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2023-2024 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Applied Physics, BS
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 Return to: College of Science
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About the Program
Purdue Physics and Astronomy is an internationally recognized department for excellence in forefront research and undergraduate and graduate education. Our undergraduate classes for physics majors are taught by professors actively engaged in forefront research. Undergraduate research is strongly encouraged and opportunities exist as early as the second semester to work in a research group. These groups include experimental and theoretical condensed matter physics, high energy physics, nano-physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics, biological physics, geophysics, relativity, and interdisciplinary areas of material science, engineering, or computational science.
The department also helps undergraduates with external internships, particularly for the summers. Upon graduation our students are accepted for graduate programs at many of the top universities and are also sought after for positions in industry, particularly high-tech positions. Our graduates have an exceptional record of career accomplishment in a wide variety of settings, including academia and major industrial and government labs.
The specialties under the applied physics curriculum can range from different areas. Individually tailored specialties may be chosen by the student in consultation with an advisor. Currently available specialties include:
- Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences
- Astrophysics
- Nuclear Physics
- Material Science & Engineering
- Medical Physics
In addition, many physics majors manage to complete dual or multiple major programs within the College of Science. This is possible because of a considerable overlap of the College of Science requirements. Popular dual majors with physics are: mathematics, planetary sciences, computer science and chemistry.
Physics Website
Physics Major Change (CODO) Requirements (Students must CODO into Physics before Applied.) Degree Requirements
120 Credits RequiredCurriculum and Degree Requirements for College of Science
A College of Science degree is conferred when a student successfully completes all requirements in their degree program. Students will complete coursework or approved experiential learning activities to meet the following three degree components:
- Major
- Science Core Curriculum
- Electives
Students may use any of the following options to meet College of Science degree requirements:
- Purdue Coursework
- AP, IB, and CLEP credit. The use of AP and IB coursework varies between College of Science degree plans.
- Transfer Credit. Students should consult the Admissions Transfer Credit Resource page for all available transfer options.
College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of the proceeding options and thus students are strongly encouraged to work closely with their academic advisors and to regularly consult their MyPurduePlan to view the use of each option in their degree plan.
Most College of Science degree programs contain elective credits students may use to pursue courses that relate to their interests or which support their major area of study. The elective area of a degree plan may also be used to complete minors, second majors and certificates such as the Entrepreneurial Certificate. With the exception of courses on the No Count List, any Purdue course may be used to meet the elective area of a student’s degree plan.
College of Science Core Requirements
All Students starting Purdue University Fall semester, 2007 or later are required to pursue the 2007 Science Core curriculum.
The College of Science Core Curriculum requires the completion of approved coursework and/or experiential learning opportunities in the following academic areas:
Earning Core Curricular Requirements through Experience
Students may meet selected core curriculum requirements through approved experiential learning opportunities. Interested students should contact their academic advisor for more information on this option and incorporating experiential learning into their four-year program of study. For more information on earning requirements through experience, please click here.
Applied Physics Major Courses (64 - 66 credits)
Required Major Courses (40-42 credits)
Physics majors are required to take the Honors sections of PHYS 17200 and PHYS 27200 . Major Selective* - (24 credits)
- Any >30000 level course taken for letter grade option (pass/no-pass option not approved) in the following course subjects, as approved by the Physics and Astronomy Department:
- AAE, BIOL, CE, CHM, CS, EAPS, ECE, HSCI, ME, MSE
Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (37-66 credits)
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE CORE REQUIREMENTS
^ - Labeled as a Science Core Selection in the four year plan of study * - Requirement may be met with a zero credit experiential learning option. See your advisor for more information. Composition & Presentation
Written Communication (3-4 credits)
Choose one course from the Written Communication list here. (satisfies Written Communication and Information Literacy for core) Technical Writing And Presentation* (0 or 3 credits)
Students may elect to take one course (COM 21700), a combination of courses, or experiences to meet the TWTP requirement. The list of approved courses and experiences can be found here . (satisfies OC for core)
- Special Note: Students completing both COM 11400 (elective) and COM 21700 (Technical Writing and Presentation requirement) may use both courses to meet degree requirements.
- *Students wishing to meet the Technical Presentation and/or Technical Writing requirement through experience are required to complete the Experiential Learning Contract process.
- International Students Only: International students whose primary high school/equivalent instruction was not in English may meet this requirement with a course option only.
Cultural Diversity (Language & Culture)^* (0-9 credits)
Choose courses from this list to fulfill each Option below (select courses COULD satisfy Humanities for core). - Language & Culture Option I
- Language & Culture Option II
- Language & Culture Option III
General Education^ (9 credits)
Choose courses from this list to fulfill each Option below (select courses COULD satisfy Behavioral/Social Science for core). - General Education Option I
- General Education Option II
- General Education Option III
Great Issues In Science (3 credits)
Choose one from this list . Laboratory Science (8 credits)
(satisfies Science for core) Mathematics (8-10 credits)
(satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core) Science Technology and Society^* (0-3 credits)
Choose one from the Science Technology and Society list here (satisfies STS for core).
Team-Building and Collaboration
Met with required major coursework (PHYS 17200 ) if taken at Purdue West Lafayette. Grade Requirements
- ♦ Identified as a critical course. Students should earn minimum of a B- see advisor for further details
GPA Requirements
- 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.
- 2.0 average in PHYS/ASTR classes required to graduate.
Course Requirements and Notes
- Physics majors are required to take the Honors sections of PHYS 17200 in the fall and PHYS 27200 in the spring.
- Courses cannot double count between General Education, Culture and DIversity, and Great Issues requirements.
Courses below are considered to have overlapping course content. Only one instance of an overlapping content course will apply toward graduate requirements. Courses listed in blocks are representative of the overlapping relationship. Non-course / Non-credit Requirements
Earning Core Curricular Requirements through Experience
Students may meet selected core curriculum requirements through approved experiential learning opportunities. Interested students should contact their academic advisor for more information on this option and incorporating experiential learning into their four-year program of study. For more information on earning requirements through experience, please click here.
College of Science Pass/No Pass Option Policy
- Only free electives and courses at the 50000-level general education requirement may be taken under the pass/not-pass option.
- The pass/not-pass grade mode may be entered for courses which are not required by a student’s major(s), minor(s) or science core curriculum.
- Grade mode Passing is equivalent to at a minimum grade of C- had a letter grade been awarded.
- Students may elect to use the pass/not-pass option for no more than 20% of the 124/120 credit requirement for graduation and for no more than two courses per academic year (Fall-Summer).
- The pass/not-pass option cannot be elected for a course that has already been completed with a letter grade. University Regulation.
- Students may take elective credit while abroad using the P/NP mode. In the case of universities which only post P/NP, the University will apply a calculation process to determine a letter grade.
- Department of Languages and Cultures P/NP policy and Language Placement results. Students must take advanced coursework for a letter grade to receive credit for lower-level language courses.
College of Science Transfer Credit Policy
College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of non-Purdue originated credit (AP, IB, CLEP, and transfer credit). Students work closely with their academic advisors and degree plan audits to review the use and approval of each non-Purdue credit option. University Requirements
University Core Requirements
For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
- Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
- Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
- Information Literacy (IL)
- Oral Communication (OC)
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
- Science #1 (SCI)
- Science #2 (SCI)
- Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
- Written Communication (WC)
Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths: - Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
- Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
- Earning a passing grade for one of these approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course).
Upper Level Requirement
- Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
- Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.
Additional Information
Only one instance of an overlapping content course will apply towards graduation requirements. See: https://www.purdue.edu/science/Current_Students/curriculum_and_degree_requirements/Overlap-Courses.pdf Fall 4th Year
- Major Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Major Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Major Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Great Issues Option - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Science Core Selection - Credit Hours: 3.00
Spring 4th Year
- Major Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Major Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Major Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Science Core Selection - Credit Hours: 3.00
- Electives - Credit Hours: 2.00
Pre-Requisite Information
For pre-requisite information, click here.
World Language Courses
World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japenese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish) Critical Course
The ♦ course is considered critical.
In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”.
Disclaimer
The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.
Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student.
The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.
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Return to: College of Science
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