Arts & Sciences Physics

Description

The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers programs leading to the bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees. Students preparing for either graduate study or a professional career in physics should pursue a bachelor of science degree with a professional option. For students who have special interests, the department offers options in optics and lasers, materials physics, and computational physics.

The courses required for the bachelor of arts degree in physics offer a broader program in science and the liberal arts suitable for a variety of pre-professional curricula and for interdisciplinary studies in areas including biophysics, chemical physics, and geophysics.
 

College Admission

The entrance requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), including any of the majors or minors offered through the college, are the same as the University of Nebraska–Lincoln General Admission Requirements. In addition to these requirements, the College of Arts and Sciences strongly recommends a third and fourth year of one foreign language in high school. Four years of high school coursework in the same language will fulfill the College of Arts and Sciences’ language requirement. It will also allow students to continue language study at a more advanced level at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and provide more opportunity to study abroad.

Academic and Career Advising

Academic and Career Advising Center

Not sure where to go or who to ask? The Advising Center team in 107 Oldfather Hall can help. The Academic and Career Advising Center is the undergraduate hub for CAS students in all majors. Centrally located and easily accessed, students encounter friendly, knowledgeable people who are eager to help or connect students to partner resources. Students also visit the Advising Center in 107 Oldfather Hall to:

• Choose or change their major, minor, or degree program.
• Check on policies, procedures, and deadlines.
• Get a college approval signature from the Dean’s representatives.

CAS Career Coaches are available by appointment (in-person or zoom) and located in the CAS Academic and Career Advising Center, 107 Oldfather Hall. They help students explore majors and minors, gain experience, and develop a plan for life after graduation.

Assigned Academic Advisors

Academic advisors are critical resources dedicated to students' academic, personal, and professional success. Every CAS student is assigned an academic advisor based on their primary major. Since most CAS students have more than just a single major, it is important to get to know the advisor for any minors or additional majors. Academic advisors work closely with the faculty to provide the best overall support and the discipline specific expertise. They are available for appointments (in-person or zoom) and through weekly virtual drop-ins. Assigned advisors are listed in MyRED and their offices may be located in or near the department of the major for which they advise.

Students who have declared a pre-health or pre-law area of interest will also work with advisors in the Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center (Explore Center) in 127 Love South, who are specially trained to guide students preparing to enter a professional school.

For complete and current information on advisors for majors, minors, or pre-professional areas, visit https://cas.unl.edu/major-advisors, or connect with the Arts and Sciences Academic and Career Advising Center, 107 Oldfather Hall, 402-472-4190, casadvising@unl.edu.

Career Coaching

The College believes that Academics + Experience = Opportunities and encourages students to complement their academic preparation with real-world experience, including internships, research, education abroad, service, and leadership. Arts and sciences students have access to a powerful network of faculty, staff, and advisors dedicated to providing information and support for their goals of meaningful employment or advanced education. Arts and sciences graduates have unlimited career possibilities and carry with them important career competencies—communication, critical thinking, creativity, context, and collaboration. They have the skills and adaptability that employers universally value. Graduates are prepared to effectively contribute professionally and personally with a solid foundation to excel in an increasingly global, technological, and interdisciplinary world.

Students should contact the career coaches in the Arts and Sciences Academic and Career Advising Center in 107 Oldfather Hall, or their assigned advisor, for more information. The CAS career coaches help students explore career options, identify ways to build experience and prepare to apply for internships, jobs, or graduate school, including help with resumes, applications, and interviewing.

ACE Requirements

 Students must complete one course for each of the ACE Student Learning Outcomes below. Certified course choices are published in the degree audit, or visit the ACE website for the most current list of certified courses.

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
ACE Student Learning Outcomes
ACE 1: Write texts, in various forms, with an identified purpose, that respond to specific audience needs, integrate research or existing knowledge, and use applicable documentation and appropriate conventions of format and structure.
ACE 2: Demonstrate competence in communication skills.
ACE 3: Use mathematical, computational, statistical, logical, or other formal reasoning to solve problems, draw inferences, justify conclusions, and determine reasonableness.
ACE 4: Use scientific methods and knowledge to pose questions, frame hypotheses, interpret data, and evaluate whether conclusions about the natural and physical world are reasonable.
ACE 5: Use knowledge, historical perspectives, analysis, interpretation, critical evaluation, and the standards of evidence appropriate to the humanities to address problems and issues.
ACE 6: Use knowledge, theories, and research perspectives such as statistical methods or observational accounts appropriate to the social sciences to understand and evaluate social systems or human behaviors.
ACE 7: Use knowledge, theories, or methods appropriate to the arts to understand their context and significance.
ACE 8: Use knowledge, theories, and analysis to explain ethical principles and their importance in society.
ACE 9: Exhibit global awareness or knowledge of human diversity through analysis of an issue.
ACE 10: Generate a creative or scholarly product that requires broad knowledge, appropriate technical proficiency, information collection, synthesis, interpretation, presentation, and reflection.

College Degree Requirements

College Distribution Requirements – BA and BS

The College of Arts and Sciences distribution requirements are common to both the bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees and are designed to ensure a range of courses. By engaging in study in several different areas within the College, students develop the ability to learn in a variety of ways and apply their knowledge from a variety of perspectives. All requirements are in addition to University ACE requirements, and no course can be used to fulfill both an ACE outcome and a College Distribution Requirement.

• A student may not use a single course to satisfy more than one College Distribution Requirement, with the exception of CDR Diversity. Courses used to meet CDR Diversity may also meet CDR Writing, CDR Humanities, or CDR Social Science.
• Independent study or reading courses and internships cannot be used to satisfy distribution requirements.
• Courses from interdisciplinary programs will be applied in the same area as courses from the home/cross-listed department.

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
College Distribution Requirements
CDR: Written Communication		3
Select from courses approved for ACE outcome 1.
CDR: Natural, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences with Lab		4
Select from biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, geology, meteorology, mathematics, and physics. Must include one lab in the natural or physical sciences. Lab courses may be selected from biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, geology, meteorology, and physics.
Some courses from geography and anthropology may also be used to satisfy the lab requirement above. 1
CDR: Humanities		3
Select from classics, English, film studies, history, modern languages and literatures, philosophy, and religious studies. 2
CDR: Social Science		3
Select from anthropology, communication studies, geography, national security studies, political science, psychology, or sociology. 3
CDR: Human Diversity in U.S. Communities		0-3
Select from a set of approved courses as listed in the degree audit.
CDR: Language		0-16
Fulfilled by the completion of the 6-credit-hour second-year sequence in a single foreign language in one of the following departments: Classics and religious studies or modern languages and literatures. Instruction is currently available in Arabic, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish.
A student who has completed the fourth-year level of one foreign language in high school is exempt from the languages requirement, but encouraged to continue on in their language study.
Credit Hours Subtotal:		13-32

¹

See Degree Audit or a College of Arts and Sciences advisor for approved geography and anthropology courses that apply as natural science.

²

Language courses numbered 220 and below do not fulfill the CDR Humanities​.

³

See Degree Audit or College of Arts and Sciences advisor for list of natural/physical science courses in anthropology, geography, and psychology that do not apply as social science.

Language Requirement

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the College of Arts and Sciences place great value on academic exposure and proficiency in a second language. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln entrance requirement of two years of the same foreign language or the College’s language distribution requirement (CDR: Language) will rarely be waived and only with relevant documentation. See the main College of Arts and Sciences page for more details.

Experiential Learning Requirement

All undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete an Experiential Learning (EL) designated course. This may include 0-credit courses designed to document co-curricular activities recognized as Experiential Learning.

Scientific Base - BS Only

The bachelor of science degree requires students to complete 60 hours in mathematical, physical, and natural sciences. Approved courses for scientific-based credit come from the following College of Arts and Sciences disciplines: actuarial science, anthropology (selected courses), astronomy, biochemistry (excluding BIOC 101), biological sciences (excluding BIOS 100 or BIOS 203), chemistry (excluding CHEM 101), geography (selected courses), geology, life sciences, mathematics (excluding courses below MATH 104), meteorology, microbiology (excluding MBIO 101), and physics (excluding PHYS 201.)

See your Degree Audit or your assigned academic advisor for a complete list, including individual classes that fall outside of the disciplines listed above. Up to 12 hours of scientific and technical courses offered by other colleges may be accepted toward this requirement with approval of the College of Arts and Sciences. See your assigned academic advisor to start the approval process.

Minimum Hours Required for Graduation

A minimum of 120 semester hours of credit is required for graduation from the College of Arts and Sciences. A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 is required.

Grade Rules

Restrictions on C- and D Grades

The College will accept no more than 15 semester hours of C- and D grades from other domestic institutions except for UNO and UNK. All courses taken at UNO and UNK impact the UNL transcript. No transfer of C- and D grades can be applied toward requirements in a major or a minor. No University of Nebraska–Lincoln C- and D grades can be applied toward requirements in a major or a minor. International coursework (including education abroad) with a final grade equivalent to a C- or lower will not be validated by the College of Arts and Sciences departments to be degree applicable.

Pass/No Pass Privilege

The College of Arts and Sciences adheres to the University regulations for the Pass/No Pass (P/N) privilege with the following additional regulations:

• Pass/No Pass hours can count toward fulfillment of University ACE requirements and college distribution requirements up to the 24-hour maximum.
• Most arts and sciences departments and programs do not allow courses graded Pass/No Pass to apply to the major or minor. Students should refer to the department’s or program’s section of the catalog for clarification. By college rule, departments can allow up to 6 hours of Pass/No Pass in the major or minor.
• Departments may specify that certain courses of theirs can be taken only on a P/N basis.
• The college will permit no more than a total of 24 semester hours of P/N grades to be applied toward degree requirements. This total includes all Pass grades earned at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and other U.S. schools. NOTE: This 24-hour limit is more restrictive than the University regulation.

Grading Appeals

A student who feels that he/she has been unfairly graded must ordinarily take the following sequential steps in a timely manner, usually by initiating the appeal in the semester following the awarding of the grade:

1. Talk with the instructor concerned. Most problems are resolved at this point.
2. Talk to the instructor’s department chairperson.
3. Take the case to the Grading Appeal Committee of the department concerned. The Committee should be contacted through the department chairperson.
4. Take the case to the College Grading Appeals Committee by contacting the Dean’s Office, 1223 Oldfather Hall.

Course Level Requirements

Courses Numbered at the 300 or 400 Level

Thirty (30) of the 120 semester hours of credit must be in courses numbered at the 300 or 400 level. Of those 30 hours, 15 hours (1/2) must be completed in residence at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Residency Requirement

Students must complete at least 30 of the 120 total hours for their degree at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Students must complete at least 1/2 of their major coursework, including 6 hours at the 300 or 400 level in their major and 15 of the 30 hours required at the 300 or 400 level, in residence. Credit earned during education abroad may be used toward the residency requirement only if students register through the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Catalog to Use

Students must fulfill the requirements stated in the catalog for the academic year in which they are first admitted to and enrolled as a degree-seeking student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In consultation with advisors, a student may choose to follow a subsequent catalog for any academic year in which they are admitted to and enrolled as a degree-seeking student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year. Beginning in 1990-1991, the catalog which a student follows for degree requirements may not be more than 10 years old at the time of graduation.

Transfer Students: Students who have transferred from a community college may be eligible to fulfill the requirements as stated in the catalog for an academic year in which they were enrolled at the community college prior to attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This decision should be made in consultation with academic advisors, provided the student a) was enrolled in a community college during the catalog year they are utilizing, b) maintained continuous enrollment at the previous institution for 1 academic year or more, and c) continued enrollment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln within 1 calendar year from their last term at the previous institution. Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year and within the time frame allowable for that catalog year.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates with a major in physics will:

1. Demonstrate a conceptual understanding of the fundamental principles and concepts of physics, including those in the areas of mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics.
2. Apply mathematical tools to analyze and solve problems.
3. Critically evaluate and interpret data.
4. Communicate concepts and approaches effectively, both orally and in writing.

Major Requirements

Bachelor of Science

Complete the core requirements plus one of the following options: Professional, Optics and Lasers, Materials Physics, or Computational Physics.

Core Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Physics
PHYS 201	Modern Topics in Physics and Astronomy	1
PHYS 211	General Physics I	4
PHYS 221	General Physics Laboratory I	1
PHYS 212	General Physics II	4
PHYS 222	General Physics Laboratory II	1
PHYS 213	General Physics III	4
PHYS 223	General Physics Laboratory III	1
PHYS 231	Electrical and Electronic Circuits	3
PHYS 311	Mechanics	3
PHYS 431	Thermal Physics	3
PHYS 451	Electromagnetic Theory	3
PHYS 461	Quantum Mechanics	3
Credit Hours Subtotal:		31
Mathematics
MATH 106	Calculus I	5
MATH 107	Calculus II	4
MATH 208	Calculus III	4
MATH 221	Differential Equations	3
Chemistry 1		4
CHEM 109A & CHEM 109L	General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory
Or
CHEM 113A & CHEM 113L	Fundamental Chemistry I and Fundamental Chemistry I Laboratory
Credit Hours Subtotal:		20
Option Courses
Complete one of the following options described below.		17-20
Credit Hours Subtotal:		17-20
Total Credit Hours		68-71

¹

CHEM 113A & CHEM 113L are required for students declaring the Materials Physics Option.

Professional Option

The Professional Option is designed for students intending to pursue graduate study or employment in physics or a related scientific or engineering discipline.
 

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Professional Option Required Courses
PHYS 441	Experimental Physics I	3
PHYS 442	Experimental Physics II	3
PHYS 452	Optics and Electromagnetic Waves	3
PHYS 462	Atoms, Nuclei, and Elementary Particles	3
Select at least 6 hours of the following: 2		6
ASTR 403	Galactic and Extragalactic Astronomy
ASTR 404	Stellar Astrophysics
ASTR 405	Physics of the Solar System
ASTR 407	Physics of the Interstellar Medium
MATH 314	Linear Algebra
or MATH 424	Introduction to Partial Differential Equations
PHYS 343	Physics of Lasers and Modern Optics
PHYS 361	Concepts of Modern Physics
PHYS 401	Computational Physics
PHYS 422 / ECEN 422	Introduction to Physics and Chemistry of Solids
PHYS 443	Experimental Physics III
PHYS 480 / ECEN 480	Introduction to Lasers and Laser Applications
Credit Hours Subtotal:		18
Total Credit Hours		18

²

Up to 3 hours of PHYS 398 may be counted toward these 6 hours by substitution, provided that the research project is approved by the advisor.

Optics and Lasers Option

The Optics and Lasers Option is designed for students intending to pursue graduate study or employment in optical or laser physics or in related engineering disciplines.
 

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Optics and Lasers Option Required courses
PHYS 343	Physics of Lasers and Modern Optics	3
PHYS 441	Experimental Physics I	3
PHYS 452	Optics and Electromagnetic Waves	3
PHYS 480 / ECEN 480	Introduction to Lasers and Laser Applications	3
Select at least 6 hours of the following: 2		6
MATH 314	Linear Algebra
or MATH 424	Introduction to Partial Differential Equations
PHYS 361	Concepts of Modern Physics
PHYS 401	Computational Physics
PHYS 422 / ECEN 422	Introduction to Physics and Chemistry of Solids
PHYS 442	Experimental Physics II
PHYS 462	Atoms, Nuclei, and Elementary Particles
Credit Hours Subtotal:		18
Total Credit Hours		18

²

Up to 3 hours of PHYS 398 may be counted toward these 6 hours by substitution, provided that the research project is approved by the advisor.

Materials Physics Option

The Materials Physics Option is designed for students intending to pursue graduate study or employment in materials physics or in related disciplines.
 

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Materials Physics Option Required courses
CHEM 114	Fundamental Chemistry II	3
CHEM 221A & CHEM 221L	Elementary Quantitative Analysis and Elementary Quantitative Analysis Laboratory	5
MATL 360	Elements of Materials Science	4
MATL 462	X-ray Diffraction	3
or MATL 471	Electron Microscopy of Materials
PHYS 422 / ECEN 422	Introduction to Physics and Chemistry of Solids	3
Select at least 3 hours of the following: 2		3
CHEM 261	Organic Chemistry
CHEM 481	Physical Chemistry I
ECEN 216	Electronics and Circuits II
PHYS 343	Physics of Lasers and Modern Optics
PHYS 401	Computational Physics
PHYS 441	Experimental Physics I
Credit Hours Subtotal:		21
Total Credit Hours		21

²

Up to 3 hours of PHYS 398 may be counted toward these 3 hours by substitution, provided that the research project is approved by the advisor.

Computational Physics Option

The Computational Physics Option is designed for students intending to pursue graduate study or employment in computational physics or in related disciplines.
 

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Computational Physics Option Required courses
CSCE 155N	Computer Science I: Engineering and Science Focus	3
CSCE 156	Computer Science II	4
CSCE 251	Unix Programming Environment	1
PHYS 401	Computational Physics	3
Select at least 6 hours of the following: 2		6
CSCE 235	Introduction to Discrete Structures
CSCE 310	Data Structures and Algorithms
CSCE 440 / MATH 440	Numerical Analysis I
CSCE 456	Parallel Programming
PHYS 343	Physics of Lasers and Modern Optics
PHYS 441	Experimental Physics I
Credit Hours Subtotal:		17
Total Credit Hours		17

²

Up to 3 hours of PHYS 398 may be counted toward these 6 hours by substitution, provided that the research project is approved by the advisor.

Bachelor of Arts

Core Requirements

The BA course requirements are designed for students pursuing careers for which the knowledge and methodology of physics are essential.
 

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Physics
PHYS 201	Modern Topics in Physics and Astronomy	1
PHYS 213	General Physics III	4
PHYS 223	General Physics Laboratory III	1
PHYS 231	Electrical and Electronic Circuits	3
PHYS 311	Mechanics	3
PHYS 441	Experimental Physics I	3
Select one of the following:		5
PHYS 141	Elementary General Physics I
PHYS 211 & PHYS 221	General Physics I and General Physics Laboratory I (preferred)
Select one of the following:		5
PHYS 212 & PHYS 222	General Physics II and General Physics Laboratory II (preferred)
PHYS 142	Elementary General Physics II
Credit Hours Subtotal:		25
Mathematics
MATH 106	Calculus I	5
MATH 107	Calculus II	4
MATH 208	Calculus III	4
MATH 221	Differential Equations	3
Credit Hours Subtotal:		16
Chemistry
Select one of the following:		4
CHEM 109A & CHEM 109L	General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory
CHEM 113A & CHEM 113L	Fundamental Chemistry I and Fundamental Chemistry I Laboratory
Credit Hours Subtotal:		4
Total Credit Hours		45

Specific Major Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Additional Physics Courses
Select 9 hours of the following: 2		9
PHYS 343	Physics of Lasers and Modern Optics
PHYS 361	Concepts of Modern Physics
PHYS 451	Electromagnetic Theory
PHYS 461	Quantum Mechanics
PHYS 431	Thermal Physics
PHYS 480 / ECEN 480	Introduction to Lasers and Laser Applications
Credit Hours Subtotal:		9
Additional Related Courses
Select 6 hours of math, statistics, engineering or science courses at the 300 or 400 level		6
Credit Hours Subtotal:		6
Total Credit Hours		15

²

Up to 3 hours of PHYS 398 may be counted toward these 6 hours by substitution, provided that the research project is approved by the advisor.

Additional Major Requirements

Grade Rules

C- and D Grades

A grade of C or above is required for all courses in the major and minor.

Pass/No Pass

No course taken Pass/No Pass will be counted toward the major or minor.

Requirements for Minor Offered by Department

Plan A Minor (19 hours)

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
PHYS 201	Modern Topics in Physics and Astronomy	1
Select one sequence from the following:		10
PHYS 211 & PHYS 221 & PHYS 212 & PHYS 222	General Physics I and General Physics Laboratory I and General Physics II and General Physics Laboratory II
PHYS 141 & PHYS 142	Elementary General Physics I and Elementary General Physics II
PHYS 213	General Physics III	4
PHYS 223	General Physics Laboratory III	1
Select one of the following:		3-4
Three (3) additional hours chosen from physics courses listed as requirements for the major in physics
ASTR 204 & ASTR 224	Introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics and Astronomy and Astrophysics Laboratory
Total Credit Hours		19

Plan B Minor (15 hours)

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
PHYS 201	Modern Topics in Physics and Astronomy	1
Select one sequence from the following:		10
PHYS 211 & PHYS 221 & PHYS 212 & PHYS 222	General Physics I and General Physics Laboratory I and General Physics II and General Physics Laboratory II
PHYS 141 & PHYS 142	Elementary General Physics I and Elementary General Physics II
PHYS 213	General Physics III	4
Total Credit Hours		15

Grade Rules

C- and D Grades

A grade of C or above is required for all courses in the major and minor.

Pass/No Pass

No course taken Pass/No Pass will be counted toward the major or minor.

PLEASE NOTE
This document represents a sample 4-year plan for degree completion with this major. Actual course selection and sequence may vary and should be discussed individually with your college or department academic advisor. Advisors also can help you plan other experiences to enrich your undergraduate education such as internships, education abroad, undergraduate research, learning communities, and service learning and community-based learning.

Physics (B.A.)

Physics - Professional (B.S.)

Career Information

The following represents a sample of the internships, jobs and graduate school programs that current students and recent graduates have reported.