¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

Physics Honours Program

Department of Physics | Faculty of Science
¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Calendar 2012 Fall

This bachelor of science (BSc) honours program provides an in-depth understanding of basic physics in preparation for post-graduate study in physics and closely related disciplines.

Students should speak with an advisor as soon as possible to schedule their programs.

Minimum Grade Requirement

Students wishing to enrol in physics courses must obtain a C- grade or better in prerequisite courses.

Program Requirements

Students complete 132 units, as specified below.

Lower Division Requirements

Students complete a minimum total of 46 units, including all of

  • CHEM 121 General Chemistry and Laboratory I (4)
  • CHEM 122 General Chemistry II (2)
  • CMPT 102 Introduction to Scientific Computer Programming (3)
  • MATH 152 Calculus II (3)
  • MATH 251 Calculus III (3)
  • MATH 252 Vector Calculus (3)
  • PHYS 131 Physics Laboratory I * (2)
  • PHYS 211 Intermediate Mechanics (3)
  • PHYS 231 Physics Laboratory II (3)
  • PHYS 233 Physics Laboratory III (2)
  • PHYS 255 Vibrations and Waves (3)
  • PHYS 285 Introduction to Relativity and Quantum Mechanics (3)

and one of

  • MATH 150 Calculus I with Review (4)
  • MATH 151 Calculus I (3)

and one of

  • MATH 232 Applied Linear Algebra (3)
  • MATH 240 Algebra I: Linear Algebra (3)

and one of

  • PHYS 120 Mechanics and Modern Physics (3)
  • PHYS 125 Mechanics and Special Relativity † (3)
  • PHYS 140 Studio Physics - Mechanics and Modern Physics*(4)

and one of

  • PHYS 121 Optics, Electricity and Magnetism (3)
  • PHYS 126 Electricity, Magnetism and Light†(3)
  • PHYS 141 Studio Physics - Optics, Electricity and Magnetism*(4)

*students with credit for PHYS 140 and 141 are not required to complete PHYS 131
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Upper Division Requirements

Students complete a minimum total of 52 units, including all of

  • MATH 310 Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations (3)
  • PHYS 321 Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism (3)
  • PHYS 332W Optics Laboratory (4)
  • PHYS 344 Thermal Physics (3)
  • PHYS 384 Methods of Theoretical Physics I (3)
  • PHYS 385 Quantum Mechanics I (3)
  • PHYS 413 Advanced Mechanics (3)
  • PHYS 415 Quantum Mechanics II (3)
  • PHYS 421 Electromagnetic Waves (3)
  • PHYS 431 Advanced Physics Laboratory I (4)
  • PHYS 432 Undergraduate Honours Thesis (5)
  • PHYS 445 Statistical Physics (3)

and at least nine units chosen from

  • PHYS 347 Introduction to Biological Physics (3)
  • PHYS 390 Introduction to Astrophysics (3)
  • PHYS 455 Modern Optics (3)
  • PHYS 465 Solid State Physics (3)
  • PHYS 485 Particle Physics (3)
  • PHYS 490 General Relativity and Gravitation (3)

and three additional upper division credits in physics. PHYS 346 cannot be used to meet this requirement.

Faculty of Science Requirements

In addition to the above requirements, students must also satisfy Faculty of Science honours program requirements as follows.

  • students are required to complete additional upper division units to total a minimum of 60 upper division units (excluding EDUC 401 to 406)
  • students who were enrolled at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV between fall 1991 and summer 2006 are required to complete a minimum of 12 units in subjects outside the Faculty of Science (excluding EDUC 401 to 406) including six units minimum to be completed in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements

Students admitted to ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements for university-wide information.

WQB Graduation Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit.
Requirement

Units

Notes
W - Writing

6

Must include at least one upper division course, taken at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV within the student’s major subject
Q - Quantitative

6

Q courses may be lower or upper division
B - Breadth

18

Designated Breadth Must be outside the student’s major subject, and may be lower or upper division
6 units Social Sciences: B-Soc
6 units Humanities: B-Hum
6 units Sciences: B-Sci

6

Additional Breadth

6 units outside the student’s major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements)
Additional breadth units must be from outside the student's major and may be B-designated (B-Hum, B-Soc, B-Sci courses). Students choosing to complete a joint major, joint honours, double major, two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors may satisfy the breadth requirements (designated or not designated) with courses completed in either one or both program areas.

Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit

The University’s residency requirement stipulates that, in most cases, total transfer and course challenge credit may not exceed 60 units, and may not include more than 15 units as upper division work.

Elective Courses

In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.

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