Physics, Bachelor of Science with a Concentration in Physics Education

To obtain a B.S. with a major in Physics, a student must fulfill university, college, and departmental requirements. Minimum hour requirements follow:

  • 46 hours of University General Education courses

    Most commonly, Physics majors do not complete 46 hours of coursework solely for the purpose of meeting University General Education requirements.  Instead, they often test out of at least three hours of fundamental academic skills, take courses that meet both the six hours of diversity requirements and six hours of distribution requirements, and meet the 7  hour natural sciences distribution requirement through completing major courses.  In such cases, the number of credit hours taken solely to meet General Education requirements is reduced to 30 or fewer.

  • 62 hours of major courses

  • Elective hours as required to total 120 hours

TOTAL HOURS: 120

Requirements

A Bachelor of Science in physics with a concentration in education leads to a physics teaching certificate at the secondary-school level. In some cases, it is possible to earn both a B.S. in physics and a B.S. in secondary education.

Physics Courses
PHYS 1350
PHYS 1354
PRINCIPLES OF ASTRONOMY
and INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY LAB
4
PHYS 1950PHYSICS GATEWAY COURSE1
PHYS 2110
PHYS 1154
GENERAL PHYSICS I - CALCULUS LEVEL
and GENERAL PHYSICS LABORATORY I
5
PHYS 2120
PHYS 1164
GENERAL PHYSICS-CALCULUS LEVEL
and GENERAL PHYSICS LABORATORY II
5
PHYS 2130MODERN PHYSICS4
PHYS 3250MATHEMATICAL METHODS OF PHYSICS3
or MATH 2350 DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PHYS 3300INTRODUCTION TO BIOMEDICAL PHYSICS3
PHYS 3450CLASSICAL MECHANICS3
PHYS 3504EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS I1
PHYS 3600THERMODYNAMICS AND STATISTICAL PHYSICS3
PHYS 3750ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM I3
Additional Science Courses
GEOL 1170INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL GEOLOGY4
MATH 1950CALCULUS I5
MATH 1960CALCULUS II4
MATH 1970CALCULUS III4
CHEM 1180
CHEM 1184
GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY
4
Educator Preparation Program Requirements
Additional Requirements
Major Field Test
Local Test
Professional Core Requirements
TED 2100EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS3
TED 2200HUMAN RELATIONS FOR BIAS-FREE CLASSROOMS3
TED 2380DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN ADOLESCENCE3
TED 2400PLANNING FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING6
TED 3550SECONDARY CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT3
TED 3690LITERACY AND LEARNING3
SPED 3800DIFFERENTIATION AND INCLUSIVE PRACTICES3
TED 4000SPECIAL METHODS IN THE CONTENT AREA3
In addition, earning the grades 6-12 Nebraska Teaching Certificate requires a semester of Clinical Practice, which is 12 hours:
TED 4600CLINICAL PRACTICE AND SEMINAR: ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY LEVEL12
Total Credits95
Plan of Study Grid
Freshman
FallCredits
CMST 1110 PUBLIC SPEAKING FUNDS 3
ENGL 1150 ENGLISH COMPOSITION I (*) 3
MATH 1950 CALCULUS I (**) 5
PHYS 1950 PHYSICS GATEWAY COURSE 1
Social Science Course #1 3
*ENGL 1150: Requires placement exam
**MATH 1950: Requires placement exam
 Credits15
Spring
ENGL 1160 ENGLISH COMPOSITION II 3
MATH 1960 CALCULUS II 4
PHYS 2110
PHYS 1154
GENERAL PHYSICS I - CALCULUS LEVEL
and GENERAL PHYSICS LABORATORY I (*)
5
Humanities/Fine Arts Course #1 + Global Diversity Course 3
 Credits15
Sophomore
Fall
MATH 1970 CALCULUS III 4
PHYS 2120
PHYS 1164
GENERAL PHYSICS-CALCULUS LEVEL
and GENERAL PHYSICS LABORATORY II (*)
5
TED 2100 EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS (**) 3
TED 2200 HUMAN RELATIONS FOR BIAS-FREE CLASSROOMS (***) 3
**TED 2100: Requires 2.50 GPA. Fulfills Advanced Writing Requirement.
***TED 2200: Requires 2.50 GPA.
Required: Apply for Educator Preparation Program at this time.
Recommended but not required: Pass the Praxis CORE Academic Skills.
 Credits15
Spring
PHYS 1350
PHYS 1354
PRINCIPLES OF ASTRONOMY
and INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY LAB
4
TED 2380 DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN ADOLESCENCE 3
TED 2400 PLANNING FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING (*) 6
HUMANITIES/FINE ARTS COURSE #2 3
*TED 2400 and 2380 must be taken back-to-back, in either a Morning or Afternoon block.
Required: Pass Praxis CORE Academic Skills by the end of this semester.
Required: Acceptance into Educator Preparation Program. Must have 2.75 GPA.
 Credits16
Junior
Fall
CHEM 1180
CHEM 1184
GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY (*)
4
PHYS 3250
MATHEMATICAL METHODS OF PHYSICS (**)
or DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
3
PHYS 3300 INTRODUCTION TO BIOMEDICAL PHYSICS (***) 3
PHYS 3600 THERMODYNAMICS AND STATISTICAL PHYSICS (#) 3
HUMANITIES/FINE ARTS COURSE #3^ 3
*CHEM 1180: Requires MATH 1320 or higher with grade of C- or better in last 2 years or placement via ACT/SAT/Math Placement Exam.
***PHYS 3300: Requires PHYS 1110. PHYS 2110 and PHYS 2120 are recommended.
^HUMANITIES/FINE ARTS COURSE MUST BE IN A 2ND DISCIPLINE
 Credits16
Spring
PHYS 2130 MODERN PHYSICS (*) 4
PHYS 3450 CLASSICAL MECHANICS (**) 3
TED 3550 SECONDARY CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT (***) 3
TED 3690 LITERACY AND LEARNING (***) 3
Social Science Course #2 3
***TED 3550 and TED 3690 must be taken back-to-back, in either a Morning or Afternoon block.
 Credits16
Senior
Fall
GEOL 1170 INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL GEOLOGY 4
PHYS 3504 EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS I (*) 1
PHYS 3750 ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM I (**) 3
SPED 3800 DIFFERENTIATION AND INCLUSIVE PRACTICES (***) 3
TED 4000 SPECIAL METHODS IN THE CONTENT AREA 3
Social Science Course #3^ 3
*PHYS 3504: Requires PHYS 2120. Complements PHYS 3750 and PHYS 4200
***SPED 3800: Must be taken concurrently with TED 4000 or TED 3550
^Social Science Course: Must be in a 2nd discipline.
 Credits17
Spring
TED 4600 CLINICAL PRACTICE AND SEMINAR: ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY LEVEL 12
 Credits12
 Total Credits122

This roadmap is a suggested plan of study and does not replace meeting with an advisor. Please note that students may need to adjust the actual sequence of courses based on course availability. Please consult an advisor in your major program for further guidance.


This plan is not a contract and curriculum is subject to change


Additional Information About this Plan:
University Degree Requirements:
The minimum number of hours for a UNO undergraduate degree is 120 credit hours. Please review the requirements for your specific program to determine all requirements for the program. In order to graduate on-time (four years for an undergraduate degree), you need to take 30 hours each year.


Placement Exams: For Math, English, Foreign Language, a placement exam may be required. More information on these exams can be found at https://www.unomaha.edu/enrollment-management/testing-center/placement-exams/information.php


**Transfer credit or placement exam scores may change suggested plan of study


GPA Requirements: 2.75


Graduation Requirements: Major Field Test, Local Test. For Teaching Certificate: Completion of Praxis CORE