Physics / Bachelor of Science
Program: BS-PHYS-1
Total Credit Hours: 120-122
Major Credit Hours: 73
The B.S. degree gives students an excellent grounding in the fundamentals of physics with training in theoretical, computational, and experimental treatments of physics principles, phenomena, and applications. Students are also encouraged to get involved in research activities within the department. This program prepares students for entry into graduate programs in physics, astrophysics, medical physics, engineering, and other STEM fields. It also opens the door to a broad range of employment options in the both the public and private sectors, including employment in industry, in secondary education, and at national labs.
Degree Requirements
The following courses must be completed in order to earn a B.S. in Physics.
A grade of "C-" or better must be earned in a prerequisite course in order to advance to the next course in the sequence unless otherwise noted in the catalog description. An overall GPA of 2.0 must be earned in the major in order for a student to graduate with a B.S. in Physics. Physics majors and minors may take a Physics class only two times. If a student has not achieved a minimum of a "C-" after the second attempt, the student may not repeat the class without the approval of the Physics Chair.
Physics majors with a Chemical Physics concentration may not double major or minor in chemistry. Physics majors with an Engineering Physics concentration may not minor in mechanical engineering.
In the Applied Physics concentration, students take a core set of physics courses and labs and either select a set of technical electives at Lewis University in consultation with their advisor or enter the five-year dual degree program leading to a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northern Illinois University in addition to the B.S. in Physics (Applied Physics concentration) from Lewis University. The flexibility offered by the Applied Physics concentration is advantageous for students who wish to create individual programs of study to suit their interests and career goals, especially those who want to pursue careers in interdisciplinary fields like computational physics, environmental physics, or medical physics or who intend to enter graduate programs in Applied Physics, or related fields.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| CHEM 11000 | General Chemistry 1 | 4 |
| CHEM 11100 | General Chemistry 1 Lab | 1 |
| MATH 20900 | Calculus 1 | 4 |
| MATH 23500 | Calculus 2 | 4 |
| MATH 25000 | Calculus 3 | 4 |
| MATH 30000 | Differential Equations | 3 |
| PHYS 21000 | General Physics 1 | 3 |
| PHYS 21100 | General Physics 1 Lab | 1 |
| PHYS 21500 | General Physics 2 | 3 |
| PHYS 21600 | General Physics 2 Lab | 1 |
| PHYS 21800 | General Physics 3 | 3 |
| PHYS 21900 | General Physics 3 Lab | 1 |
| PHYS 29600 | Research Methods Seminar | 1 |
| PHYS 30000 | Mechanics | 4 |
| PHYS 36500 | Intermediate Physics Laboratory | 3 |
| PHYS 49600 | Physics Seminar | 1 |
| Concentration | ||
| Select one of the following Concentrations: | 32 | |
| Total Hours | 73 | |
Advanced Physics Concentration
Concentration: APHY
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHYS 31000 | Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
| PHYS 34100 | Modern Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 44100 | Quantum Mechanics | 3 |
| PHYS 46500 | Capstone Project | 1 |
| Select one of the following thermodynamics courses: | 3 | |
| Physical Chemistry I | ||
| Engineering Thermodynamics | ||
| Thermodynamics | ||
| PHYS 31100 | Analog and Digital Electronics | 4 |
| or PHYS 31800 | Optics | |
| PHYS 40100 | Computational Mechanics | 3 |
| or PHYS 41100 | Computational Electrodynamics | |
| Select one of the following Computation courses: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Computer Science | ||
| Scientific Computing | ||
| Introduction to Data Science | ||
| Numerical Analysis | ||
| Mathematical Modeling | ||
| Technical Electives | ||
| Select at least eight additional hours of electives of the following: 1 | 8 | |
| General Chemistry 2 and General Chemistry 2 Lab | ||
| Applied Probability and Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Astronomy | ||
| Foundations of Physical Science | ||
Any 30000 or 40000 level Mathematics (MATH) or Physics (PHYS) course | ||
Any 20000, 30000, or 40000 level Chemistry (CHEM), Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECEN), Data Science (DATA), Computer Science (CPSC), or Mechanical and Materials Engineering(MMEG) course | ||
| Total Hours | 32 | |
- 1
The technical electives may not be used to satisfy other Physics major or concentration requirements. Mathematics minors cannot use any 30000 or 40000 level Mathematics course to satisfy both this requirement and a Mathematics minor requirement.
PHYS 37100 Workshop in Physics may be taken multiple times for credit if different topics are offered. Up to two credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
PHYS 47000 Undergraduate Research may be taken multiple times for credit. Up to six credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
PHYS 49800 Special Topics in Physics may be taken multiple times for credit if different topics are offered. Up to nine credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
PHYS 49900 Independent Study may be taken multiple times for credit. Up to three credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
Engineering Physics Concentration
Concentration: EPHY
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECEN 20000 | Engineering Design and Tools | 3 |
| MMEG 21000 | Engineering Mechanics: Statics | 3 |
| MMEG 21100 | Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics | 3 |
| MMEG 35000 | Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
| PHYS 31000 | Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
| PHYS 34100 | Modern Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 46500 | Capstone Project | 1 |
| Engineering Elective 1 | ||
| Any 30000-level or 40000-level Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECEN) or Mechanical Engineering (MMEG) course | 3 | |
| Technical Electives 1 | ||
| Select nine credits of technical electives of the following: | 9 | |
| General Chemistry 2 and General Chemistry 2 Lab | ||
| Introduction to Computer Science | ||
| Scientific Computing | ||
| Applied Probability and Statistics | ||
| Linear Algebra | ||
| Numerical Analysis | ||
| Mathematical Modeling | ||
| Foundations of Physical Science | ||
Any 20000-level, 30000-level or 40000-level Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECEN) or Mechanical Engineering (MMEG) courses | ||
Any 30000-level or 40000-level Physics courses | ||
| Total Hours | 32 | |
- 1
The engineering elective and technical electives may not be used to satisfy the other Physics major or concentration requirements. Any course prerequisites must be met. Students should plan electives early with their advisor since some of these can be used to satisfy prerequisites for 30000 or 40000 level engineering electives.
PHYS 37100 Workshop in Physics may be taken multiple times for credit if different topics are offered. Up to two credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
PHYS 47000 Undergraduate Research may be taken multiple times for credit. Up to six credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
PHYS 49800 Special Topics in Physics may be taken multiple times for credit if different topics are offered. Up to six credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
PHYS 49900 Independent Study may be taken multiple times for credit. Up to three credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
Applied Physics Concentration
Concentration: APHY
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHYS 34100 | Modern Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 46500 | Capstone Project | 1 |
| PHYS 31000 | Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
| or PHYS 31100 | Analog and Digital Electronics | |
| Select one of the following Computation courses: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Computer Science | ||
| Scientific Computing | ||
| Introduction to Data Science | ||
| Numerical Analysis | ||
| Mathematical Modeling | ||
| Technical Electives | ||
| Select 21 hours of technical electives of the following: 1 | 21 | |
Any Chemistry (CHEM), Biology (BIOL), Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECEN), Data Science (DATA), Materials and Mechanical Engineering (MMEG), and/or Physics (PHYS) courses | ||
Any 20000, 30000, or 40000 level Computer Science (CPSC) course | ||
Any Mathematics course (MATH 19900 or higher) | ||
| Total Hours | 32 | |
- 1
The engineering elective and technical electives may not be used to satisfy other Physics major or concentration requirements. Any course prerequisites must be met. At least six credit hours must be at the 30000 or 40000 level.
PHYS 37100 Workshop in Physics may be taken multiple times for credit if different topics are offered. Up to two credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
PHYS 47000 Undergraduate Research may be taken multiple times for credit. Up to six credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
PHYS 49800 Special Topics in Physics may be taken multiple times for credit if different topics are offered. Up to nine credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
PHYS 49900 Independent Study may be taken multiple times for credit. Up to three credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
Chemical Physics Concentration
Concentration: CHPH
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 11500 | General Chemistry 2 | 4 |
| CHEM 11600 | General Chemistry 2 Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 23000 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 23200 | Fundamental Spectroscopy | 2 |
| CHEM 30000 | Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 30100 | Physical Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 30500 | Physical Chemistry 2 | 3 |
| CHEM 30600 | Physical Chemistry 2 Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 33200 | Advanced Instrumental Analysis | 2 |
| PHYS 31000 | Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
| PHYS 46500 | Capstone Project | 1 |
| CHEM 24200 | Introduction to Solid State Chemistry | 2 |
| or PHYS 34200 | Applied Modern Physics: Atoms, Molecules, and Condensed Matter | |
| Technical Electives | ||
| Select at least five hours of the following: 1 | 5 | |
| Foundations of Physical Science | ||
Any 30000 or 40000 level Physics (PHYS) course | ||
Any 20000, 30000, or 40000 level Chemistry (CHEM) course | ||
| Total Hours | 32 | |
- 1
The technical electives may not be used to satisfy other Physics major or concentration requirements. Any course prerequisites must be met.
PHYS 37100 Workshop in Physics may be taken multiple times for credit if different topics are offered. Up to two credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
CHEM 45000 Research and/or PHYS 47000 Undergraduate Research may be taken multiple times for credit. Up to five credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
CHEM 47000 Internship may be taken multiple times for credit if different topics are offered. Up to two credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.
CHEM 49800 Special Topics and/or PHYS 49800 Special Topics in Physics may be taken multiple times for credit if different topics are offered.
PHYS 49900 Independent Study may be taken multiple times for credit. Up to three credit hours may be applied toward completion of these elective credits.