Physics
Physics Major
Students who complete a major in Physics are prepared for careers in industrial and governmental research and development and for graduate study in physics, astronomy, engineering, medicine, materials science, and environmental science. In-depth preparation is also provided for teaching in secondary schools.
Students interested in Physics Education are encouraged to declare a double major in their discipline and in education (i.e., Physics Education and Physics). Such double majors may be earned by the successful completion of a few additional credits. Students should contact their adviser, the School of Education , or the Office of Registration and Records for details and are encouraged to declare their primary and secondary majors with the Office of Registration and Records, Ceres Hall 110 .
Optical Science and Engineering Option
This option includes an interdisciplinary optics/photonics sequence of courses taught by the Departments of Physics and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering using a state-of-the-art optics teaching laboratory. This is the only regional program of its type. Optics and lasers are enabling technologies and are applied in most high-tech experiments, communications, devices, medical diagnostics, media, etc. There are more than 5,000 optics-related companies in the United States alone, but even more important, photonics provides the technical foundation for many more. Optical science and engineering has exploded to encompass nearly all fields of science and technology with a consequent shortage of individuals trained in the field. The optical science and engineering option will enhance any job search.
Physics Minor
A Physics minor consists of 19 credits, of which at least eight credits must be completed at NDSU.
Major Requirements
Major: Physics - Standard
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 - Standard
A grade of ‘C’ or better is required for all PHYS and AST prefix courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Physics Major Requirements (Standard) | ||
| 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 355 | Classical Mechanics | 3 |
| PHYS 360 | Modern Physics II | 3 |
| PHYS 361 | Electromagnetic Theory (or PHY 370: Electromagnetic Theory from MSUM) | 3 |
| PHYS 370 | Introduction to Computational Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 411 & 411L | Optics for Scientists & Engineers and Optics for Scientists and Engineers Lab | 4 |
| PHYS 462 | Thermal and Statistical Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 485 | Quantum Mechanics I | 3 |
| PHYS 486 | Quantum Mechanics II | 3 |
| PHYS 488 | Senior Project I | 1 |
| PHYS 489 | Senior Project II | 2 |
| Physics Electives: Select two from the following: | 6 | |
| Research For Undergraduates | ||
| Lasers for Scientists and Engineers | ||
| Elements of Photonics | ||
| Statistical Mechanics | ||
| Condensed Matter Physics | ||
MSUM AST | Astronomy courses (300/400 level) with departmental approval | |
| 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 Electives | (400-level (MATH 488 & MATH 489 are recommended) | 6 |
| Select one of the following chemistry courses (150/160 is recommended): | 4 | |
| Principles of Chemistry I and Principles of Chemistry Laboratory I | ||
| General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | ||
| Select one of the following chemistry courses (151/161 recommended): | 4 | |
| Principles of Chemistry II and Principles of Chemistry Laboratory II | ||
| General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | ||
| CSCI 160 | Computer Science I | 4 |
| or ECE 173 | Introduction to Computing | |
| CSCI 161 | Computer Science II | 4 |
| Total Credits | 90 | |
Program Notes
- Except for courses offered only as pass/fail grading, no course may be taken Pass/Fail.
Major Requirements
Major: Physics with Optical Science and Engineering Option
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 - Optical Science and Engineering OPTION
A grade of ‘C’ or better is required for all PHYS prefix courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Physics Major Requirements (Optical Science & Engineering Option) | ||
| 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 355 | Classical Mechanics | 3 |
| PHYS 360 | Modern Physics II | 3 |
| PHYS 361 | Electromagnetic Theory (or PHY 370:Electromagnetic Theory from MSUM) | 3 |
| PHYS 370 | Introduction to Computational Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 411 & 411L | Optics for Scientists & Engineers and Optics for Scientists and Engineers Lab | 4 |
| PHYS 413 | Lasers for Scientists and Engineers | 3 |
| PHYS 415 | Elements of Photonics | 3 |
| PHYS 462 | Thermal and Statistical Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 485 | Quantum Mechanics I | 3 |
| PHYS 486 | Quantum Mechanics II | 3 |
| PHYS 489 | Senior Project II | 3 |
| CSCI 160 | Computer Science I | 4 |
| or ECE 173 | Introduction to Computing | |
| EE 206 | Circuit Analysis I | 4 |
| Related Required Courses | ||
| Mathematics: | ||
| 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 Electives | 400-level (MATH 452, MATH 481, and/or MATH 488 are recommended) | 6 |
| Select one of the following (150/160 is recommended): | 4 | |
| Principles of Chemistry I and Principles of Chemistry Laboratory I | ||
| General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | ||
| Select one of the following (151/161 is recommended): | 4 | |
| Principles of Chemistry II and Principles of Chemistry Laboratory II | ||
| General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | ||
| Total Credits | 90 | |
PROGRAM NOTES
- Except for courses offered only as pass/fail grading, no course may be taken Pass/Fail.
Recommended Electives for the Optical and Engineering Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 311 | Circuit Analysis II | 4 |
| ECE 321 | Electronics for Electrical Engineers | 2 |
| ECE 417 | Optical Signal Transmission | 3 |
| ECE 483 | Instrumentation for Engineers | 3 |
Minor Requirements
Physics Minor
Minor Requirements
Required Credits: 19
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| PHYS 251 | University Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 252 | University Physics II | 4 |
| PHYS 252L | University Physics II Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 350 | Modern Physics | 3 |
| Electives: Select 7 credits from the following: | 7 | |
| Introductory Projects in Physics | ||
| University Physics I Laboratory | ||
| University Physics I Recitation | ||
| University Physics II Recitation | ||
| Research For Undergraduates | ||
Any 300-400 level Physics course | ||
| Total Credits | 19 | |
Minor Requirements and Notes
- A minimum of 8 credits must be taken at NDSU.
Plan of Study
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PHYS 171 | 1 | PHYS 251 | 4 |
| MATH 165 | 4 | PHYS 251L | 1 |
| CHEM 150 | 3 | PHYS 251R | 1 |
| CHEM 160 | 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 | CHEM 151 | 3 |
| Wellness Elective | 2 | CHEM 161 | 1 |
| 18 | 17 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PHYS 252 | 4 | CSCI 161 | 4 |
| PHYS 252L | 1 | PHYS 350 | 3 |
| PHYS 252R | 1 | MATH 266 | 3 |
| MATH 265 | 4 | COMM 110 | 3 |
| CSCI 160 | 4 | Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3 |
| Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3 | Social/Behavioral Science Elective | 3 |
| 17 | 19 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PHYS 355 | 3 | PHYS 370 | 3 |
| PHYS 360 | 3 | ENGL 324 | 3 |
| MATH 4XX Math Elective | 3 | PHYS 361 | 3 |
| Social/Behavioral Science Elective | 3 | MATH 4XX Math Elective | 3 |
| Free elective | 3 | Humanities/Fine Arts Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PHYS 462 | 3 | PHYS 489 | 2 |
| PHYS 485 | 3 | PHYS 481 | 3 |
| PHYS 411 | 3 | PHYS 486 | 3 |
| PHYS 411L | 1 | Physics Elective | 3 |
| Social/Behavioral Science Elective | 3 | ||
| PHYS 488 | 1 | ||
| 14 | 11 | ||
| Total Credits: 126 | |||
