Physics and Astronomy

• Faculty
• Course Work
• Undergraduate Programs
  • Physics, B.S.
  • Writing-Intensive Requirement
  • Honors Program in Physics
  • Minor in Physics
  • Minor in Astronomy
  • Physics for Majors
  • Physics for Nonmajors
  • Premedical, Predental, and Preveterinary Students
  • Teacher Licensure
• Graduate Programs
  • Applied and Engineering Physics, M.S.
    • Admission Requirements
    • Degree Requirements
  • Physics, Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Program
  • Computational Sciences and Informatics, Ph.D.

Faculty

Professors: Blaisten-Barojas, Dworzecka (chair), Ehrlich, Ellsworth, Kafatos, Lankford, Lieb, Satija, Trefil (Robinson Professor)

Associate professors: Becker, Ceperley, Evans, Wallin, Summers

Assistant professors: Gluckman, So, Sambruna

Visiting assistant professors: Kowalski, Oerter

Visiting instructor: Ewell, Geller

Course Work

The Physics and Astronomy Department offers all course work designated ASTR and PHYS in the "Course Descriptions" chapter of this catalog.

Undergraduate Programs

Physics, B.S.

The B.S. in physics prepares students for graduate school or for one of the many careers in business or industry in which physics graduates are employed. Students in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering who are considering a double major in physics should discuss it with the undergraduate coordinator. Some course substitutions are allowed for such majors but they should be discussed in advance.

In addition to satisfying the university-wide general education requirements for the B.S. degree, candidates must complete a total of 45 credits in the major and 20 in mathematics, distributed as follows. (Through the coursework below, physics majors satisfy the university-wide requirements in natural science and quantitative reasoning.)

1. Eight required core physics courses (21 credits): PHYS 160, 260, 261, 262, 263, 305, 308, and 407 (Students double majoring in engineering/physics may substitute ECE 305 for PHYS 305 and ECE 333, 334 for 407.)
   
   
2. Twelve credits chosen from PHYS 251, 303, 306, 307, 402, 405 or 406, 408 or 409, 416, and ASTR 328 or 428
   
   
3. Twelve credits chosen from PHYS 121, 122, 123, 124, CS 112, or any approved upper-level physics, astronomy, chemistry, electrical engineering, or mathematics courses
   
   
4. Six required math and statistics courses (20 credits): MATH 113, 114, 203, 213, 214, and 313 or 413 or STAT 344

In meeting the requirement for 12 credits outside the core, students have the option of electing an emphasis. The courses required for each emphasis are listed below. Students who wish to complete an emphasis should plan a program of study in consultation with their advisors.

Emphasis in Graduate School Preparation

Although any of the options listed here provide the successful student with a fully adequate background to enter graduate school, this emphasis is for students whose career goals definitely include graduate work in physics. To complete this emphasis, students should take at least nine credits from the following courses: PHYS 510, 512, 540, and ASTR 530. In addition, they should complete a senior project (PHYS 408) or honors thesis (PHYS 405 and 406) in the specialty that they intend to pursue in graduate school.

Emphasis in Computational Physics

This emphasis is for students who wish to pursue a career that applies computers to the solution of physical problems and data analysis. To complete this emphasis, students should take at least nine credits from the following courses: PHYS 510, ECE 442, MATH 446 and 447. In addition, they complete a senior project (PHYS 408) or honors thesis (PHYS 405 and 406) on a problem that involves the use of the computer for the solution of a physical problem.

Emphasis in Astrophysics

This emphasis is for students who are planning to attend graduate school in astrophysics or pursue a career in industry. To complete this emphasis, students should select four courses from the following: PHYS 428, ASTR 328, 530, 532, 535, and MATH 446. In addition, students should complete a senior project (PHYS 408) or honors thesis (PHYS 405 and 406) on an astrophysics problem.

Emphasis in Electronics

This emphasis is for students who wish to pursue a career in industry applying a strong background in electronics to physical problems. To complete this emphasis, students should take at least nine credits from the following courses: ECE 301, 333, 430, 431, and 433. In addition, they should complete a senior project (PHYS 408) or honors thesis (PHYS 405 and 406) on an electronics problem.

Emphasis in Applied Solid State Physics

This emphasis is for students who wish to pursue a career in the semiconductor industry. To complete this emphasis, students should take the following courses: PHYS 512, ECE 430, and ECE 431. In addition, the student should complete a senior project (PHYS 408 or 409) or honors thesis (PHYS 405 and 406) in applied solid state physics.

Writing-Intensive Requirement

The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated "writing intensive" in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in physics may fulfill this requirement by successfully completing PHYS 416.

Honors Program in Physics

Physics majors who have completed the prerequisites for PHYS 405 and 406 Honors Thesis in Physics and who have maintained an overall GPA of at least 3.500 in physics courses and a GPA of 3.500 in all courses taken at George Mason may apply to the departmental honors program. To graduate with honors in physics, a student is required to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.500 in physics courses and to successfully complete PHYS 405 and 406 with a GPA of at least 3.500 and a grade of at least A- in PHYS 406.

Minor in Physics

A minor in physics requires 18 credits, including PHYS 160, 260, 261, 262, and 263, and any two courses from PHYS 303, 306, 307, 308, 402, 428, and 305 or 513.

Minor in Astronomy

A minor in astronomy requires the completion of a physics prerequisite and 15 credits in astronomy. The prerequisite consists of one of the two sequences: PHYS 243, 244, 245, 246; or PHYS 160, 260, 261, 262, 263. Following the introductory physics sequence, students are required to take ASTR 111, 112, 113, 114; PHYS 416; and two astronomy courses chosen from ASTR 228, 328, 428, and 530.

Physics for Majors

Students who intend to major in physics should take the physics introductory sequence (PHYS 160, 260, 261 or 265, 262, 263). Students who decide to major in physics after completing PHYS 243 and 245 may do so but only with written permission of the Physics and Astronomy Department. Such students are required to take at least four additional credits in approved physics courses.

Physics for Nonmajors

PHYS 243, 244, 245, and 246 are recommended for biology, chemistry, geology, and premedical students and for mathematics students who seek a bachelor of arts degree. PHYS 101, 102, 103, and 104 are intended for nonscience majors. PHYS 160, 260, 261 or 265, 262, 263 constitute a calculus-based sequence in general physics to be taken by physics and engineering majors and chemistry, computer science, and mathematics students who are pursuing a bachelor of science degree. Students may receive credit for only one of the following three sequences: PHYS 243, 244, 245, 246; or PHYS 103, 104; or PHYS 160, 260, 261, 262, 263.

Premedical, Predental, and Preveterinary Students

Students planning to enter medical, dental, or veterinary schools may choose to major in physics. Such students should consult with the premedical advisor for physics. Requirements for admission to schools in the health sciences vary, but one year of biology and organic chemistry (CHEM 313, 314, 315, and 318 or 320) is required in addition to a B.S. in Physics.

Teacher Licensure

Students who wish to become teachers should consult the section, "Professional Licensure" in the Graduate School of Education chapter and attend an information session during their sophomore year. Information sessions for teacher licensure are offered every month. Call (703) 993-2892/4648, email gseinfo@gmu.edu, or consult the web site at gse.gmu.edu for more information.

Graduate Programs

Applied and Engineering Physics, M.S.

The M.S. in Applied and Engineering Physics contains both elements of traditional physics programs and the application of physics to a diversity of critical societal problems. The program is divided into two emphases. The applied physics emphasis is intended for those who wish to apply the techniques and subject areas of physics to multifaceted problems encountered in the workplace, particularly in physics, engineering, computational science, and other related areas. The engineering physics emphasis, jointly administered with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, allows students to select a larger number of courses from electrical engineering.

All courses are offered during late afternoon or evening hours to allow students with full-time employment to attend easily. Persons employed at area high-technology organizations may take up to 6 credits (out of 30) for work done on the job under the guidance of a faculty member. This employment-related research may be conducted either under an optional three-credit research project or an optional six-credit master's thesis. Master's students who are not employed full time may apply for financial aid or for a limited number of research assistantships.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Those holding a baccalaureate degree in physics or a related field from an accredited institution and who earned a GPA of 2.750 (out of 4.000) in their last 60 credits are invited to apply for admission. If the baccalaureate degree is in a field other than physics, the applicant should have taken several courses beyond the introductory physics courses, such as junior-level classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, or electronics. An applicant may be required to make up one or two deficiencies, based on a graduate physics advisor's assessment, and still be permitted to enroll in the program. Two letters of recommendation must be submitted, preferably from former professors. The general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the GRE subject test in physics are recommended for applicants who received their baccalaureate degrees within the last five years. A less recent bachelor's degree recipient may present a statement of his/her work experience in lieu of the GRE.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Candidates for the degree must successfully complete 30 credits as follows:

1. Nine credits of required core courses: PHYS 510, 513, and 732 or 736.
   
   
2. Nine credits in an emphasis
   1. a. For the applied physics emphasis, any three of the following courses: PHYS 512, 533, 540, 575, 612, 613, 620, 676, 701, 705, 711, 722, 728, 732, and 736; ASTR 530, 761, 764, 765, and 766
      
      
   2. b. For the engineering physics emphasis, PHYS 533 and any six credits in electrical engineering (ECE)
      
      
3. Twelve credits of electives chosen from courses in physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, information technology, and computational sciences and informatics. No more than six credits may be chosen from areas outside PHYS, ASTR, CSI, and ECE. Elective credits can include a project (PHYS 798) or thesis (PHYS 799).
   
   
4. Students may choose to do either ECE/PHYS 798 Research Project (three credits) or ECE/PHYS 799 Master's Thesis (six credits), but not both. The research project may be conducted at a student's place of employment with the concurrence of a faculty advisor. The thesis is a more substantial piece of work performed under the supervision of a major professor and requires the student to make an oral defense. ECE/PHYS 798 may be taken only once. No more than six credits of PHYS 799 may be applied to the degree.

In addition to the requirements stated above, a student may also select an emphasis in astrophysics, atmospheric physics, biological applications of physics, computational physics, condensed matter, instrumentation (engineering physics), or nonlinear dynamics. An emphasis requires that a student complete 15 credits of approved courses. The students in the master's degree program can earn a graduate certificate in Computational Techniques and Applications from the School of Computational Sciences by choosing an approved sequence of courses.

Physics, Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Program

The five-year Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degree program allows academically strong undergraduates with a commitment to research to obtain a B.S and a M.S. degree within five academic years plus the summers the last two years. The program leads to a research-based M.S. degree following satisfactory completion of 144 credits. Upon completion of this program, a student will be exceptionally well prepared for entry into either a professional school or a Ph.D. program in physics or a related discipline. Qualified students can enter this program after completion of 90 credits and can enroll in graduate courses when they have successfully completed the prerequisites. Offering this flexibility makes it possible for students to complete some of their graduate classes during their junior and senior years. Consult the department for details on the program.

Computational Sciences and Informatics, Ph.D.

The doctoral program in computational sciences and informatics includes concentrations in computational physics and in space sciences and computational astrophysics. See the "School of Computational Sciences" chapter for degree and admission requirements.