Program

The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers the following five undergraduate degree programs and three undergraduate minor programs:

Program Requirements Map Flowchart
BS in Physics Requirements BS Physics, Map PDF BS Physics, Flowchart PDF
BS in Physics and Astronomy* Requirements BS Physics and Astronomy, Map PDF BS Physics and Astronomy, Flowchart PDF
BS in Applied Physics Requirements BS Applied Physics, Map PDF BS Applied Physics, Flowchart PDF
BS in Applied Physics: Acoustics Requirements BS Applied Physics: Acoustics, Map PDF BS Applied Physics: Acoustics, Flowchart PDF
BS in Physics Education Requirements BS Physics Education, Map PDF BS Physics Education, Flowchart PDF
BS in Physical Science Education Requirements BS Physical Science Education, Map PDF BS Physical Science Education, Flowchart PDF
Minor in Astronomy Requirements Astronomy Minor, Map PDF
Minor in Physics Requirements Physics Minor, Map PDF
Minor in Physics Education Requirements Physics Education Minor, Map PDF

*This is the official title of the Astronomy major, not a double major in Physics and Astronomy.

The requirement webpages and MAP documents above list the formal requirements for successfully completing each program. The flowcharts above are an excellent graphical representation of this information which show prerequisites and help you understand the sequence in which you should normally complete these requirements.

BS Physics

The Physics degree provides a solid grounding in physics as needed for contemporary applications of physics or further study of physics or astronomy. This is the degree students should pursue if they desire to continue with graduate study in physics, or if they desire to work in a research environment requiring a broad-based education in physics with significant depth in the principal subfields. This degree is also appropriate for those who want a solid foundation in a research science before pursuing professional study in business, law, medicine, or other areas.

BS Physics and Astronomy

The Physics and Astronomy degree provides a solid grounding in physics with an emphasis in astronomy. It is a strong physics degree which prepares students for graduate study in astronomy or astrophysics. It also provides a good background for graduate study in physics or for professional study in business, law, medicine, or other areas, while satisfying a strong undergraduate interest in astronomy.

BS Applied Physics

The Applied Physics degree provides the basics of the discipline of physics while leaving great flexibility in the schedule for particular student interests in applied areas. It includes a student-selected, advisor-approved set of elective courses, 12 credit hours, that may be taken inside or outside the Department of Physics and Astronomy, tailored to individual student interests in applied physics. It is an excellent degree for those who may continue study in law, business or medicine, computer/information technology or in an engineering or another science area after the BS. It is also appropriate for those who wish to work in a science or technical area at the BS level in industry or government. It is also an attractive degree for those undergraduates who have a clear vision of individual educational goals in physics and wish to take advantage of the flexibility in this program. These 12 hours must consist of a coherent set of courses with an identified educational goal. Up to three of the 12 hours can be from 200-level classes, the remaining hours must be upper division (300-level or above).

You have a great deal of flexibility when choosing your elective emphases: technology, business, life sciences, pre-professional, etc. To get your 12 hours of electives approved, meet with your faculty advisor to get his/her approval; then have your advisor send the approved list to the Physics Department Undergraduate Committee Chair for departmental approval. Here are a few possible areas of emphasis; for many examples of actual tracks which have been approved in recent years see the Applied Physics page.

  • Acoustics: Phscs 461, 560, and 561; and choices from Ec En 301, 380, 487; Me En 312, 531, 535.
  • Aerospace Engineering: choices from CE En 203, Me En 312, Me En 340, Me En 415, Me En 422, Me En 426
  • Biophysics:biochemistry, PDBio 568
  • Business: courses to prepare to work in a high-tech business or for MBA school.
  • Computer Science/Computer Engineering: CS 235, 236, or 240; and other courses in computer programming, information technology, networks, numerical analysis (math), computer engineering that fit your career goals.
  • Electrical Engineering (graduate school preparation): EC En 320, 324, 380 and 400 level courses
  • Law (especially patent law): courses to broaden technical background in one or more areas, prepare for law school
  • Linguistics: Phscs 461; Ling 310, 440; COMD 421
  • Materials Science (graduate school preparation): choices from Phscs 360, 451, 452, 581; Me En 250, 321
  • Medicine (including Medical Physics): Courses required to prepare for these professional schools.
  • Microelectronics/Semiconductor Devices: Chem 105, Ch En 381, Phscs281 or 581, EC En 450 or Phscs 587, Stat 361.
  • Neuroscience: Neuro 205, 360, 380, 480, 481
  • Nuclear Physics (power generation for industry or Navy): Phscs 360, 451, 452, Me En 422.
  • Optical Communication Engineering: Phscs 471, 571, EC En 380, 555,562.
  • Optical/Laser Engineering: Phscs 442, 471, and/or 571, EC En 466, 555, and/or 562.

BS Applied Physics: Acoustics

The Applied Physics: Acoustics degree provides the basics of the discipline of physics while leaving flexibility in the schedule for an emphasis in acoustics. It essentially allows the student to take two solid physics-based courses in acoustics (461 and 561) and includes a student-selected, advisor-approved set of elective courses, 9 credit hours, that may be taken inside or outside the Department of Physics and Astronomy, tailored to individual student interests in acoustics. It is an excellent degree for those who may continue study in acoustics as a scientist, engineer, or consultant after the BS working in national or government labs (Los Alamos, Sandia, NASA, Air Force Research Lab, Army Research Lab, Naval Undersea Warfare Center), government contractors (Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Penn State Applied Research Lab, Univ. of Texas Applied Research Labs), acoustical product companies (Amazon, Apple, Bose, JBL, Meta, Motorola), acoustical consulting (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, MD Acoustics, Spectrum Engineers), or companies concerned with noise or vibration (Caterpillar, Ford). Interestingly, the places listed in parentheses are locations where graduates from BYU in acoustics have gone to work. Those who graduate may go to work right after their BS or they may go on to graduate school. These 9 hours must consist of a coherent set of courses with an identified educational goal, likely in acoustics or a closed related area. Up to three of the 9 hours can be from 200-level classes, the remaining hours must be upper division (300-level or above), or all nine hours can be from 300-level and above.

BS Physics Education

The Physics Education degree is designed for those who plan to teach physics at the secondary level. It includes courses for teacher certification as well as a substantial array of physics courses designed to provide fundamental understanding of the discipline and perspective on science and its role in the modern world.

Please visit early with our Education Advisor to help you make the most of your teaching preparation here.

Pre-major: Physics Education and Physical Science Education have a "pre-major" which require you to complete certain things before advancing to the official majors. The steps are:

  • Finish Physical Science 276
  • Fingerprint/background clearance (via the Field Services Office of the McKay School of Education)
  • Have a 3.0 cumulative GPA
  • Have an ACT test score of more than 21

Teacher certification requirements are different in each state and many states offer several paths to certification.

Note: Some education students prefer to put in more effort and get the B.S. Physics degree while completing the education courses required for certification. Another option is to get the B.S. Applied Physics degree, and select the education classes as your emphasis. This gives you the option to teach, continue to graduate school, or work in industry. It is not necessary to get an education degree to teach.

Culminating Experience

Each of the Physics degrees requires you to participate in one of the following culminating experiences:

  • A senior thesis for the BS in Physics and BS in Physics and Astronomy
  • A capstone project or senior thesis for the BS in Applied Physics
  • A student teaching internship for the BS in Physics Education

The opportunity to actually do physics in your research project, in addition to learning about physics in the classroom, will greatly enhance your understanding of physics and your excitement about your discipline. Your advisor, the department Undergraduate Research Coordinator and the Capstone Coordinator can help you find faculty mentors who can supervise a research project that fits your interests and needs. You can also do research in other departments or during an internship to fulfill these requirements.

Major Field Test

We require seniors in the Physics, Physics-Astronomy, and Applied Physics majors to take the Major Field Test prior to graduating. The MFT is a 70 question, 2 hour timed exam written by ETS, the same people who do the GRE. It's an assessment exam which we use to evaluate our students' physics knowledge and compare to our past students as well as to students at other universities. You will take it in the Testing Center in the semester in which you plan to graduate. You should receive more information via email after you file for graduation.

Strongly Recommended Courses

Because physicists can choose among so many different careers, we can’t require all the classes that you might need to take. Based partially on experiences of what alumni wished they had taken, we suggest you consider the following classes, regardless of which physics major you choose.

  • Experimental and applied physicists: Stats 201 Statistics for Engineers and Scientists

  • Theoretical physicists: Consider Math 352, Introduction to Complex Analysis or Phys 601, 602 Mathematical physics

  • All physicists: Learn programming skills and numerical methods beyond what you are taught in our computational physics courses, in computer courses or on your own. Consider Math 410 Numerical Methods, and Mech Eng 373 Introduction to Scientific Computing and Computer-Aided Engineering.

  • Astronomers: If you're going on to graduate school in astronomy, instead of only the required two courses from Phys 360, 442, 452, 471, consider taking all four. Gain statistics and computer programming skills beyond what you get in this major by taking courses such as Statistics 201, (Statistics for engineers and scientists) and choosing among Physics 430 (Computational physics 3), or Mechanical Engineering 373 (Intro to scientific computing). If you are interested in planetary or exoplanetary science, consider taking Geology 109 (Geology of the Planets).

Next: Information about physics careers