Physics and Computer Science
Since the dawn of the computer age, Computer Science and Physics have been closely intertwined disciplines. Computational physics is now an established branch of physics, complementing experiment and theory, that develops and applies computer modeling approaches to the solution of a wide range of physical problems. At the same time, software development (e.g., for graphics and data mining applications) is increasingly inspired by physics. Computer modeling, including simulation and numerical analysis, is an essential component of modern research and development. Correspondingly, the demand is growing for scientists with multidisciplinary training that combines fundamental knowledge of physics and computer science with practical skills in programming and computation. The Computer Science and Physics double major program is designed to allow students to complete the core requirements of both majors in a four-year degree. Graduates of the program will have a unique background qualifying them to work in industry or to pursue graduate studies in physics, computer science, engineering, or other technical fields.
Major Requirements
Major: Physics & Computer Science
Degree Type: B.A. or B.S.
Minimum Degree Credits to Graduate: 122
General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degree
- A list of approved general education courses is available here .
- General education courses may be used to satisfy requirements for both general education and the major, minor, and program emphases, where applicable. Students should carefully review the major, minor, and program emphases requirements for minimum grade restrictions, should they apply.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Communication (C) | 12 | |
| College Composition I | ||
| College Composition II | ||
| Fundamentals of Public Speaking | ||
Upper Division Writing † | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning (R) † | 3 | |
| Science and Technology (S) † | 10 | |
| Humanities and Fine Arts (A) † | 6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (B) † | 6 | |
| Wellness (W) † | 2 | |
| Cultural Diversity (D) *† | ||
| Global Perspectives (G) *† | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
| * | May be satisfied by completing courses in another General Education category. |
| † | May be satisfied with courses required in the major. Review major requirements to determine if a specific upper division writing course is required. |
College Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree – An additional 12 credits Humanities and Social Sciences and proficiency at the second year level in a modern foreign language. * | 12 | |
| Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree – An additional 6 credits in Humanities or Social Sciences * | 6 | |
| * | Humanities and Social Sciences may be fulfilled by any course having the following prefix: ADHM, ANTH, ARCH, ART, CJ, CLAS, COMM, ECON, ENGL, FREN, GEOG, GERM, HDFS, HIST, LA, LANG, MUSC, PHIL, POLS, PSYC, RELS, SOC, SPAN, THEA, WGS, or any course from the approved list of general education courses in humanities and social sciences (general education categories A and B). These credits must come from outside the department of the student’s major. |
Major Requirements
A grade of ‘C’ or better is required for all CSCI, PHYS, and AST prefix courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science Major Requirements | ||
| CSCI 160 | Computer Science I | 4 |
| CSCI 161 | Computer Science II | 4 |
| CSCI 189 | Skills for Academic Success 1 | 1 |
| CSCI 213 | Modern Software Development | 3 |
| CSCI 336 | Theoretical Computer Science | 3 |
| CSCI 366 | Database Systems | 3 |
| CSCI 372 | Comparative Programming Languages | 3 |
| CSCI 374 | Computer Organization and Architechure | 3 |
| CSCI 467 | Algorithm Analysis | 3 |
| CSCI 474 | Operating Systems Concepts | 3 |
| CSCI Electives | CSCI 313 and/or any 400-level CSCI course that is not already used. | 6 |
| Physics Major Requirements: | ||
| PHYS 171 | Introductory Projects in Physics | 1 |
| PHYS 251 & 251L | University Physics I and University Physics I Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 5 |
| PHYS 251R | University Physics I Recitation | 1 |
| PHYS 252 & 252L | University Physics II and University Physics II Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 5 |
| PHYS 252R | University Physics II Recitation | 1 |
| PHYS 350 | Modern Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 360 | Modern Physics II | 3 |
| PHYS 361 | Electromagnetic Theory (or PHY 370: Electromagnetic Theory at MSUM) | 3 |
| PHYS 370 | Introduction to Computational Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 355 | Classical Mechanics (or PHY 330: Internediate Mechanics at MSUM) | 3 |
| PHYS 462 | Thermal and Statistical Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 485 | Quantum Mechanics I | 3 |
| PHYS 486 | Quantum Mechanics II | 3 |
| Physics Electives: Select from the following: | 6 | |
| Research For Undergraduates | ||
| Optics for Scientists & Engineers | ||
| Lasers for Scientists and Engineers | ||
| Elements of Photonics | ||
| Statistical Mechanics | ||
| Condensed Matter Physics | ||
| Senior Project II (If not used to satisfy project requirement) | ||
MSUM AST | Astronomy courses (300/400-level) with departmental permissionsion | |
| Related Required Courses | ||
| MATH 129 | Basic Linear Algebra | 3 |
| or MATH 429 | Linear Algebra | |
| MATH 165 | Calculus I (May satisfy general education category R) | 4 |
| MATH 166 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 265 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 266 | Introduction to Differential Equations | 3 |
| MATH 270 | Introduction to Abstract Mathematics | 3 |
| CSCI 445 | Software Projects Capstone | 3 |
| or PHYS 489 | Senior Project II | |
| Total Credits | 103 | |
| 1 | CSCI 189 is only required for first-time, first-year students--A first-time, first-year student is defined as a student who has not yet completed a college course as a college student. Students that are not first-time, first-year students that either transfer into the university or change their major are not required to take CSCI 189. |
Program Notes
- Except for courses offered only as pass/fail grading, no course may be taken Pass/Fail.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PHYS 171 | 1 | PHYS 251 | 4 |
| MATH 165 | 4 | PHYS 251L | 1 |
| CSCI 160 | 4 | PHYS 251R | 1 |
| CSCI 189 | 1 | MATH 129 | 3 |
| ENGL 110credit automatically granted if you earn a "C" in ENGL 120 | 4 | MATH 166 | 4 |
| ENGL 120can enroll in ENGL 120 if ACT score > 17 | 3 | CSCI 161 | 4 |
| Wellness Elective | 2 | ||
| 19 | 17 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PHYS 252 | 4 | PHYS 350 | 3 |
| PHYS 252L | 1 | MATH 266 | 3 |
| PHYS 252R | 1 | COMM 110 | 3 |
| MATH 265 | 4 | CSCI 336 | 3 |
| CSCI 213 | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3 |
| MATH 270 | 3 | Social/Behavioral Science Elective | 3 |
| 16 | 18 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PHYS 360 | 3 | PHYS 370 | 3 |
| CSCI 366 | 3 | ENGL 324 | 3 |
| PHYS 355 | 3 | PHYS 361 | 3 |
| Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3 | CSCI 372 | 3 |
| CSCI 374 | 3 | ||
| 12 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PHYS 361 | 3 | PHYS 489 | 2 |
| PHYS 462 | 3 | CSCI 467 | 3 |
| Physics Elective | 3 | PHYS 486 | 3 |
| CSCI 474 | 3 | CSCI 313 | 3 |
| CSCI 4XX Computer Science Elective | 3 | or CSCI 4XX Computer Science Elective | |
| Social/Behavioral Science Elective | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3 |
| PHYS 485 | 3 | Social/Behavioral Science Elective | 3 |
| PHYS 488 | 1 | ||
| 22 | 17 | ||
| Total Credits: 136 | |||
