Physics, B.S.

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Students must complete the Oakland University General Education Requirements, General College of Arts and Sciences Requirements, College of Arts and Sciences College Exploratory Requirement, Major Requirements, and an appropriate number of free elective classes to meet the overall credit requirement for the degree (in most cases a minimum of 124; some degrees may require a greater number).

As a general rule, no more than eight credits of coursework used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators.

Schedule of Classes

Specific offerings for each semester may be found in the Schedule of Classes.

General Education Requirements

In order to graduate on-schedule without taking additional courses, it is highly recommended that students meet with an Undergraduate Academic Adviser concerning the selection of all of their general education courses.

Each candidate for an Oakland University baccalaureate will need to satisfactorily complete approved courses in each of the following areas: Foundation, Exploration, Integration, Writing, U.S. Diversity and Capstone. For details, refer to the General Education Requirements section of the catalog.

Requirements for the major in physics, B.S. program

To earn the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in physics, students must complete:

1. 20 required credits in physics

PHY 1510 - Introductory Physics I (4) and PHY 1100 - General Physics Lab I (1)
PHY 1520 - Introductory Physics II (4) and PHY 1110 - General Physics Lab II (1)
PHY 3170 - Modern Physics Laboratory (2)
PHY 3510 - Intermediate Theoretical Physics (4)
PHY 3710 - Foundations of Modern Physics (4)

2. A minimum of 22 elective credits in physics at or above the 2000 level, including at least 2 credits of laboratory coursework

PHY 3610 - Mechanics I (4) and PHY 3810 - Electricity and Magnetism are strongly recommended for students planning graduate work in physics.

3. Required courses

APM 2555 - Introduction to Differential Equations with Matrix Algebra (4)
MTH 1554 - Calculus I (4)
MTH 1555 - Calculus II (4)
MTH 2554 - Multivariable Calculus (4)

4. 10 credits of chemistry at a level not below CHM 1440, but not CHM 3000

5. Capstone course

PHY 4970 - Undergraduate Seminar (3) or PHY 4995 - Independent Research (3-6) (either of which fulfills the university general education requirement for the capstone course in the major)