Physics, B.S. - General Subplan/Option: 120 units

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Offered by: College of Science, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Major Required
Subplan/Option Required
Subplan/Option Electives

Unrestricted Electives
General Education Requirements

Major Required: 44 units

Note(s):

* Effective November 30, 2022: Two-unit version of PHY 2530 (2) and PHY 2530A (1) is an acceptable substitution for the three-unit version of PHY 2530 (3) .

** Effective November 30, 2022: Two-unit version of PHY 2540 (2) and PHY 2540A (1) is an acceptable substitution for the three-unit version of PHY 2540 (3) .

Subplan/Option Required: 16 units

Subplan/Option Electives: 14-15 units

Astrophysics Emphasis: 15 units

Emphasis Required: 11 units

Emphasis Electives: 4 units

An additional 4 units must be selected from the following list, with the proviso that students must take AT LEAST 2 units from PHY 4510A /PHY 4510L /PHY 4520A /PHY 4520L . Pairs of courses that must be taken together or in sequence are indicated with “and”.

General Emphasis: 14 units

A minimum of 7 units must be selected from the following list, with the proviso that students must take AT LEAST 2 units from PHY 4510A /PHY 4510L /PHY 4520A /PHY 4520L . Pairs of courses that must be taken together or in sequence are indicated with “and”.

AST 3240 - Observational Astronomy (2) and
AST 3240A - Observational Astronomy Computer Activity (1)
OR
PHY 3040 - Electronics for Scientists (2) and
PHY 3040L - Electronics for Scientists Laboratory (1)
OR
PHY 4090 - Computational Physics (2) and
PHY 4090A - Computational Physics Activity (1)
OR
PHY 4170 - Wave Optics (2) and
PHY 4170L - Wave Optics Laboratory (1)
OR
PHY 4410 - Internship in Physics (1-2)
OR
PHY 4610 - Senior Project I (1) and
PHY 4620 - Senior Project II (2)
Select 2 units (one pair of lab/activity courses) from the following list:
PHY 4510A - Advanced Laboratory Physics - Advanced Instrumentation Recitation Activity (1) and
PHY 4510L - Advanced Laboratory Physics - Advanced Instrumentation Laboratory (1)
OR
PHY 4520A - Advanced Laboratory Physics - Contemporary Experiments Recitation Activity (1) and
PHY 4520L - Advanced Laboratory Physics - Contemporary Experiments Laboratory (1)
The remaining elective units may be selected from any upper-division PHY or AST courses (except AST 3050 , AST 3420 , PHY 3010 , and PHY 3020 ) or other upper-division math, science, and engineering courses approved by the department.

Unrestricted Electives: 0-4 units

Select a sufficient number of courses so that the total from “Major Required”, “Subplan/Option Electives”, “GE”, and “Unrestricted Electives” is at least 104 units.

General Education Requirements: 48 units

Students should consult the Academic Programs website https://www.cpp.edu/~academic-programs/general-education-course-listings.shtml for current information regarding this requirement. Unless specific courses are required, please refer to the list of approved courses under General Education Requirements, Areas A through E.

	Course	Term Taken	Grade
Area A. English Language Communication and Critical Thinking (9 units) At least 3 units from each sub-area
1. Oral Communication
2. Written Communication
3. Critical Thinking
Area B. Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning (12 units) At least 3 units from each sub-area
1. Physical Sciences
2. Life Sciences
3. Laboratory Activity
4. Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning
5. Science and Technology Synthesis
Area C. Arts and Humanities (12 units) At least 3 units from each sub-area and 3 additional units from sub-areas 1 and/or 2
1. Visual and Performing Arts
2. Literature, Modern Languages, Philosophy and Civilization
3. Arts and Humanities Synthesis
Area D. Social Sciences (12 units) At least 3 units from each sub-area
1. U.S. History and American Ideals
2. U.S. Constitution and California Government
3. Social Sciences: Principles, Methodologies, Value Systems, and Ethics
4. Social Science Synthesis
Area E. Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (3 units)

For an alternative and interdisciplinary way to complete some of their GE requirements, students may choose the Interdisciplinary General Education program, see below.

Interdisciplinary General Education: 21 units

An alternate pattern for partial fulfillment of GE Areas A, C, and D available for students is the Interdisciplinary General Education (IGE) program. Students should see an advisor for specific GE coursework required by their major. Please refer to the University Catalog General Education Program section for additional information.

How IGE fulfills General Education Requirements:

GE Area	Courses
A2	IGE 1100 and IGE 1200
C1	IGE 2100 or IGE 2200
C2	IGE 1100, IGE 1200, IGE 2100, or IGE 2200
D1	IGE 2300 or IGE 2400
D3	IGE 2300 or IGE 2400
C3	IGE 3100
D4	IGE 3100

A single course cannot be double-counted across multiple GE Areas.

revised 07/17/2024

American Institutions: 6 units

Courses that satisfy this requirement may also satisfy GE Areas D1 and D2.

American Cultural Perspectives Requirement: 3 units

Refer to the University Catalog General Education Program section for a list of courses that satisfy this requirement. Course may also satisfy major, minor, GE, or unrestricted elective requirements.

Graduation Writing Test

All persons who receive undergraduate degrees from Cal Poly Pomona must pass the Graduation Writing Test (GWT). The test must be taken by the semester following completion of 60 units for undergraduates.