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

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
US 11001PHYS 2435 (TCCN PHYS 2427)4
PHYS 1430 (Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 030 [TCCN PHYS 2425])4MATH 2472 (Component Area Option Code 090/092 [TCCN MATH 2414])4
MATH 2471 (Mathematics Component Code 020 [TCCN MATH 2413])4American History Component Code 0603
ENG 1310 (Communication Component Code 010 [TCCN ENGL 1301])3Communication Component Code 0103
Social and Behavioral Sciences Component Code 0803 
 15 14
Sophomore
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
PHYS 2425 (Component Area Option Code 090/093 [TCCN PHYS 2426])4PHYS 21501
PHYS 22302PHYS 33203
MATH 2393 (TCCN MATH 2315)3PHYS 33113
CHEM 1335 (Life and Physical Sciences Component Code 030 [TCCN CHEM 1309])13MATH 33233
CHEM 1135 (TCCN CHEM 1109)1POSI 2310 (Government/Political Science Component Code 070 [TCCN GOVT 2306])3
Language, Philosophy, and Culture Component Code 0403Electives/Minor3
 16 16
Junior
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
PHYS 33123PHYS 43053
PHYS Upper Division Lab24POSI 2320 (Government/Political Science Component Code 070 [TCCN GOVT 2305])3
American History Component Code 0603PHYS Upper Division Lab24
Electives/Minor3Electives/Minor6
Creative Arts Component Code 050 [HUMA 1315]3 
 16 16
Senior
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
PHYS 43103PHYS Electives7
PHYS 43123Electives/Minor7
PHYS Electives3 
Electives/Minor4 
 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

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 4350BRelativity3
PHYS 4350DBiophysics3
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