Degree options: Bachelor of Arts
and Bachelor of Science degrees with a major in physics. Students may choose
one of several options in pure and applied physics.
Description of program: The basic
physics major is designed for students who are interested in a career in
industry, government laboratories and applied science, or in further study
toward a graduate degree.
For students planning to teach
junior or senior high school physics, a cooperative program with the School of
Education leads to Iowa secondary certification. Students complete a program of
physics and education courses and a professional semester, which includes
student teaching experience.
Students planning to enter medical
or dental school may complete their undergraduate major in physics. This
program includes the appropriate courses in biology and chemistry needed to
satisfy medical or dental school entrance requirements.
For students who have an interest
outside the present fields of concentration but whose educational goals can be
realized through a combination of existing courses, an individualized major may
be developed. Faculty members counsel students whose interests lie in this
direction. Such individualized majors could include computational physics,
geophysics, environmental physics, biophysics, chemical physics or
astrophysics.
Additional courses are offered in
physics and physical science to familiarize the general student with the
current scientific interpretations of the fundamental physical laws that govern
the universe.
Program of study for major: The
Bachelor of Arts degree requires a minimum of 42 credit hours in physics, and
the Bachelor of Science degree requires a minimum of 50 credit hours in physics
in a program to be developed by the student and the adviser and approved by the
department. All programs include a common core of seven physics courses in the
first two years:
First year
Physics 1 — Introductory Physics I
Physics 5 — Topics in Physics
Sophomore year
Physics
2 — Introductory Physics II
Physics
50 — Modern Physics
Physics
59 — Advanced Laboratory I
Physics
61 — Error Theory
Physics
191 — Physics Seminar I
Minimum degree requirements for
the B.A. and B.S. degrees also include:
Physics
121 — Theoretical Mechanics
Physics
122 — Introduction to Electromagnetic
Theory
Physics
133 — Electronics
Physics
182 — Thermodynamics and Statistical
Physics
Physics
192, 193 — Physics Seminar II, III
Requirements for the B.A.
includes one of the following:
Physics
149 or 159 — Advanced Laboratory II or III
Physics
197 or 198 — Research Participation
In addition, the Bachelor of
Science degree requires:
Physics
149 or 159 — Advanced Laboratory II or III
Physics
181 — Quantum Theory
Physics
188 — Advanced Classical Physics, and
one course from the following:
Physics 180, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 189, 190, 195, 197, 198
A Senior Capstone Experience is
required, which may be either an NSF sponsored REU experience between the
junior and senior years, or one of the courses Physics 197 or 198 — Research
Participation taken during the senior year.
Requirements for all programs also include Chemistry 1 — General Chemistry I, with laboratory — and related courses in mathematics and computer science appropriate to the options chosen by the student.
Depending on the student’s career
goals, the academic adviser may recommend additional courses chosen from
electives.
Program of study for minor:
Minimum of 24 credit hours of physics courses: Physics 1, 2 and 5 and Physics
50, 59, 61, 191 and either 133 or 182. All students planning to take a minor in
physics must have a minor adviser in the Department of Physics. Students should
consult their advisers regarding the mathematics prerequisites for these
courses.