Physics

Study the fundamental science of Physics at RWU, where you’ll learn math, computational and theoretical skills you can apply to any liberal arts or professional degree. Our Physics program offers classes in topics like advanced calculus, astronomy and quantum mechanics, which can help you prepare for taking standardized tests necessary for admission into graduate study in medicine, law, engineering and more.

Degree Requirements

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DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Majors pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Physics must satisfy University Core Curriculum requirements and the College speech requirement, COMM 210. In addition, they must complete the following courses and a sufficient number of electives to total 120 credits. Majors are encouraged to apply electives toward a minor or second major.

REQUIRED COURSES

Students must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or better in these courses.                                                            

MATH 213                        Calculus I and Lab                                                                    

MATH 214                        Calculus II and Lab                                                                   

MATH 317                        Differential Equations                                                               

MATH 331                        Linear Algebra               

PHYS 201                        Physics I with Calculus and Lab                                                

PHYS 202                        Physics II with Calculus and Lab                                                                       

PHYS 320                        Modern Physics                                                                                   

PHYS 340                        Classical Mechanics                                                                  

PHYS/MATH 370             Mathematical Methods for the Physical Sciences                       

PHYS405 or ENGR460   Electricity and Magnetism                                                        

PHYS 420                        Quantum Mechanics

ENGR330 or CHEM391  Thermodynamics                                         

PHYSICS ELECTIVE COURSES

Students must take at least 6 credit hours of additional physics (PHYS) courses with 3 credit hours at the 300 level or above.

ADDITIONAL ELECTIVE COURSES

Students must take an additional 6 credit hours selected from the list of approved out of department electives or any physics (PHYS) courses at the 300 level or above.  Some of the courses listed have prerequisites below the 300-level which may be taken as part of a student’s free electives.

Approved out of department elective courses

Chemistry:       

CHEM392 Quantum Chemistry

CHEM433 Advanced Physical Chemistry

Computer Science: 

COMSC 330 Software Design

COMSC 335 Theory of Computation

COMSC 340 Analysis of Algorithms

COMSC410 Artificial Intelligence

COMSC415 Machine Learning

Engineering:   

ENGR300 Mechanics of Materials and Lab

ENGR305 Fluid Mechanics and Lab

ENGR310 Materials Science

ENGR337 Finite Element Analysis

ENGR 350 Theory and Design of Mechanical Measurements

ENGR360 Signals and Systems

ENGR431 Mechanical Vibrations

ENGR433 Heat Transfer

ENGR437 Acoustics

ENGR442 Biomechanics

Environmental Science: 

NATSC305 Marine Geology

NATSC315 Meteorology and Climatology

Mathematics:

MATH305 Mathematical Modeling

MATH 315 Probability and Statistics

MATH342 Numerical Analysis

MATH 351 Calculus of Several Variables

MATH 371 Real Analysis

MATH 381 Complex Analysis

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To read more about our academic offerings, or to view full course descriptions, please refer to our University Catalog.

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