Physics, Bachelor of Science

Requirements

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in physics is offered with three different options for students to follow: Option I is for the student who intends to go on to graduate school in physics; Option II allows for the degree to to be enhanced by a second discipline; and finally, the Bachelor of Science in physics with a concentration in education leads to a physics teaching certificate at the secondary-school level. To help prospective physics majors make optimal decisions, they are encouraged to speak with a departmental adviser as early as possible.

To obtain a B.S. with a major in physics, a student must fulfill university, college, and departmental requirements. 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 4 hours of the 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 33 or fewer.  

  • 12-19 hours college breadth requirement

  • 55 hours of major courses

  • 15-16 hours of cognate courses

  • 0-4 hours of electives

TOTAL HOURS: 120

Introductory Physics and Math Courses
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 PHYSICS 13
MATH 1950CALCULUS I5
MATH 1960CALCULUS II4
MATH 1970CALCULUS III4
Physics Core Courses
PHYS 3450CLASSICAL MECHANICS3
PHYS 3600THERMODYNAMICS AND STATISTICAL PHYSICS3
PHYS 3750ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM I3
PHYS 3800OPTICS3
PHYS 4200INTRODUCTION TO QUANTUM MECHANICS3
Advanced Laboratory
PHYS 3504EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS I1
Select one of the following:1
EXPERIMENTAL MATERIALS SCIENCE
EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS III
EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS IV
Senior Project and Physics Electives
In addition to the above requirements, a senior project (1 credit) and two upper level (3000/4000) elective physics courses (6 credits) are required. 2
PHYS 4950PROBLEMS IN PHYSICS1
or PHYS 4960 PROBLEMS IN PHYSICS
Two 3-credit PHYS 3000/4000 Level Electives6
Total Credits55
1

Students taking a number of 2000-level mathematics courses may be permitted to waive PHYS 3250 or PHYS 3260.

2

Please see more details about the senior project in the “Other Information” portion of the physics section.

Plan of Study Grid
Freshman
FallCredits
CMST 1110
PUBLIC SPEAKING FUNDS
or ARGUMENTATION AND DEBATE
3
ENGL 1150 ENGLISH COMPOSITION I (*) 3
MATH 1950 CALCULUS I (**) 5
PHYS 1950 PHYSICS GATEWAY COURSE 1
Humanity & Fine Arts Course #1 3
*ENGL 1150: Requires appropriate placement via EPPE or AP.
**MATH 1950: Requires ALEKS Exam or ACT or SAT scores OR grades of C- or better within the past 2 years in both Math 1320 and 1330 or Math 1340.
 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
Social Science Course #1 3
*ENGL 1160: Requires ENGL 1150 or placement via EPPE or AP.
**PHYS 2110: Requires MATH 1950.
 Credits15
Sophomore
Fall
MATH 1970 CALCULUS III 4
PHYS 2120
PHYS 1164
GENERAL PHYSICS-CALCULUS LEVEL
and GENERAL PHYSICS LABORATORY II (*)
5
Social Science #2 3
Humanities/Fine Arts Course #2 - Add U.S. Diversity 3
*PHYS 2120: Requires PHYS 2110-1154 and MATH 1960. Also counts as A&S Additional Gen Ed Natural Science with Lab.
 Credits15
Spring
PHYS 2130 MODERN PHYSICS (*) 4
PHYS 3250 MATHEMATICAL METHODS OF PHYSICS (**) 3
Social Science #3 & US Diversity Course*** 3
Humanities/Fine Arts Course #3 – Add Global Diversity^ 3
Natural/Physical Science no Lab# 3
***SS must be in a 2nd discipline.
^HFA must be in a 2nd discipline.
#NPS Must be in a field other than PHYS.
 Credits16
Junior
Fall
HIST 1010 or Course towards Minor/2nd Major* 3
PHYS 3504 EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS I (**) 1
PHYS 3750 ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM I (***) 3
Upper Level PHYS Elective 3
Social Science Gen Ed for A&S or Course towards Minor/2nd Major^ 3
Elective/Cognate Course 3
*A&S College Requirement Options.
**PHYS 3504: Requires PHYS 2120.
^A&S College Requirement Options. SS Must be in a 3rd discipline.
 Credits16
Spring
HIST 1000 or Course towards Minor/2nd Major* 3
PHYS 3450 CLASSICAL MECHANICS (**) 3
PHYS 3800 OPTICS (***) 3
HFA Gen Ed for A&S or Course towards Minor/2nd Major^ 3
Elective/Cognate Course 3
*A&S College Requirement Options
***PHYS 3800: Requires PHYS 2120 and MATH 1970.
^A&S College Requirement Options. HFA Must be in a 3rd discipline.
 Credits15
Senior
Fall
PHYS 3544
EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS III (*)
or EXPERIMENTAL MATERIALS SCIENCE
or EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS IV
1
PHYS 3600 THERMODYNAMICS AND STATISTICAL PHYSICS (**) 3
PHYS 4200 INTRODUCTION TO QUANTUM MECHANICS (***) 3
Elective or Course towards Minor/2nd Major/Cognate Course 3
Elective or Course towards Minor/2nd Major/Cognate Course 3
Elective 2
***PHYS 4200: Requires PHYS 3250.
 Credits15
Spring
ENGL 3980 TECHNICAL WRITING ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES (*) 3
PHYS 4950
PROBLEMS IN PHYSICS (**)
or PROBLEMS IN PHYSICS
1
Upper Level PHYS Elective 3
Elective or Course towards Minor/2nd Major/Cognate Course*** 3
Elective or Course towards Minor/2nd Major/Cognate Course*** 3
**PHYS 4950 and 4960: Requires PHYS 2120 and permission of instructor. See “Graduation Requirements” below for more information.
***120 total credits required for degree. Electives are used to reach that minimum amount. 27 upper level credits throughout the entire degree are required. Electives may need to be taken at the 3000-4000 level to reach this minimum.
 Credits13
 Total Credits120

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: 2.0

Graduation Requirements: Physics majors must also take the two assessment tests (Major Field Test and Local test) and complete the exit interview.

The senior project must be approved and the department chair notified at least eight months prior to graduation as a Physics major and the student must register for either PHYS 4950 or PHYS 4960.