Click here to view the Suggested Plan of Study
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete WVU General Education Foundations requirements, Eberly Edge Program requirements, major requirements, and electives to total a minimum of 120 hours.
Departmental Requirements for the B.A. in Physics
Students may not earn both a B.A. and a B.S. in Physics. All students wishing to obtain a B.A. degree in Physics must comply with the following:
-
Calculation of the GPA in the Major: A minimum grade point average of a 2.0 is required in all courses applied to major requirements, including the STEM Foundations. If a course is repeated, all attempts will be included in the calculation of the GPA, unless the course is eligible for a D/F repeat.
- Writing and Communication Skills Requirement: Physics Bachelor of Arts students fulfill the Writing and Communication Skills requirement by completing ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 (or ENGL 103), and two of the following SpeakWrite Certified CoursesTM: PHYS 341L, PHYS 496, ASTR 469.
- Capstone Requirement: The university requires the successful completion of a Capstone course. Students majoring in Physics must complete PHYS 496.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 49 | |
| Eberly Edge Requirements | 15 | |
| Physics Major Requirements | 56 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 | 18 | |
| PHYS 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives | 30 | |
| Total Hours | 49 | |
Eberly Edge Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDG 1: Data and Society | 3 | |
| EDG 2: Effective and Civil Communication | 3 | |
| EDG 3: Ethics and Civil Responsibility | 3 | |
| EDG 4: Global and Regional Perspectives | 3 | |
| EDG 5: Practicing Arts & Sciences (ARSC 380) | 3 | |
| EDG 6: High Impact Experience (PHYS 341L) | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Physics Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| STEM FOUNDATIONS * | 12 | |
| Calculus 1 | ||
| Select 1 pair of courses | ||
| Principles of Biology and Principles of Biology Laboratory and Introductory Physiology and Introductory Physiology Laboratory | ||
| Survey of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry 1 and Survey of Chemistry 1 Laboratory and Survey of General Organic Biological Chemistry 2 and Survey of Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 Laboratory and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| Introduction to Computer Science and Introduction to Data Structures | ||
| Sustainable Earth and Sustainable Earth Laboratory and Earth System Science and Earth System Science Laboratory | ||
| FOUNDATION COURSES | 23 | |
| Calculus 2 | ||
| Multivariable Calculus | ||
| Elementary Differential Equations (or any upper-division MATH course) ** | ||
| General Physics 1 and General Physics 1 Laboratory | ||
| General Physics 2 and General Physics 2 Laboratory | ||
| Oscillations and Thermal Physics | ||
| CORE COURSES | 7 | |
| Introductory Modern Physics | ||
| Advanced Physics 1 Laboratory | ||
or PHYS 376L | Research Methods Laboratory | |
| UPPER-DIVISION ELECTIVES | 11 | |
Additional Physics or Astronomy Courses at the 300 or 400-level *** | ||
| CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE | 3 | |
| Senior Thesis | ||
| Total Hours | 56 | |
- *
STEM foundation courses are common to most STEM majors and excluded from the calculation of the percentage of upper-division course
- **
Exclusive of PHYS 490, 494, 495 and 497.
- ***
No more than 3 hours may be chosen from PHYS 490, 491, 494, 495, or 497
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PHYS 191 (First Year Seminar) | 1 | MATH 156 (GEF 8) | 4 |
| MATH 155 (GEF 3) | 4 | PHYS 111 & 111L (GEF 2) | 4 |
| Science Elective 1 (GEF 8) | 4 | Science Elective 2 | 4 |
| EDG 1 : Data and Society | 3 | EDG 2 : Effective and Civil Communication (COMM104) | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MATH 251 | 4 | PHYS 312 | 3 |
| PHYS 112 & 112L (GEF 8) | 4 | PHYS 314 | 4 |
| EDG 3 : Ethics and Civil Responsibility (PHIL 130) | 3 | EDG 4: Global and Regional Perspectives (SUST102) | 3 |
| F4 | 3 | General Elective | 4 |
| General Elective | 1 | General Elective | 1 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ARSC 380 (EDG 5) | 3 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| ENGL 101 (F1) | 3 | MATH 261 (or 300- or 400-level MATH class) | 4 |
| F5 | 3 | PHYS 341L (EDG 6) | 3 |
| PHYS Elective 1 | 4 | F7 | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 1 |
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| F6 | 3 | PHYS 496 | 3 |
| PHYS Elective 2 | 4 | General Elective | 4 |
| PHYS Elective 3 | 3 | General Elective | 4 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Physics B.A.
Upon successful completion of the B.A. degree, Physics majors will demonstrate:
- An understanding of and ability to solve basic conceptual and quantitative problems in foundational physics areas and to apply complex reasoning and problem solving skills developed in physics across disciplines, with focus on such application in a cognate area.
- A range of effective strategies, both written and oral, to communicate physics theories, processes, and results.
- An ability to develop experiments to test basic or applied research questions, to perform accurate experimental measurements, and to critically evaluate others’ answers to research questions.