 212 Honors Calculus II
    • Calculus III. One (1) course:
      • MATH-M 343 Introduction to Differential Equations with Applications I
      • MATH-S 343 Honors Course in Differential Equations
  6. Major GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
    1. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
    2. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300–499 level.
    3. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.
    4. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the major—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
    5. Exceptions to major requirements may be made with the approval of the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.