You are in the official 2003-2004 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
Department of Physics
Bachelor of Science in Physics
The B.S. in Physics offers preparation appropriate to employment in government
and industry involving a range of activities from laboratory work to technical
sales. It also offers appropriate background preparation for graduate study
in physics and a large number of other fields. With an appropriate choice
of electives, it provides a very strong premedical, predental, or preoptometry
program.
Beyond professional goals, the study of physics provides a deep understanding
of fundamental processes which underlie our physical world and fosters methods
of inquiry which promote intelligent analysis generally.
Bachelor of Science
Degree Requirements
Physics Major
Physics requirements (47 units)
(see note 1)
Physics core (30 units)
PHYS 4A, 4AL, 4B, 4BL, 4C, 102, 104, 105A, 105B, 107A, 110
Upper-division electives (17 units)
Includes courses in physics and, with approval, in related fields. Students
planning to pursue graduate study in physics are strongly encouraged to
take PHYS 107B, 115, 130, 140, 162, and 170A (see note 2)
Additional requirements (27-28 units)*
(see notes 1 and 3)
MATH 75, 76, 77, 81; CHEM 1A, 1B (25 units)
Plus one of the following
IT 52 or CSCI 15 or CSCI 40 or ECE 70 (2-4 units)
General Education requirements (45 units)**
Electives (0-1 units)
Total (120 units)*
__________
* The 120 unit total assumes students will select either IT 52, CSCI 15, or CSCI 40 for this area.
* There are 51 units required for General Education. Of these 51 required
units, 6 units will be satisfied by the following two courses in additional
requirements: 3 units of CHEM 1A in G.E. Breadth B1 and 3 units of MATH
75 in G.E. Foundation B4.
Advising Notes
- CR/NC grading is not permitted in the physics major. Additional requirements, however, may be taken CR/NC (see Credit/No Credit Grading).
- Courses outside the Department of Physics may be substituted for physics upper-division electives with prior approval of the department chair.
- Students should be sure to take sufficient upper-division units in their General Education courses and electives to satisfy the university requirement of 40 upper-division units. It is important to fulfill the upper-division writing skills requirement by exam or W class after completing 60 units which a student may request 1 unit of credit.
Suggested Sequence of Courses for the B.S. in Physics
The list below is a suggested schedule of courses for the major for students
planning to complete the suggested pregraduate study sequence in four years.
In addition to the specific courses listed below, General Education requirements
and electives should be included to bring the average total of units to
15 per semester. A minimum total of 120 units must be completed for the
Bachelor of Science degree. (See Degree Requirements.)
1st Year: PHYS 4A, 4AL; CHEM 1A, 1B; MATH 75, 76; Computer Programming
2nd Year: PHYS 4B, 4BL, 4C; MATH 77, 81
3rd Year: PHYS 102, 104, 105A, 105B, 110, 150, 170A
4th Year: PHYS 107A, 107B, 115, 130, 140, 162; plus upper-division electives
Physics Minor
PHYS 4A, 4AL, 4B, 4BL, 4C (11 units)
PHYS 102 (3 units)
Other upper-division physics (6 units)
Total (20 units)
Note: The Physics Minor also requires a 2.0 GPA and 6 upper-division
units in residence.
Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences
Physics Option
The B.A. in Natural Sciences is designed primarily to meet the needs of
students interested in pursuing a teaching career in the sciences at the
secondary level. Students interested in satisfying the waiver program in
the natural sciences should consult an appropriate adviser early in their
academic program. Contact either the Department of Physics
or the Office of the Dean, College of Natural Sciences.
The degree is also a suitable choice for students with a general interest
in physics and interest in pursuing a career in law, medicine, dentistry,
optometry, and other areas for which the breadth of scientific coverage
of this degree is advantageous.
A full description of the degree, including all of the emphases available,
can be found in the Natural Sciences Interdisciplinary
Courses section in this catalog. For more information, please contact
David Andrews, B.A. in Natural Science coordinator and science credential
adviser, at (559) 278-2412. The B.A. in Natural Sciences with the Physics
Emphasis is as follows:
Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
Natural Sciences Major
Core requirements (37 units)
Biology (see note 1) (12 units)
BIOSC 1A, 1B, 130
Chemistry (10 units)
CHEM 1A, 1B
Geology (see note 1) (8 units)
GEOL 1 and 3 (or 15) (see note 1), 168
Natural Science (3 units)
NSCI 106
Physical Science (4 units)
PSCI 21
Physics Option (44 units)
CHEM 128A (3 units)
PSCI 168 (3 units)
MATH 75, 76, 77, 81 (16 units)
PHYS 4A, 4AL, 4B, 4BL, 4C (11 units)
PHYS 102, 105A, 107A, 130 (11 units)
General Education requirements (see notes 2,3) (51 units)
Total (120 units)
Advising Notes for the Natural Sciences Major
- GEOL 15 is part of the Humans and the Natural Environment. See the Natural Sciences Interdisciplinary Courses section in this catalog. GEOL 15 is equivalent to GEOL 1 and 3.
- Of the 51 General Education units, 12 units may be satisfied as follows: CHEM 1A (3 units), BIOSC 1A (3 units), GEOL 168 (3 units), and MATH 75 (3 units). Consult your major adviser for details. CHEM 1A (3 units), BIOSC 1A or BIOL 15 (3 units), GEOL 168 (3 units), and MATH 75 (3 units). Consult your major adviser for details.
- Students should be sure to take sufficient upper-division units in their General Education courses and electives to satisfy the graduation requirements of 40 upper-division units and upper-division writing skills.
Waiver Program for the Single Subject
Credential in the Sciences
Students interested in satisfying the waiver program in the Natural Sciences
should consult an appropriate adviser early in their academic program.
Astronomy Minor
PHYS 4A, 4AL, 4B, 4BL, 4C (11 units)
PSCI 21 (4 units)
PHYS 150 (3 units)
Upper-division elective (3 units)
Choose one course from GEOL 150T (Planetary Science), PHYS 110, PHYS 145,
PHYS 175T (Computational Physics), PHYS 175T (Observational Astronomy),
or PHYS 190 by approval
Total (21 units)
Note: The astronomy minor also requires a 2.0 GPA and 6 upper-division units in residence.
Medical Physics
PHYS 4A, 4 AL, 4B, 4BL, 4C (11 units)
PHYS 130 (2 units)
PHYS 136 (3 units)
Choose one course from PHYS 175T (Intro to MRI/MRS), PHYS 175T (Nuclear
Medicine), or PHYS 175T (Radiation Biology) (4 units)
Total (20 units)
Note: The medical physics minor also requires a 2.0 GPA and 6 upper-division units in residence.
Physical Science Minor
The Physical Science Minor offers an opportunity for both nonscience
and science majors to diversify into important and interesting fields. It
consists of 21 units of courses selected according to one of the patterns
below:
A. CHEM 3A and 3B* (7 units)
PHYS 2A and 2B* (8 units)
Upper-division electives** (6 units)
Total (21 units)
B. CHEM 10 (3 units)
PHYS 2A and 2B* (8 units)
GEOL 1 (4 units)
Upper-division electives** (6 units)
Total (21 units)
C. CHEM 3A and 3B* (7 units)
PHYS 10 (4 units)
GEOL 1 (4 units)
Upper-division electives** (6 units)
Total (21 units)
For chemistry, geology or physics majors, all courses must be outside the
major department. The revised program must be approved by the chair of the
major department.
Note: The Physical Science Minor also requires a 2.0 GPA and 6
upper-division units in residence.
__________
* CHEM 1A may be substituted for CHEM 3A, and CHEM 1B may be substituted
for CHEM 3B. PHYS 4A and 4AL may be substituted for PHYS 2A, and PHYS 4B
and 4BL may be substituted for PHYS 2B.
** The upper-division electives may be any upper-division courses for which
the student is qualified, from the three departments. Courses with very
few prerequisites are CHEM 139; GEOL 105, 114, 154, 168, 169; PHYS 100,
145; PSCI 106, 131, 168.
Graduate Program
The Department of Physics offers graduate instruction and research leading
to the Master of Science degree.
For general information, read the Graduate Studies
section in this catalog, and in particular, the sections on Admission
to Graduate Standing, Advancement
to Candidacy, and Program Requirements.
The minimum entrance requirements are a GPA of 2.5 over the last 60 units,
satisfactory scores on the GRE General Examination, and good references.
Although the GRE scores are not the only, or most important, criteria used
in the admission process, we generally look for scores above 600 on the
quantitative portion of the exam or for a total above 1,000 on the combined
quantitative and verbal portions. The GRE General Examination must be taken
before applying for admission.
It is important to achieve classified standing quickly, before completion
of 10 units. The next step is advancement to candidacy, after completion
of at least 9 units of graduate study with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and satisfaction
of the graduate writing proficiency requirement by taking PHYS 290. The
graduate writing requirement may be fulfilled by taking PHYS 290 and passing
the writing proficiency component of the course. Please contact the graduate
coordinator for more information. Advancement also requires a scoring at
or above the 25th percentile on the Advanced Physics GRE Subject Examination.
Teaching assistantships are usually available, as is general financial aid.
For some forms of financial aid, application must be completed before the
end of February.
For specific questions, consult the chair of the department or the graduate
adviser/coordinator.
Master of Science in Physics
The objective of our M.S. program is to build a firm basis for subsequent
Ph.D. study in physics or in related fields, for positions in industry,
and for teaching at the community college level. We offer a broad-based
academic program with the opportunity for specialized theoretical or experimental
research. Students completing degrees have successfully pursued all three
of these career goals -- with roughly equal numbers going to doctoral programs
and industry, and a smaller number directly into teaching.
Areas of research in which our faculty are active include condensed matter
theory and experiment, characterization of materials properties (amorphous
semiconductors), dipolar magnetism, Fullerene research, laser Raman spectroscopy,
radiation medical physics, classical and quantum field theory, and general
relativity. Faculty also study forces and interaction of fundamental constituents
of matter with experiments using the world's most powerful particle accelerator
at Fermi National Laboratory. Also used in studies of observational astronomy
are the Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA spacecraft. Students look
at cataclysmic variable stars, search for black holes, scan probe microscopies,
examine the biophysics of self-assembled biomolecules, and learn physics
pedagogy.
Under the direction of the graduate adviser and the graduate faculty,
a coherent program, directed toward the student's goal in graduate study
and designed within the framework outlined below, is prepared and submitted
to the department. There is a standard core of classical mechanics (PHYS
203), classical electrodynamics (PHYS 220A, B) and quantum mechanics (PHYS
222A, B) which is strongly recommended for students planning to pursue further
graduate study - and, at least in part, for all students. Other courses,
both from within and from outside the department, can be used to complete
the 30 unit master's program. A culminating experience, consisting of either
a project (PHYS 298) plus a competency examination or a thesis (PHYS 299),
is required.
Undergraduate education equivalent to a physics major at California State
University, Fresno is necessary for admission. Note the other requirements
under Graduate Program.
Physics graduate courses (21 units)
PHYS 290 [minimum 3 units] and PHYS 298 or 299 [minimum 3 units] (6 units)
Additional graduate courses in physics (15 units)
Students planning further graduate study should include PHYS 203, 220A-B,
222A, and 222B.
Upper-division or graduate electives in physics or related fields (9
units)
Total (30 units)
Physics
Courses