Physical Sciences, B.S.

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

(CIP = 40.0801) (PSBS) TRACK 1 OF 3
TOTAL DEGREE HOURS: 120

The degree in Physical Sciences will prepare students for employment in technical fields requiring a background in one or more of the physical sciences.

State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites

Students wishing to transfer to USF should complete an A.A. degree at a Florida College System institution. Some courses required for the major may also meet General Education requirements thereby transferring maximum hours to the university.

If a student wishes to transfer without an A.A. degree and has fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the student must meet the university’s entering freshman requirements including ACT or SAT test scores, GPA, and course requirements.

Transfer students are also required to comply with the immunization, foreign language, and continuous enrollment policies of the university.

Students should complete the following prerequisite courses at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida College System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted.

Unless stated otherwise, a grade of C is the minimum acceptable grade in prerequisite courses.

CHM X045C or (CHM X045 and CHM X045L) or (CHM X040 and CHM X041) - 4-6 credit hours
CHM X046C or (CHM X046 and CHM X046L) - 4 credit hours
MAC X311 or MAC X281 - 4 credit hours
MAC X312 or MAC X282 - 4 credit hours
MAC X313 or MAC X283 - 4 credit hours
[(PHY X048 and PHY X048L) and (PHY X049 and PHY X049L)] or (PHY X048C and PHY X049C) - 4 credit hours

Required Supporting Courses for the Major (28 Credit Hours)

The following courses are prerequisite and supporting courses for this major. They are required for the major, but are not counted in the total hours for this major. The degree will not be awarded if these courses have not been taken by the end of the student’s final semester.

CHM 2045 - General Chemistry I Credit(s): 3
CHM 2045L - General Chemistry I Laboratory Credit(s): 1
CHM 2046 - General Chemistry II Credit(s): 3
CHM 2046L - General Chemistry II Laboratory Credit(s): 1
MAC 2311 - Calculus I Credit(s): 4
or MAC 2281 - Engineering Calculus I Credit(s): 4
MAC 2312 - Calculus II Credit(s): 4
or MAC 2282 - Engineering Calculus II Credit(s): 4
MAC 2313 - Calculus III Credit(s): 4
or MAC 2283 - Engineering Calculus III Credit(s): 4
PHY 2048 - General Physics I - Calculus Based Credit(s): 3
PHY 2048L - General Physics I Laboratory Credit(s): 1
or PHY 2060 - Enriched General Physics I with Calculus Credit(s): 3 is strongly recommended
PHY 2048L - General Physics I Laboratory
Credit(s): 1 is strongly recommended
PHY 2049 - General Physics II - Calculus Based Credit(s): 3
PHY 2049L - General Physics II Laboratory Credit(s): 1
or PHY 2061 - Enriched General Physics II with Calculus Credit(s): 3 is strongly recommended
PHY 2049L - General Physics II Laboratory
Credit(s): 1 is strongly recommended

Total Major Hours: 39

Major Core (6 Credit Hours)

Computational Science Requirement (6 Credit Hours)

Choose any two of the following courses:

COP 4313 - Symbolic Computations in Mathematics Credit(s): 3 (PR: MAS 3105 and MAP 2302 )
GLY 3866 - Computational Geology Credit(s): 3
PHZ 4151C - Computational Physics Credit(s): 3
MAD 4401 - Numerical Analysis I Credit(s): 3 (PR: MAP 2302 and MAS 3105 )
MAD 4471 - Introduction to Cryptography and Coding Theory Credit(s): 3 (PR: MAS 3105 and MGF 3301 )
MAD 4504 - Theory of Computation Credit(s): 3 (PR: MGF 3301 and MAD 3107 )

Major Electives (33 Credit Hours)

Choose 33 credit hours from the following list of courses.

Other courses may count, subject to approval by the Physics Undergraduate Coordinator. A maximum of 12 credit hours may be included from courses in Chemical, Biomedical, Electrical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering that have either PHY 2049 , PHY 2061 or CHM 2046 as prerequisites.

Note: Students may need to satisfy additional prerequisites prior to taking some of the listed courses.

CHM 2210 - Organic Chemistry I Credit(s): 3
CHM 2210L - Organic Chemistry Laboratory I Credit(s): 2
CHM 3120C - Elementary Analytical Chemistry Credit(s): 4
CHM 3610 - Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry Credit(s): 3
CHM 3610L - Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory Credit(s): 1
CHM 4410 - Physical Chemistry I Credit(s): 4
CHM 4410L - Physical Chemistry Laboratory Credit(s): 1
CHM 4413 - Biophysical Chemistry Credit(s): 3
ESC 2000 - Introduction to Earth Science Credit(s): 3
GEO 3280 - Environmental Hydrology Credit(s): 3
GLY 2010 - Dynamic Earth: Introduction to Physical Geology Credit(s): 3
GLY 3311C - Mineralogy, Petrology, Geochemistry Credit(s): 4
MAP 2302 - Differential Equations Credit(s): 3
MAS 3105 - Linear Algebra Credit(s): 3
MAS 3156 - Vector Calculus Credit(s): 3
MGF 3301 - Bridge to Abstract Mathematics Credit(s): 3
OCE 2001 - Introduction to Oceanography Credit(s): 3
PHY 3101 - Modern Physics Credit(s): 3
PHY 3220 - Classical Mechanics Credit(s): 4 (PR: PHY 3101 and PHZ 3113 )
PHY 3323 - Electricity and Magnetism I Credit(s): 3 (PR: PHY 3101 and PHZ 3113 )
PHY 3822L - Intermediate Laboratory Credit(s): 3 (CR: PHY 3101 )
PHY 4424 - Optics Credit(s): 3 (PR: PHY 3101 )
PHY 4604 - Introduction to Quantum Mechanics Credit(s): 3 (PR: PHY 3101 and PHZ 3113 )
PHY 4744C - Introduction to Electronics and Test Instrumentation Credit(s): 3 (PR: PHY 3822L )
PHY 4823L - Advanced Laboratory Credit(s): 3 (PR: PHY 3822L )
PHY 4930 - Undergraduate Seminar Credit(s): 1
PHZ 3113 - Mathematical Methods in Physics Credit(s): 3
PHZ 4151C - Computational Physics Credit(s): 3 (may not count for both the computational science and major electives requirements)
Other courses may count, subject to approval by the Physics Undergraduate Coordinator. A maximum of 12 credit hours may be included from courses in Chemical, Biomedical, Electrical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering that have either PHY 2049 , PHY 2061 or CHM 2046 as prerequisites.
Note: Students may need to satisfy additional prerequisites prior to taking some of the listed courses.

GPA Requirements

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in courses required for the major.

Course Grade Requirement

The minimum satisfactory letter grade for any course used to satisfy requirements for the major is C-.

Research Opportunities

All undergraduate students in any degree program can participate in undergraduate research. There are a number of options to receive academic credit for a mentored research experience and to have the experience show on the official transcript. Students who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 2912 , IDS 4914 or IDH 4910 courses. These courses will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office of Undergraduate Research will assist students in understanding the various course options.

Plan of Study

Click here for Plan of Study. Once on this page, select the program from the available drop-down and then click ‘View Selected Plan.’

University of South Florida

Main Navigation