Physics (BA)

This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2024–Spring 2025 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.

Bachelor of Arts in Physics
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences (AS)
Department: Physics and Astronomy
Academic Plan Code(s): PHYSBA

Program Information

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Physics is designed for substantial pre-professional education for such fields as medicine, patent law, teaching, technical writing, and technical sales. Students preparing for secondary school science teaching may choose electives to help fulfill teaching certification requirements.

Completion of this degree requires work to be submitted for the department’s Learning Outcomes Measurement. For details, contact the department.

Degree Summary

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Some credit hours from the General Education Requirements may be satisfied by courses defined by the program, in which case additional electives will be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree. See the Degree Requirements tab for specific coursework. 

Specific coursework information can be found on the Degree Requirements tab.

Departmental Admission Requirements

There are no specific admission requirements for this degree plan.

The Change Major Request form can be found under the Academic Progress tile on ULink.

General Education Requirements

All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above).  Some General Education requirements may be met in the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

College/School Requirements

Program/Major Requirements

At least 50 of the total minimum hours required must be at the 300 level or above. 

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Ten credit hours from the General Education Requirements may be satisfied by courses defined by the program, in which case additional electives will be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree. 

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Completion of the intermediate level of a single foreign language.

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In addition to courses counted toward General Education, 6 hours must be at the 300 level or above.

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May be incorporated into other degree requirements. 

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STEM electives refer to courses from Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Engineering & CSE. Classes that meet the 12 hours for STEM electives at the 200+ level: CHEM 201, CHEM 202, CHEM 207, CHEM 208, CHEM 209, BIOL 240, BIOL 241, BIOL 242, and BIOL 243. Additional classes that meet the 6 hours for STEM electives at the 300+ level: CHEM 341, CHEM 342, CHEM 445, BIOL 540, and BIOL 329.

General Flight Plan

Pre-Med Flight Plan

The Flight Plan outlined above is intended to demonstrate one possible path to completing the degree within four years.  Course selection and placement within the program may vary depending on course offerings and schedule, elective preferences, and other factors (study abroad, internship availability, etc.). Please consult your advisor for additional information about building a flight plan that works for you.

Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan, and which requirements are still outstanding. Degree audits also take transfer credits and test credits into account. "What-if" reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan.  Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.

Flight Planner
The Flight Planner tool is available for you to create a personalized Flight Plan to graduation.  Advisors have access to review your Flight Planner and can help you adjust it to ensure you remain on track to graduate in a timely manner.

To create these reports:

1. Log into your ULink account.
2. Click on the Academic Progress tile.
3. Select the appropriate report.
   1. To run a Degree Audit report, click on "View my Degree Audit."
   2. To create a What-if report, click on "Create a What-if Advisement Report."
   3. To run a Flight Planner report, click on "Use My Flight Planner."

Click here to run a Degree Audit report, create a What-if report, or run a Flight Planner report.