DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

Bachelor of Arts

with a Major in Physics

The Department of Physics & Astronomy at Wayne State University offers a Bachelors in Art degree program. This program is intended to meet the needs of several kinds of students:

• students wishing to major in physics who have transferred to Wayne State University after one or two year at a community college, but whose background in physics and mathematics does not complement the content, level, or scheduling or remaining course requirements well enough to permit completion of the Bachelor of Science degree curriculum in a reasonable time;
• students who wish to pursue a general course of education in the sciences with physics as an area of concentration. Those who undertake such a program are sometimes interested in the study of physics as an integrated part of a broad educational background;
• students who decide relatively late in their college careers (for example, during the sophomore year) that they wish to major in physics.

It should be emphasized that completion of the Bachelor of Arts program instead of the Bachelor of Science program does not preclude later graduate work in physics. In most cases, it will mean that the student will spend part or all of his/her first year in graduate school making up deficiencies in his or her physics and mathematics background. Generally speaking, such deficiencies may be determined by consulting the Suggested Course Sequence of the Bachelor of Science degree in physics.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Students must complete the following course work:

1. PHY 2170, 2171 2180, 2181, 3300, and 3310. A student may present credits in PHY 2130/2131, 2140/2141, or equivalent, in lieu of PHY 2170/2171 and 2180/2181, with the consent of the Departmental Undergraduate Adviser.
2. At least seventeen additional credits in physics at the 5000 or 6000 level including 5200 and 5600. 
3. Elementary mathematics sequence: MAT 2010, 2020, 2030, 2350.
4. Intermediate mathematics course: MAT 5070.
5. Introductory chemistry course: CHM 1070.
6. Satisfy all University and College group requirements and competency requirements.