B.A. in Physics Requirements
This is content from the Catalog 2016–2017 back issue. Please visit the current catalog for current information.
Group 1. General Education Basic, Area, and Integrative Requirements
Students may choose to graduate under the General Education Basic, Area, and Integrative requirements and graduation requirements in force at the time they entered the UH System, when they entered UH Hilo, or when they graduate, provided there is no break in enrollment.
Students should meet with their academic advisor to ensure that they enroll in courses that will enable them to meet these requirements as well as requirements for the major and for graduation. Some courses may meet both General Education requirements and major requirements.
The new GE basic, core, and integrative requirements and lists of certified courses are posted on the General Education website.
Group 2. Major Requirements (72 credits)
Please note any course pre-requisites.
- Required Courses in Physics (34)
- PHYS 170-170L Gen Phys I: Mechanics (4), Gen Phys I Lab (1)
- PHYS 171-171L Gen Phys II: Elec & Magnetism (4), Gen Phys II Lab (1)
- PHYS 260-260L Computational Physics & Astron (3), Computational Phys & Astr Lab (1)
- PHYS 270 Gen Phys III: Intro Modern Phy (3)
- PHYS 330 Electromagnetism (3)
- PHYS 331 Optics (3)
- PHYS 341 Thermodynamics (3)
- PHYS 371 Classical Mechanics (3)
- PHYS 430 Quantum Mechanics I (3)
- PHYS 495A-495B Seminar (1), Seminar (1)
- Required Courses in Mathematics (17)
- MATH 205 Calculus I (4)
- MATH 206 Calculus II (4)
- MATH 231 Calculus III (3)
- MATH 232 Calculus IV (3)
- MATH 300 Ordinary Diff Equations (3)
- Required Elective Courses in Physics (6)
- Choose 6 Credits from the following courses:
- PHYS 360 Mathematical Physics (3)
- PHYS 380 Chaos (3)
- PHYS 431 Quantum Mechanics II (3)
- PHYS 432 Senior Lab/Thesis Project (3)
- ASTR 350 Stellar Astrophysics (3)
- ASTR 351 Galactic & Extragal Astrophys (3)
- ASTR 460 Gravitation & Cosmology (3)
- MARE 440 Physical Oceanography (3)
- Required Elective Courses in Mathematics (3)
- Choose 3 Credits from the following courses:
- MATH 360 Mathematical Physics (3) (See Note 8)
- MATH 380 Chaos (3) (See Note 8)
- MATH 301 Partial Differential Equatns (3)
- MATH 303 Complex Variables W/ Apps (3)
- MATH 310 Discrete Mathematics (3)
- MATH 311 Intro Linear Algebra (3)
- Required Natural Science Electives (12) 12 credits selected from Natural Sciences as approved by the Physics Department. (See Note 3)
Total Semester Hours Required for the B.A. in Physics
120 credits required.
Notes
- Students must earn at least a 2.0 GPA in courses required for the major.
- At least 36 credits must be earned in courses at the 300- or 400-level.
- Students are encouraged strongly to meet with their advisors regarding Natural Science elective courses appropriate to their career aspirations.
- To earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics, students must fulfill the requirements for the major and meet all of the University’s other baccalaureate degree requirements. (Please see the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements in this Catalog.)
- Students wishing to make timely progress toward graduation are urged to pay careful attention to all degree requirements.
- In addition, when planning a schedule of courses, it is imperative to be aware of course prerequisites and the frequency with which courses are offered. This information is available in the course listings in this Catalog.
- To ensure progress toward degree completion, students are urged to meet with an advisor each semester before registering.