Undergraduate Programme in Physics

Students wishing to major, minor, or pursue a concentration in Physics are encouraged to take the introductory course in calculus (Calculus I) offered by the Mathematics Department. Students wishing to major in Physics should plan to take it in their first semester.

Number of courses required to major in physics: 15.

100 credits (FCs + CCs + Major courses + other courses).

Of these, the 13 courses of the core curriculum are mandatory, and 2 electives may be chosen of those offered (only level 3000 or above).

Students are of course free to take as many of the electives as they wish.

Students wishing to major, minor, or pursue a concentration in Physics are encouraged to take the introductory course in calculus (Calculus I) offered by the Mathematics Department. 

Number of courses required to minor in physics: 6 (24 credits).

Of these the two gateway courses – Mathematical Physics I: Mathematical and Computational Toolkit and Lab 1: An Introduction to Physics through Experiments – are compulsory.

At least two more courses should be taken from among the core courses offered in semesters 3, 4, and 5, provided appropriate prerequisites have been satisfied for these courses (recommended courses: Classical Mechanics and Thermal Physics).

The remaining two may be either other compulsory or elective courses offered by the Physics Department or cross-listed with Physics, provided appropriate prerequisites have been satisfied.

In place of one elective course, a student may take an Independent Study Module (ISM) of equivalent credit.

Students wishing to major, minor, or pursue a concentration in Physics are encouraged to take the introductory course in calculus (Calculus I) offered by the Mathematics Department.

Number of courses required for a concentration in physics: 4 (16 credits).

Of these the two gateway courses – Mathematical Physics I: Mathematical and Computational Toolkit and Lab 1: An Introduction to Physics through Experiments – are compulsory.

At least two more courses should be taken from among the core courses offered in semesters 3, 4 and 5, provided appropriate prerequisites have been satisfied for these courses.

The Department of Physics also offers a Minor in Astronomy, the requirement for which is six courses (24 credits).

Two of these are core courses (compulsory):  The Physics of the Universe (theory) and Observing the Cosmos (lab).

Four other courses are to be chosen from the following seven electives on offer:
Cosmic Messengers – I (theory), Cosmic Messengers – II (lab), The Earth and Other Planets, The Violent Universe, Astrophysical and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Introduction to General Relativity with Application to Cosmology, and Computational Astrophysics and Geophysics.

A Concentration in Astronomy is also possible, the requirement for which is four courses (16 credits). One of these has to be either of the two core courses listed above. The other three can be chosen from the above electives.

Semesters 1 and 2: Discovering College-level Physics:

Students wishing to major in physics are expected to take, in the first semester, the introductory course in calculus offered by the Mathematics Department.

The physics-major sequence begins in semester 2, with two courses, one in theoretical physics and the other in experimental physics. The first purpose of these courses is to provide an experience of undergraduate-level physics on the basis of which a student can decide whether or not to major in physics, i.e. they are gateway courses. The second purpose of these courses is to serve as an introduction to the physicist’s way of thinking about problems and solving them, something that has proved useful not just to physicists but also to those in other disciplines that make use of quantitative methods and experiments, e.g. mathematics, computer science, economics, psychology, and biology.

Semesters 3, 4, and 5: The Physics Core:

The physics courses in semesters 3, 4, and 5 form the core of the physicist’s undergraduate canon: Mathematical Physics II, Classical Mechanics, Electricity & Magnetism in Light of Relativity, Thermal & Statistical Physics, Oscillations, Waves & Optics, Quantum Mechanics I, and Statistical Mechanics, and three accompanying labs. Anyone majoring in physics is expected to be thorough in these areas.

Semester 6: Choosing a Direction and Bringing Physics Together:

In semester 6 there will be a required course, The Physics of Matter, that brings together much of the physics learnt in earlier semesters, so that the student leaves with a view of physics as an integrated subject. In addition there will be two more elective courses.

Probability and Statistics, offered by the Department of Mathematics.