Undergraduate Degrees

Department Major Requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Physics

This program is intended primarily for students who are interested in a career in physics.

Required courses, Lower divisionUnits
PHYS 161L*Advanced Principles of Physics I4
PHYS 162L*Advanced Principles of Physics II4
PHYS 163L*Advanced Principles of Physics III4
PHYS 190aFreshman Colloquium1

*PHYS 151L, 152L and 153L may be substituted for the sequence PHYS 161L, 162L and 163L.

Required courses, Upper division40 Units
PHYS 304Mechanics4
PHYS 408abElectricity and Magnetism4-4
PHYS 438abIntroduction to Quantum Mechanics and its
Applications4-4
PHYS 491abLSenior Laboratory2-2

Plus an additional 16 units in physics

Other requirements:Units
CHEM 115abL*Advanced General Chemistry4-4
MATH 125Calculus I4
MATH 126Calculus II4
MATH 226Calculus III4
MATH 245Mathematics of Physics and Engineering I4
MATH 445Mathematics of Physics and Engineering II4

*CHEM 105abL may be substituted for CHEM 115abL.

Department Major Requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Astronomy

Required courses, Lower divisionUnits
PHYS 151LFundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics, Waves,
and Sound4
PHYS 152LFundamentals of Physics II: Thermodynamics,
Electricity, and Magnetism4
PHYS 153LFundamentals of Physics III:
Optics and Modern Physics4

Required courses, Upper divisionUnits
ASTR 400The Solar System4
ASTR 410Stellar Astronomy4
ASTR 420Galaxies and Cosmology4
ASTR 430LThe Reduction of Observations4
ASTR 440Astrophysics4
PHYS 302LPhysical Optics4
PHYS 304Mechanics4
PHYS 316Introduction to Thermodynamics and
Statistical Physics4
PHYS 408aElectricity and Magnetism4
PHYS 438abIntroduction to Quantum Mechanics and
its Applications4-4

Other requirementsUnits
MATH 125Calculus I4
MATH 126Calculus II4
MATH 226Calculus III4
MATH 245Mathematics of Physics and Engineering I4
MATH 445Mathematics of Physics and Engineering II4

and two courses approved for credit toward majors in either chemistry, earth sciences, mathematics, physics, computer sciences or engineering, at least one of which must be an upper division course.

Department Major Requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Physics/Computer Science

This program is intended for students with dual interests in physics and computer science who wish to complete the essential courses for both majors within their normal four-year career.

Required courses, Lower divisionUnits
PHYS 151LFundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics, Waves,
and Sound4
PHYS 152LFundamentals of Physics II: Thermodynamics,
Electricity, and Magnetism4
CSCI 101Introduction to Computer Science4
CSCI 102Data Structures3
CSCI 110Introduction to Digital Logic (Enroll in EE 101)3
CSCI 201LIntroduction to Software Development4
CSCI 271Discrete Methods in Computer Science4

Required courses, Upper divisionUnits
PHYS 304Mechanics4
PHYS 408abElectricity and Magnetism4-4
PHYS 438abIntroduction to Quantum Mechanics and
its Applications4-4
PHYS 495Senior Project3
CSCI 301Theory of Computation3
CSCI 357Basic Organization of Computer Systems
(Enroll in EE 357)3
CSCI 402Operating Systems3

Other requirementsUnits
MATH 125Calculus I4
MATH 126Calculus II4
MATH 225Linear Algebra and Linear Differential Equations4
MATH 226Calculus III4
MATH 245Mathematics of Physics and Engineering I4
MATH 270Proof Techniques and Mathematical Structures4
MATH 445Mathematics of Physics and Engineering II4

Department Major Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Physics

This program is intended for students with an interest in physics who do not intend to pursue a career in physics.

Required courses, Lower divisionUnits
PHYS 151L*Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics, Waves,
and Sound4
PHYS 152L*Fundamentals of Physics II: Thermodynamics,
Electricity, and Magnetism4
PHYS 153L*Fundamentals of Physics III:
Optics and Modern Physics4
PHYS 190aFreshman Colloquium1

*PHYS 161L, 162L and 163L may be substituted for the sequence PHYS 151L, 152L and 153L.

Required courses, Upper divisionUnits
PHYS 304Mechanics4
PHYS 408abElectricity and Magnetism4-4
PHYS 438abIntroduction to Quantum Mechanics and
its Applications4-4
PHYS 491abLSenior Laboratory2-2
Plus an additional 8 units in physics

Other requirementsUnits
CHEM 105abL*General Chemistry4-4
MATH 125Calculus I4
MATH 126Calculus II4
MATH 226Calculus III4
MATH 245Mathematics of Physics and Engineering I4
MATH 445Mathematics of Physics and Engineering II4

*CHEM 115abL may be substituted for CHEM 105abL.

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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
Joye Day
day@mizar.usc.edu