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Physics (Astrophysics) B.S.

Information and Policies

Program Learning Outcomes

Program learning outcomes (PLO) summarize the most important knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that students are expected to develop over the course of their studies. The program learning outcomes communicate the faculty’s expectations to students, provide a framework for faculty evaluation of the curriculum based on empirical data, and help improve and measure the impact of implemented changes. Students graduating with a B.S. in Physics (Astrophysics) will demonstrate:

PLO 1. Ability to solve problems using concepts in classical and quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics and electromagnetism.

PLO 2. Proficiency in mathematics and the mathematical concepts needed for a proper understanding of physics.

PLO 3. Ability to take measurements in a physics laboratory and analyze the measurements to draw valid conclusions.

PLO 4. Ability to communicate scientific content effectively, both orally and in writing.

Academic Advising for the Program

The department undergraduate adviser (physicsadvising@ucsc.edu) works closely with students interested in pursuing the major to ensure that they begin the program immediately and follow the appropriate steps toward its completion.

Getting Started in the Major: Frosh

Before coming to the University of California, Santa Cruz:

High school students coming to UC Santa Cruz as frosh should emphasize their mathematics preparation with the expectation that they will take the first calculus course, MATH 19A, before their second quarter at UCSC. Students who come to UC Santa Cruz with credit for MATH 19A will be able to start the Physics 5 series in the first quarter. PHYS 5A is offered in the fall and winter quarters each year. Students with a score of 5 on the AP Physics C Mechanics and AP Physics C Electricity and Magnetism examinations are exempt from taking PHYS 5A and PHYS 5C respectively, and the associated lab courses.

After coming to UC Santa Cruz:

This major is highly course intensive and sequential; students who intend to pursue this major must begin taking classes for the major in their first quarter at UCSC.

Incoming students in the physics major should complete the Math Placement process as early as possible, so that the placement is posted before enrollment begins.For more information, please review the Math Placement website.

In their first term, students should enroll in the highest course in the following sequence that they are eligible for: MATH 2, MATH 3, MATH 19A, MATH 19B, MATH 23A, MATH 23B. Students should not take MATH 11A or MATH 11B or MATH 16A or MATH 16B. Graduating in four years is still possible for a student who places into MATH 2 or MATH 3; the department undergraduate adviser and the department's alternatives webpage should be consulted.

Students who come to UC Santa Cruz with credit for MATH 19A, and have room in their schedule, should take PHYS 5A and PHYS 5L (unless they have a score of 5 on the AP Physics C Mechanics examination) and PHYS 5L in their first term. Those who come to UCSC with credit for MATH 19B and PHYS 5A and PHYS 5L, and have room in their schedule, may consider taking PHYS 5C and PHYS 5N (unless they have a score of 5 on the AP Physics C Electricity & Magnetism examination) in their first term. The Physics Department tries to match incoming students who are interested with research opportunities, if they are available.

Students who for some reason do not start the courses for the major in their first term should consult the department undergraduate adviser and the alternatives webpage. Students who do not begin the lower-division requirements during their first year will have difficulty completing the program within four years.

Transfer Information and Policy

Transfer Admission Screening Policy

The following courses or their equivalents are required prior to transfer, by the end of the spring term for students planning to enter in the fall:

PHYS 5AIntroduction to Physics I

5

PHYS 5BIntroduction to Physics II

5

PHYS 5CIntroduction to Physics III

5

MATH 19ACalculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics

5

MATH 19BCalculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics

5

MATH 23AVector Calculus

5

A minimum GPA of 2.7 must be obtained in the following courses
PHYS 5AIntroduction to Physics I

5

PHYS 5BIntroduction to Physics II

5

PHYS 5CIntroduction to Physics III

5

In addition, the following course is recommended prior to transfer to ensure timely graduation:
PHYS 5DIntroduction to Physics IV

5

Prospective students are also encouraged to complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or to complete all UC Santa Cruz general education requirements before matriculation.

Students entering UC Santa Cruz in the winter quarter must complete
PHYS 5DIntroduction to Physics IV

5

MATH 23BVector Calculus

5

In addition to the requirements for students entering in the fall quarter. (This is true for years when winter admission is open.)

Getting Started in the Major: Transfer Students

Transfer students admitted to UC Santa Cruz in the physics (astrophysics) major who have satisfied the above screening requirements may declare the major immediately upon arrival at UC Santa Cruz. They should contact the undergraduate adviser to draw up an academic plan.

Incoming transfer students should enroll in the following courses in their first term:

  • PHYS 5D, unless they have credit for the course, in which case PHYS 102;
  • MATH 23B, unless they have credit for the course, in which case they may enroll in PHYS 116A or an elective or general education course;
  • ASTR 119, unless they have knowledge of the Python programming language, in which case they may enroll in PHYS 133 after obtaining a permission code.

Students who have completed courses that should be equivalent to PHYS 5D or MATH 23B but is not formally articulated as such should contact the undergraduate adviser to have their courses evaluated.

Transfer students entering UC Santa Cruz in the winter quarter should meet with the undergraduate adviser upon arrival to draw up an academic plan.

Students who are proposed in a different major (other than physics or applied physics) and have advanced standing when they come to UC Santa Cruz require permission from the department to change into the major.

Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process

Major Qualification

To qualify to declare the physics (astrophysics) major, students must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.70 or greater in the following courses, or their equivalents:

PHYS 5AIntroduction to Physics I

5

PHYS 5BIntroduction to Physics II

5

PHYS 5CIntroduction to Physics III

5

All qualification courses must be completed prior to the major declaration deadline.

When determining qualification to declare the major:

  • All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
  • If PHYS 5A is satisfied with AP credit based on an AP examination score of 5, students may substitute a grade of A for PHYS 5A when calculating their cumulative GPA.
  • If PHYS 5C is satisfied with AP credit based on an AP examination score of 5, students may substitute a grade of A for PHYS 5C when calculating their cumulative GPA.

  • Students with two or more grades of NP, C-, D+, D, D-, or F in the major qualification policy courses are not eligible to declare even if the courses are retaken and the grades replaced.

Students who achieve a GPA of 2.66 or higher (but less than 2.70) in the three courses may declare the major if they receive a B or better in PHYS 5D.

Appeal Process

Students who are informed that they are not eligible to declare the major may appeal this decision by submitting a letter to the department chair by the later date of either 15 days from the date the notification was sent, or one week after the start of instruction during the quarter after the final relevant grade was received (generally in PHYS 5C or PHYS 5D). They also must arrange to meet with one of the faculty mentors listed for Declaring the Major. Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, after consulting with the faculty mentor, the department chair will either finalize the denial of admission or specify further conditions for admission or approve admission to the major, and will notify the student and their college of the decision. For more information about the appeal process, see Appeal Process.

How to Declare a Major

Students should submit a petition to declare as soon as they complete the major qualification requirements or reach their declaration deadline quarter (whichever comes first).

Students petitioning when the campus declaration deadline is imminent (i.e., in their sixth quarter, for students admitted as frosh), will either be approved, denied, or provided with conditions (e.g., completion of some courses with certain grades) that will be resolved within at most one more enrolled quarter, even if they have not completed major qualification courses.

All students are required to review their academic plan with a faculty mentor prior to declaring the major. For instructions on petitioning to declare, go to Declaring Your Major.

Letter Grade Policy

All courses used to satisfy the physics (astrophysics) major requirements must be taken for a letter grade.

Double Majors and Major/Minor Combinations Policy

Students who complete a major sponsored by the Physics Department cannot complete a second major sponsored by the Physics Department or a physics minor.

Students cannot complete both the physics (astrophysics) major and the astrophysics minor.

Honors

The department awards "honors" (3.5 grade point average or better) and "highest honors"(3.8 grade point average or better) to top graduating students each year. The department also awards "honors" for outstanding work on the senior thesis, made upon the recommendation of the faculty thesis adviser.

Timely Graduation and Alternative Plans

  • Students planning a senior thesis should find a faculty thesis advisor as early as possible, but no later than the beginning of the senior year for four-year students or the beginning of the second year for transfer students. For further information about the senior thesis, see Senior Thesis.
  • Students who join a major program of the Physics Department with some of the required courses completed, or have room in their program for additional courses, should consult with the Physics Department undergraduate adviser.
  • Students who fall behind the planners should consult the Physics Department undergraduate adviser and Alternatives.
  • All the transfer major planners assume that IGETC has been completed in community college, or has been partially completed and can be finished while at UC Santa Cruz (including summers).

Requirements and Planners

Course Requirements

Lower-Division Courses

Choose one of the following courses:
MATH 19ACalculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics

5

MATH 20AHonors Calculus

5

Plus one of the following courses:
MATH 19BCalculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics

5

MATH 20BHonors Calculus

5

Plus all of the following courses:
MATH 23AVector Calculus

5

MATH 23BVector Calculus

5

PHYS 5AIntroduction to Physics I

5

PHYS 5LIntroduction to Physics I Laboratory

1

PHYS 5BIntroduction to Physics II

5

PHYS 5MIntroduction to Physics II Laboratory

1

PHYS 5CIntroduction to Physics III

5

PHYS 5NIntroduction to Physics Laboratory III

1

PHYS 5DIntroduction to Physics IV

5

Plus one of the following courses or equivalent:
ASTR 119Introduction to Scientific Computing

5

CSE 20Beginning Programming in Python

5

ASTR 19Practical Programming for the Sciences

5

ASTR 119 is strongly recommended. A test-out option is available for CSE 20.

Plus one of the following options:
Either this course

ASTR 21The Diverse Universe: Stars, Planets, and Galaxies

5

or these courses

ASTR 9A
/PHYS 9A
Introduction to Research in Physics and Astrophysics

2

ASTR 9B
/PHYS 9B
Introduction to Research in Physics and Astrophysics

3

Upper-Division Courses

All of the following courses:
PHYS 102Modern Physics

5

PHYS 116AMathematical Methods in Physics

5

PHYS 116CMathematical Methods in Physics

5

PHYS 105Mechanics

5

PHYS 110AElectricity, Magnetism, and Optics

5

PHYS 110BElectricity, Magnetism, and Optics

5

PHYS 112Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics

5

PHYS 133Intermediate Laboratory

5

PHYS 139AQuantum Mechanics I

5

MATH 21 and MATH 24 can substitute for PHYS 116A.

PHYS 116C is waived for students who are pursuing a dual major in physics (astrophysics) and mathematics B.A. or B.S., and take MATH 107 in Fall 2017 or later.

Plus one of the following options:
Either this course

PHYS 135
/ASTR 135
Astrophysics Advanced Laboratory

5

or these courses

PHYS 135A
/ASTR 135A
Astrophysics Advanced Laboratory

3

PHYS 135B
/ASTR 135B
Astrophysics Advanced Laboratory

2

or this course

ASTR 136Advanced Astronomy Laboratory

5

or any three of these courses

ASTR 136AAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Astrometry

2

ASTR 136BAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Galaxy Rotation Curves and Dark Matter

2

ASTR 136CAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Stellar Photometry

2

ASTR 136DAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Wavefront Measurement

2

ASTR 136EAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Adaptive Optics

2

ASTR 136GAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Detectors

2

ASTR 136HAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Fourier Optics

2

Capacity in the lab courses is limited, and they should be taken as early as possible. PHYS 135A and PHYS 135B are not scheduled to be offered in the next few years.

Electives

Complete three courses chosen from the following:

ASTR 111Order-of-Magnitude Astrophysics

5

ASTR 112Physics of Stars

5

ASTR 113Introduction to Cosmology

5

ASTR 117High Energy Astrophysics

5

ASTR 118Physics of Planetary Systems

5

PHYS 129Particle Physics and Astrophysics

5

PHYS 137Advanced Optics Laboratory

5

PHYS 171
/ASTR 171
General Relativity, Black Holes, and Cosmology

5

EART 160Planetary Science

5

EART 162Planetary Interiors

5

EART 163Planetary Surfaces

5

EART 164Planetary Atmospheres

5

AM 107
/PHYS 107
Introduction to Fluid Dynamics

5

PHYS 130
/ASTR 114
Multiwavelength Astronomical Techniques

5

Students who are interested in going to graduate school in physics or astrophysics are recommended to complete PHYS 116D and PHYS 139B in addition to the courses above.

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy the upper-division disciplinary communication (DC) requirement. Students in the physics (astrophysics) major satisfy the DC requirement by completing one of the following options:

Either this course

PHYS 182Scientific Communication for Physicists

5

or these courses

PHYS 195ASenior Thesis I

5

PHYS 195BSenior Thesis II

5

Students interested in doing a senior thesis should have found a faculty thesis adviser by the beginning of their senior year. They should contact physicsadvising@ucsc.edu or their faculty mentor if they need assistance.

Comprehensive Requirement

The comprehensive requirement is satisfied by completing one of the following options:

Either this course

PHYS 135
/ASTR 135
Astrophysics Advanced Laboratory

5

or these courses

PHYS 135A
/ASTR 135A
Astrophysics Advanced Laboratory

3

PHYS 135B
/ASTR 135B
Astrophysics Advanced Laboratory

2

or this course

ASTR 136Advanced Astronomy Laboratory

5

or any three of these courses

ASTR 136AAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Astrometry

2

ASTR 136BAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Galaxy Rotation Curves and Dark Matter

2

ASTR 136CAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Stellar Photometry

2

ASTR 136DAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Wavefront Measurement

2

ASTR 136EAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Adaptive Optics

2

ASTR 136GAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Detectors

2

ASTR 136HAdvanced Astronomy Lab: Fourier Optics

2

Planners

The tables below are for informational purposes and do not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.

Physics (Astrophysics) B.S.: Freshman Academic Plan

Fall Winter Spring Summer
Entering
1st (frosh) MATH 19A
or MATH 20A

MATH 19B
or MATH 20B

MATH 23A
PHYS 5A & PHYS 5L* PHYS 5B & PHYS 5M
2nd (soph) PHYS 5C & PHYS 5N ASTR 119 PHYS 105
PHYS 5D PHYS 116A PHYS 116C
MATH 23B ASTR 21
3rd (junior) PHYS 110A PHYS 110B
PHYS 102 PHYS 112 Elective
PHYS 133
4th (senior) PHYS 135 PHYS 182**
PHYS 139A Elective Elective

*Students who complete the equivalent of MATH 19A before coming to UCSC can take the PHYS 5A, PHYS 5B, PHYS 5C courses and the MATH 19B, MATH 23A, MATH 23B courses in their first year.

**Students writing a senior thesis should replace PHYS 182 with the two-quarter sequence PHYS 195A and PHYS 195B.

In addition to the specific courses shown in this planner, a student must complete courses satisfying the ER, CC, IM, TA, PR and PE general education requirements.

Students looking for an alternative pathway through the major should consult the physics advisor.

Physics (Astrophysics) B.S.: Transfer Academic Plan One

Fall Winter Spring Summer
Entering
1st (junior) MATH 23B ASTR 21 PHYS 105
PHYS 102 PHYS 116A PHYS 116C
PHYS 133 ASTR 119 Elective
2nd (senior) PHYS 110A PHYS 110B PHYS 182*
PHYS 139A PHYS 112 Elective
PHYS 135 Elective

*Students writing a senior thesis should replace PHYS 182 with the two-quarter sequence PHYS 195A and PHYS 195B.

This planner assumes that a student has completed PHYS 5D and general education requirements.

Students who wish to do a more demanding senior thesis or seek greater flexibility in choosing electives or take additional courses to be better prepared for graduate school may consider delaying graduation.

Physics (Astrophysics) B.S.: Transfer Academic Plan Two

For students who have not completed the equivalent of PHYS 5D.

Fall Winter Spring Summer
Entering
1st Year MATH 23B PHYS 102 PHYS 105
PHYS 5D PHYS 116A PHYS 116C
ASTR 119 ASTR 21 Elective
2nd Year PHYS 110A PHYS 110B ASTR 136 or PHYS 135
PHYS 139A PHYS 112 PHYS 182*
PHYS 133 Elective Elective

*Students writing a senior thesis should replace PHYS 182 with the two-quarter sequence PHYS 195A and PHYS 195B.