BS - Physics - General Concentration 24
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The program of study in physics leading to a Bachelor of Science degree provides students with the opportunity to pursue a major field of concentration in physics with the necessary specialization to succeed in a wide array of post-baccalaureate opportunities. The following degree tracks include the course work and experience necessary for student success. See an academic advisor for specific course information and important aspects of each of these tracks.
General Physics Track: Physics is the study of matter, motion, force and energy across space and time. This area of study is wide-ranging and math-intensive; students who earn Bachelor’s degrees in physics develop broad analytical skills and are well prepared to pursue graduate education in physics or related areas of study. Other graduates pursue careers in the engineering, computer science or other STEM-related areas.
Term 1
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Requirement
Hours
ENGL 1101 English Composition IENGL 1101 English Composition I3 Credits
A composition course focusing on skills required for effective writing in a variety of contexts, with emphasis on exposition, analysis, and argumentation, and also including introductory use of a variety of research skills.
3
-
4
-
3
-
3
Total: 13
Term 2
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Requirement
Hours
ENGL 1102 English Composition IIENGL 1102 English Composition II3 Credits
A composition course that develops writing skills beyond the levels of proficiency required by ENGL 1101, that emphasizes interpretation, and evaluation, and that incorporates a variety of more advanced research methods.
Prerequisites: (
ENGL 1101 with a minimum grade of C or
ENGL 101 with a minimum grade of C)
3
-
4
-
4
-
3
-
3
Total: 17
Year 1 (Hours: 30)
Term 3
-
Requirement
Hours
POLS 1101 American GovernmentPOLS 1101 American Government3 Credits
This course examines the institutions and processes of American government and Georgia State government. Global comparisons are made between the governments of the U.S. and other modern nation-states.
3
ECON 1000 Contemporary Economic IssuesECON 1000 Credits
Description not available
2
PHYS 2211 Principles of Physics IPHYS 2211 Principles of Physics I3 Credits
PHYS 2211 is an introductory calculus-based course on classical mechanics, thermodynamics, and waves. The student will be able to apply Newton's laws and conservation of energy and momentum to various problems in kinematics and dynamics, use the law of universal gravitation to falling objects and orbital motion, describe simple harmonic motion, oscillations, and waves, and explain temperature, heat, and entropy.
Prerequisites: MATH 1190 with a minimum grade of C or
MATH 1179 with a minimum grade of C and
MATH 1189 with a minimum grade of C
3
PHYS 2211L Principles of Physics I LabPHYS 2211L Principles of Physics I Lab1 Credits
PHYS 2211L is an introductory laboratory for the calculus-based course on classical mechanics, and waves. The student will be able to apply Newton's laws and conservation of energy and momentum to various problems in the laboratory, and perform measurements of simple harmonic motion, oscillations, and waves. The analysis of sources of error and formal propagation of uncertainties will also be developed, as well as graphical techniques and the method of least-squares fits.
Prerequisites: PHYS 2211** with a minimum grade of C
1
MATH 2202 Calculus IIMATH 2202 Calculus II4 Credits
This course is the second in the calculus curriculum and consists of two parts. The first part is concerned with the techniques of integration and applications of the integral. The second part is concerned with infinite sequences and series.
Prerequisites: MATH 1190 with a minimum grade of C or
MATH 1179 with a minimum grade of C and
MATH 1189 with a minimum grade of C
4
-
3
Total: 16
Term 4
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Requirement
Hours
MATH 2203 Calculus IIIMATH 2203 Calculus III4 Credits
This course is the third in the calculus curriculum and is concerned with functions defined on regions in two or three dimensional space and that have values in one, two, or three dimensional space. Topics include partial derivatives, vector fields, multiple integrals, and applications of these topics.
Prerequisites: MATH 2202 with a minimum grade of C
4
PHYS 2212 Principles of Physics IIPHYS 2212 Principles of Physics II3 Credits
PHYS 2212 is an introductory calculus-based course on electromagnetism, optics, and modern physics. The student will be able to apply the concepts of electric field and electric potential to problems in electrostatics and with electric currents, describe the motion of charged particles in magnetic fields and induction, explain the origin of electromagnetic waves and properties of light, and understand elementary principles of special relativity and quantum physics.
Prerequisites: MATH 2202 with a minimum grade of C and (
PHYS 2211 with a minimum grade of C or
PHYS 2211K with a minimum grade of C or
PHYS 1211K with a minimum grade of C)
3
PHYS 2212L Principles of Physics II LabPHYS 2212L Principles of Physics II Lab1 Credits
Prerequisites: PHYS 2212** with a minimum grade of C
1
-
3
-
3
Total: 14
Year 2 (Hours: 30)
Term 5
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Requirement
Hours
MATH 2306 Ordinary Differential EquationMATH 2306 Credits
Description not available
Prerequisites: MATH 2202 with a minimum grade of C
3
PHYS 3710 Modern PhysicsPHYS 3710 Modern Physics3 Credits
The topics covered in this course constitute the most fundamental background in modern physics. The main objective of this course is to provide the student with a basic understanding of the physical laws and phenomena that constitute the framework leading to quantum mechanics. Students will strengthen their knowledge of special relativity and explore aspects of the quantum theory of wave/particle duality and the probabilistic interpretation. Students will learn the Schrodinger?s equation, its solutions for simple potentials, and properties of the one-electron atom. Students will also study applications of quantum principles to atomic, molecular and nuclear structures..
Prerequisites: PHYS 2212 with a minimum grade of C and
PHYS 2212L with a minimum grade of C
3
PHYS 3260 Mathematical PhysicsPHYS 3260 Mathematical Physics3 Credits
In this course students will review mathematical techniques that are often used in upper-level physics courses. Students will learn to apply linear algebra, differential equations, vector calculus, Fourier series, Fourier transforms, Bessel functions, Legendre polynomials, and complex analysis to solve problems in physics.
Prerequisites: MATH 2202 with a minimum grade of C and
PHYS 2212 with a minimum grade of C
3
-
3
-
2
Total: 14
Term 6
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Requirement
Hours
PHYS 3210 Mechanics IPHYS 3210 Mechanics I3 Credits
This course is a survey of Newtonian dynamics of particles and systems of particles, central force systems, and the theory of small vibrations. Students will learn how to appply different mathematical techniques such as Lagrange's equations, Hamiltonian Principles to solve these mechanical systems.
Prerequisites: MATH 2203 with a minimum grade of C and
MATH 2306 with a minimum grade of C and
PHYS 3260 with a minimum grade of C
3
PHYS 3220 Electromagnetism 1PHYS 3220 Electromagnetism 13 Credits
This course is a survey of fundamental principles of electricity and magnetism. Students will learn and solve problems in electrostatic fields, magnetic fields of steady currents, and time-dependent electromagnetic fields.
Prerequisites: MATH 2203 with a minimum grade of C and
MATH 2306 with a minimum grade of C and
PHYS 2212 with a minimum grade of C and
PHYS 2212L with a minimum grade of C
3
-
4
-
3
-
3
Total: 16
Year 3 (Hours: 30)
Term 7
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Requirement
Hours
PHYS 4210 Quantum PhysicsPHYS 4210 Quantum Physics3 Credits
This course presents a systematic development of quantum mechanical laws. Students will be introduced to Dirac?s notation and will learn about the theory of angular momentum quantization and will use the operator formalism to solve the Schrodinger?s equation in 3-dim for a particle in a central force field, and the simple harmonic oscillator. In addition, students will learn concepts of time-independent and time-dependent perturbation theory and scattering theory.
Prerequisites: PHYS 3710 with a minimum grade of C and
PHYS 3260 with a minimum grade of C and
MATH 2203 with a minimum grade of C and
MATH 2306 with a minimum grade of C
3
-
3
-
3
-
3
-
3
Total: 15
Term 8
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Requirement
Hours
Total: 15
Year 4 (Hours: 30)
Program Total: 120 Hours
Milestones: All courses indicated as a Milestone with this icon ( ) should be completed in the term suggested to prevent delays in program completion.
Disclaimer: An academic map is a suggested four-year schedule of courses based on degree requirements in the KSU undergraduate catalog. This sample schedule serves as a general guideline to help build a full schedule each term. Some departments allow students to use the three credit first-year seminar course as a free elective for a degree program, which may impact the program's total credit hours. Milestones, courses, and special requirements necessary for timely progress to complete a major are designated to keep you on track to graduate in four years. Missing milestones could delay your program. Enrolled Students should reference DegreeWorks and not this plan.
This map is not a substitute for academic advisement—contact your advisor if you have any questions about scheduling or about your degree requirements. Also
see the current undergraduate catalog (catalog.kennesaw.edu) for a complete list of requirements and electives. Note: Requirements are continually under revision, and
there is no guarantee they will not be changed or revoked; contact the department and/or program area for current information.
You may choose to attend a summer term to reduce your load during fall or spring terms but still stay on track to graduate in four years.