Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Major in Physics (Astronomy Concentration)

Minimum required: 120 semester credit hours

General Requirements

  1. The general education core curriculum courses are listed in the degree plan below along with the statewide component code number. See the General Education Core Curriculum section of this catalog for the Texas State requirements and options in the core curriculum, including Honors courses.
  2. Students must complete a minimum of 36 advanced hours (3000 or 4000 level courses).
  3. Students entering Texas State with fewer than 16 credit hours completed after high school graduation will be required to take US 1100. All others will be exempt from taking this course. Students may be required to earn an additional elective to reach the 120 minimum total credit hour requirement for the awarding of a degree.
  4. Students must select a minor from the approved list of Undergraduate Minors. The recommended minor is Applied Mathematics. The minor should be chosen in consultation with the academic advisor.
  5. Nine semester credit hours must be writing intensive (WI).
  6. If two years of the same language are taken in high school, then no additional language hours will be required for the degree. In the absence of such high school language, two semesters of the same modern language must be taken at the college level.

Course Requirements 

Freshman
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
MATH 2471 (Mathematics Component Code 020 [TCCN MATH 2413])4PHYS 2335
PHYS 2135
4
US 11001MATH 2472 (Component Area Option Code 090/092 [TCCN MATH 2414])4
ENG 1310 (Communication Component Code 010 [TCCN ENGL 1301])3ENG 1320 (Communication Component Code 010 [TCCN ENGL 1302])3
PHYS 2325
PHYS 2125 (Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 030 [TCCN PHYS 2325 and 2125])
4American History Component Code 0603
Social and Behavioral Sciences Component Code 0803 
 15 14
Sophomore
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
CHEM 1135 (TCCN CHEM 1109)1POSI 2310 (Government/Political Science Component Code 070 [TCCN GOVT 2306])3
CHEM 1335 (Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 030 [TCCN CHEM 1309])13MATH 33233
PHYS 2326
PHYS 2126 (Component Area Option Code 090/093 [TCCN PHYS 2326 and 2126])
4PHYS 21501
MATH 2393 (TCCN MATH 2315)3Electives/Minor3
PHIL 1305 or 1320 (Language, Philosophy, and Culture Component Code 040 [TCCN PHIL 1301 or 2306])3PHYS 33203
PHYS 22302PHYS 33113
 16 16
Junior
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
American History Component Code 0603PHYS 43053
PHYS 33123Electives/Minor6
ART 2313, DAN 2313, MU 2313, or TH 2313 (Creative Arts Component Code 050 [TCCN HUMA 1315])3PHYS 34184
Electives/Minor3POSI 2320 (Government/Political Science Component Code 070 [TCCN GOVT 2305])3
PHYS Upper Division Lab24 
 16 16
Senior
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
PHYS 43103PHYS Electives4
Electives/Minor4Astronomy Concentration Elective33
PHYS 43123Electives/Minor7
Astronomy Concentration Elective33 
 13 14
Total Hours: 120
1

BIO 1330/BIO 1130 or BIO 1331/BIO 1131 may be taken instead of CHEM 1335/CHEM 1135.

2

Upper Division Labs:  PHYS 3411, PHYS 3416, PHYS 3417, PHYS 3418

3

Astronomy Concentration Electives: PHYS 3313PHYS 3318, PHYS 4350B.

PHYS Electives

PHYS 3210Physics Cognition and Pedagogy2
PHYS 3313Astrophysics3
PHYS 3318Galactic and Extragalactic Astrophysics3
PHYS 3411Advanced Physics Laboratory4
PHYS 3416Applied Electronics4
PHYS 3417Optics4
PHYS 3418Methods in Observational Astrophysics4
PHYS 4121Undergraduate Research1
PHYS 4221Undergraduate Research2
PHYS 4311Condensed Matter Physics3
PHYS 4320Selected Study in Physics3
PHYS 4321Undergraduate Research (see dept.)3
PHYS 4330Relativity3
PHYS 4345Biophysics3
PHYS 4350FAstronomical Spectroscopy3
PHYS 4350GNuclear and Particle Physics3
PHYS 4360Physics Cognition and Pedagogy II3
ENGR 3311Mechanics of Materials3
ENGR 3380Fluid Mechanics3
MATH 4306Fourier Series and Boundary Value Problems3
Or courses approved by the department advisor