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Undergraduate Bulletin College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Physics

Program II: Applied Physics (Bachelor of Science in Physics)

Students on Summer 2019, Fall 2019, or Spring 2020 requirements PHYAPPLTRK
Students interested in obtaining a professional degree in an applied field, such as engineering, or in pursuing a high-tech job immediately after graduation are excellent candidates for the Applied Physics program. The Applied Physics program substitutes a more rigorous laboratory program and coursework in the applied aspects of physics for some of the traditional upper-level, theoretical courses. The centerpiece of the Applied Physics program is a three-month internship in a corporate or national laboratory setting.

Requirements

The major requires at least 35 credit hours (57 with the Addenda requirements), including the requirements listed below.
  1. Physics I. One (1) course:
    • PHYS-H 221 Honors Physics I
    • PHYS-P 221 Physics I
  2. Physics II. One (1) course:
    • PHYS-H 222 Honors Physics II
    • PHYS-P 222 Physics II
  3. Physics III. One (1) course:
    • PHYS-P 301 Physics III
  4. Theory of Electricity and Magnetism I. One (1) course:
    • PHYS-P 331 Theory of Electricity and Magnetism I
  5. Analytical Mechanics I. One (1) course:
    • PHYS-P 441 Analytical Mechanics I
  6. Modern Physics Laboratory. One (1) course:
    • PHYS-P 309 Modern Physics Laboratory
  7. Applied Physics Instrumentation Laboratory. One (1) course:
    • PHYS-P 350 Applied Physics Instrumentation Laboratory
  8. Experiments in Modern Physics. One (1) course:
    • PHYS-P 400 Analog and Digital Electronics
    • PHYS-P 451 Experiments in Modern Physics I
    • PHYS-P 460
  9. Internship. 1 credit hour:
    • PHYS-X 473 Applied Physics Internship
  10. Physics Electives. Additional courses, as needed to fulfill remaining requirements, selected from the Physics Electives list.
    • Any PHYS-P 300–399 except PHYS-P 301; PHYS-P 309; PHYS-P 331
    • Any PHYS-P 400–499 except PHYS-P 441
    • Any PHYS-X 100–499
  11. Addenda Requirements*.
    1. Mathematics.
      1. Calculus I. One (1) course:
        • MATH-M 211 Calculus I
        • MATH-S 211
      2. Calculus II. One (1) course:
        • MATH-M 212 Calculus II
        • MATH-S 212 Honors Calculus II
      3. Calculus III. One (1) course:
        • MATH-M 311 Calculus III
        • MATH-S 311 Honors Course in Calculus III
      4. Calculus IV. One (1) course:
        • MATH-M 312 Calculus IV
        • MATH-S 312 Honors Course in Calculus IV
        • PHYS-P 321 Techniques in Theoretical Physics (course counts toward Major GPA and Major Hours)
      5. Introduction to Differential Equations with Applications I. One (1) course:
        • MATH-M 343
        • MATH-S 343 Honors Course in Differential Equations
    2. Computer Science. Four (4) credit hours:
      • CSCI-A 201 Introduction to Programming I
      • Both of the following:
        • CSCI-A 304 Introductory C++ Programming
        • CSCI-A 306 Object-Oriented Programming in C++
      • CSCI-C 211 Introduction to Computer Science (with permission of department)
      • CSCI-H 211 Introduction to Computer Science-Honors (with permission of department)
  12. 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.