College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Physics Major Program Information
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Box 70652
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: (423) 439-4231
Web Address: www.etsu.edu/cas/physics
The major program in physics provides the foundation for a broad spectrum of challenging careers in scientific and non-scientific fields. Baccalaureate physics majors find employment opportunities such as research associates in commercial and government laboratories, sales and engineering representatives for manufacturers of technical products, industrial management trainees, and teachers at the secondary school level. The total number of credits required for graduation is 120.
Students are also strongly encouraged to take mathematics at least through ordinary differential equations and such additional elective courses in physics, mathematics, and chemistry as their curriculum will permit.
All major programs in physics must be approved by the chair of the department.
To complete university graduation requirements, students must complete a minor in another subject area.
Advising
Students with 0-59 earned credit hours:
First, meet with your faculty advisor Dr. Mark Giroux (girouxm@etsu.edu; (423) 439-8684) or Dr. Beverly Smith (smithbj@etsu.edu; (423) 439-8418).
Then, contact the Center for Advisement and Student Excellence (CASE) to schedule an appointment with your advisor. Visit the CASE website (http://www.etsu.edu/cas/case/) or call (423) 439-5602.
Students with 60 or more earned credit hours:
Contact Dr. Mark Giroux (girouxm@etsu.edu; (423) 439-8684) or Dr. Beverly Smith (smithbj@etsu.edu; (423) 439-8418) for advising.
Transfer Students-Transfer students majoring in physics should contact the chair of the department for advising as soon as possible. This will ensure that the student’s previous work will be coordinated efficiently with ETSU requirements.
For general information about the department or courses, contact Dr. Donald Luttermoser, Chair (lutter@etsu.edu; (423)-439-7064).
General Program Information
To earn a degree from ETSU, there are specific course requirements established by ETSU, by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), by each college, and by each department. All students must meet the degree requirements at each of these levels outlined in the following list:
University-level Degree and Graduation Requirements
Total Credit Hours for Degree: 120
College of Arts and Sciences B.S. Degree Requirements
Students majoring in the College of Arts and Sciences must meet the following requirements for the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. Some requirements must be taken in addition to the General Education Core, whereas others specify which courses from the General Education Core must be taken.
TBR General Education Requirements: 42 Credit Hours
Listed below are the categories and courses specified under TBR General Education Requirements. Note that certain courses are required for this degree, specific to this major. Thus, these courses will satisfy both a TBR General Education requirement AND a requirement of this major. (Other majors may require different General Education courses.) Where specific courses are required for this major, only those courses are listed under the category. If there are no specific major requirements for a category, all course options appear.
Communication
9 credits, consisting of 6 credits of written composition and 3 credits of oral communication.
Written Composition
Complete both of the following:
Oral Communication
Note: Other courses from this block are acceptable, but this course satisfies the Reasoning requirement for the BS degree in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Humanities and Fine Arts
9 credits, consisting of 3 credits of literature, 3 credits of fine arts, and 3 credits of humanities electives.
Literature
Complete one of the following:
Fine Arts
Complete one of the following:
Humanities
Note: Other courses from this block are acceptable, but this course satisfies the Philosophy of Science requirement for the BS degree in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Social and Behavioral Sciences
6 credits, consisting of two of the following:
History
6 credits, consisting of both of the following:
Natural Sciences
8 credits, consisting of two of the following (some require labs which are listed directly after the lecture):
(Note: Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in the College of Arts and Sciences must select 8 credit hours in a SINGLE laboratory science. Please see listing in College of Arts and Sciences B.S. Degree Requirements for options.)
Mathematics
Students will enroll in the appropriate general education math course during their first calendar year of enrollment at ETSU. Students required to complete learning support in mathematics must enroll in a learning support-designated section (L01-L99) of MATH 1530 during their first 15 hours at ETSU (not including summer) unless they are also required to complete learning support in reading or writing. Students needing learning support in reading or writing in addition to learning support in math should enroll in MATH 1530-Lxx immediately upon completing their other learning support requirements. Additional information may be found on the University Advisement Center website www.etsu.edu/uac/learningsupport/
Physics Major
A major in physics at the bachelor’s level requires a minimum of 37 credit hours of study in physics. These shall include the following courses.
Physics Major Requirements: 37 Credit Hours
Physics electives chosen from:
Choose a minimum of 6 credit hours from the list below:
Additional Requirements: 11 Credit Hours
Minor: 18 - 24 Credit Hours
Electives: 6-12 Credit Hours
Graduation in this major/concentration requires a minimum of 120 credits, including General Education requirements, CSCI 1100, College Degree requirements, Major requirements, and Minor requirements. Passing the CSCI 1100 proficiency test produces no credit, but satisfies the graduation requirement (see http://www.cs.etsu.edu/academics/proficiency). If the total credits from these areas are less than 120 credits, students may use free electives to complete the requirement.
Teacher Education
Students interested in pursuing a teacher education program for certification as a teacher will major in the subject they wish to teach and minor in Secondary Education. They should see their major advisor AND an advisor in the College of Education Office of Student Services, 321 Warf-Pickel Hall. The Teacher Education program has separate admission requirements, and teaching certification has these additional requirements:
- Professional Education requirements met through the Secondary Education Minor
- Fulfillment of Teaching Content Area requirements
- Successful completion of CUAI 4580 “Residency II”
- Praxis II for content area
- PLT Praxis
- Recommendation for Licensure
All students desiring to complete a teacher education or other public school licensure program (for initial licensure, add-on endorsement, or advanced study in education) must file a Declaration of Intent in the College of Education Office of Student Services, 321 Warf-Pickel Hall. The Declaration of Intent should be filed before 30 credit hours of coursework has been completed or, in the case of transfer and post-baccalaureate students, in the first semester at ETSU. Delay or failure to file the Declaration of Intent may result in incomplete advisement. Students who have not filed the Declaration of Intent will not be considered for admission to teacher education and may be ineligible to enroll in many professional education courses.
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