Physics (BS): Interdisciplinary Physics Concentration
Physics provides the conceptual foundation for science and engineering. A physics degree is a mark of major intellectual achievement and a gateway to a thousand careers. In the modern world, physicists often interact with a large number of other disciplines to address pressing academic and applied problems.听 听
Most physics majors find employment in a government or industrial laboratory, or with a company that provides STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) products or services. Other physics majors go on to graduate studies in physics or related sciences, or professional schools (such as medicine or law).听
The Interdisciplinary Physics Concentration at NC State allows students to customize a highly technical Bachelor of Science degree in consultation with an expert Faculty advisor.听 The combinations of different scientific fields that can be incorporated into the Interdisciplinary concentration are almost limitless.听 Examples include aerospace engineering, astrophysics, biophysics, geophysics, mathematical physics, and data science.
For more information about this program, visit our .
Department of Physics and Astronomy
NC State 福利逼站
Campus Box 8202
Raleigh, NC 27695-8202
Dr. Dan Dougherty
Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs
NC State 福利逼站
Riddick Hall 101
Raleigh, NC 27695-8202
Phone: 919.514.2610
Email: dbdoughe@ncsu.edu
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | ||
| 颁翱厂听100 | Science of Change (Verify Requirement) | 2 |
| Communication | ||
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| Select one of the following Advanced Writing courses: | 3 | |
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | ||
| Communication for Business and Management | ||
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| Physics 1 | ||
| 笔驰听201 | 福利逼站 Physics I | 4 |
| 笔驰听202 | 福利逼站 Physics II | 4 |
| 笔驰听203 | 福利逼站 Physics III | 4 |
| 笔驰听252 | Instrumental and Data Analysis for Physics | 2 |
| 笔驰听401 | Quantum Physics I | 3 |
| 笔驰听411 | Mechanics I | 3 |
| 笔驰听413 | Thermal Physics | 3 |
| 笔驰听414 | Electromagnetism I | 3 |
| Advanced Experimental Physics | 3 | |
| Math / Statistics / Computing 2 | ||
| 惭础听141 | Calculus I | 4 |
| 惭础听241 | Calculus II | 4 |
| 惭础听242 | Calculus III | 4 |
| 惭础听341 | Applied Differential Equations I | 3 |
| Advanced Math Elective | 3 | |
| Statistics Elective | 3 | |
| 笔驰听251 | Introduction to Scientific Computing | 3 |
| Advanced Quantitative Methods Elective | 3 | |
| Other Science/Engineering 3 | ||
| 颁贬听101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 |
| 颁贬听102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| Basic Science Elective | 3 | |
| Advised Science/Engineering Electives 4 | 18 | |
| GEP Courses | ||
| GEP Humanities | 6 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 6 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 5 | |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | ||
| GEP Foundations of American Democracy (verify requirement) | ||
| World Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | ||
| Free Electives | ||
| Free Electives | 10 | |
| Any course not satisying another requirement will automatically count for the Free Elective requirement, except for those courses on the Ineligbile for Free Electives list. Courses from the Ineligible for Free Electives list can only count as Free Electives with advisor and departmental approval. | ||
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
At most one passing grade below C- is permitted in the Physics category.
- 2
At most one passing grade below C- is permitted in the Math/Statistics/Computing category.
- 3
At most one passing grade below C- is permitted in the Other Science/Engineering category.
- 4
Students in the Interdisciplinary Physics option for the B.S. in Physics will identify a second area of interest in which to also focus their studies. These 18 credit hours will be planned by the student in consultation with their advisor and must be approved by the advisor and by the program,听to ensure sufficient breadth and depth of study. This second disciplinary focal area can be selected from a wide range of fields in science or engineering. Students should check the prerequisites and restrictions on courses in which they are interested.
Statistics Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 叠鲍厂听350 | Economics and Business Statistics | 3 |
| 贰颁听351 | Econometrics I | 3 |
| 厂罢听307 | Introduction to Statistical Programming- SAS | 1 |
| 厂罢听308 | Introduction to Statistical Programming - R | 1 |
| 厂罢听311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| 厂罢听312 | Introduction to Statistics II | 3 |
| 厂罢听350 | Economics and Business Statistics | 3 |
| 厂罢听370 | Probability and Statistics for Engineers | 3 |
| 厂罢听371 | Introduction to Probability and Distribution Theory | 3 |
| 厂罢听372 | Introduction to Statistical Inference and Regression | 3 |
Advanced Quantitative听Methods Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| In addition to the listed courses, DSA courses and appropriate sections of 笔驰听395 or 笔驰听495 may count for this requirement with advisor and department approval. | ||
| 颁厂颁听302 | Introduction to Numerical Methods | 3 |
| 惭础听326 | Mathematical Foundations of Data Science I | 3 |
| 惭础听402 | Mathematics of Scientific Computing | 3 |
| MA/CSC 427 | Introduction to Numerical Analysis I | 3 |
| MA/CSC 428 | Introduction to Numerical Analysis II | 3 |
| 惭础听430 | Mathematical Models in the Physical Sciences | 3 |
| 笔驰听525 | Computational Physics | 3 |
| ST/CSC 442 | Introduction to Data Science | 3 |
Basic Science Elective
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 础贰颁听203 | An Introduction to the Honey Bee and Beekeeping | 3 |
| 础狈厂听105 | Introduction to Companion Animal Science | 3 |
| 础狈厂听110 | Introduction to Equine Science | 3 |
| 叠滨翱听105 | Biology in the Modern World | 3 |
| 叠滨翱听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| 叠滨翱听183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| 叠滨翱听227 | Understanding Structural Diversity through Biological Illustration | 3 |
| 叠滨罢听100 | Current Topics in Biotechnology | 4 |
| 叠滨罢听200 | Early Research in Biotechnology | 4 |
| 颁厂听210 | Lawns and Sports Turf | 3 |
| 贰狈罢听201 | Insects and People | 3 |
| 贰狈罢听207 | Insects and Human Disease | 3 |
| 贰狈罢听305 | Introduction to Forensic Entomology | 3 |
| 贰狈罢听402 | Forest Entomology | 3 |
| 贰厂听113 | Earth from Space | 3 |
| 贵翱搁听402 | Forest Entomology | 3 |
| 贵厂听201 | Introduction to Food Science | 3 |
| 贵厂听301 | Introduction to Human Nutrition | 3 |
| 贵奥听221 | Conservation of Natural Resources | 3 |
| 骋狈听301 | Genetics in Human Affairs | 3 |
| 贬厂听200 | Home Horticulture | 3 |
| 贬厂听201 | The World of Horticulture: Principles and Practices | 3 |
| 惭叠听200 | The Fourth Horseman: Plagues that Changed the World | 3 |
| 惭叠听210 | Phage Hunters | 3 |
| 惭贰础听100 | Earth System Science: Exploring the Connections | 4 |
| 惭贰础听101 | Geology I: Physical | 3 |
| 惭贰础听130 | Introduction to Weather and Climate | 3 |
| 惭贰础听150 | Environmental Issues in Water Resources | 4 |
| 惭贰础听200 | Introduction to Oceanography | 3 |
| 惭贰础听215 | Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences | 4 |
| 惭贰础听220 | Marine Biology | 3 |
| 惭贰础听240 | The Planets of Our Solar System | 3 |
| 惭贰础听250 | Introduction to Coastal Environments | 3 |
| 狈贰听290 | Introduction to Health Physics | 3 |
| 狈罢搁听301 | Introduction to Human Nutrition | 3 |
| 笔叠听200 | Plant Life | 4 |
| 笔叠听205 | Our Green World | 3 |
| 笔驰听123 | Stellar and Galactic Astronomy | 3 |
| 笔驰听124 | Solar System Astronomy | 3 |
| 厂惭罢听202 | Anatomy and Properties of Renewable Materials | 3 |
| 厂厂颁听200 | Soil Science | 3 |
| 罢翱齿听201 | Poisons, People and the Environment | 3 |
Advanced Experimental Physics
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 笔驰听452 | Advanced Physics Laboratory | 3 |
| 笔驰听456 | Senior Design Project in Physics | 3 |
Advanced Math Elective
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 惭础听305 | Introduction to Linear Algebra and Matrices | 3 |
| 惭础听401 | Applied Differential Equations II | 3 |
| 惭础听405 | Advanced Linear Algebra | 3 |
Ineligible for Free Electives听
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses on this list will only count for the Free Elective requirement with advisor and departmental approval. | ||
| 颁贬听111 | Preparatory Chemistry | 3 |
| 惭础听101 | Intermediate Algebra | 4 |
| 惭础听103 | Topics in Contemporary Mathematics | 3 |
| 惭础听103A | Topics in Contemporary Mathematics | 3 |
| 惭础听105 | Mathematics of Finance | 3 |
| 惭础听107 | Precalculus I | 3 |
| 惭础听108 | Precalculus II | 3 |
| 惭础听111 | Precalculus Algebra and Trigonometry | 3 |
| 惭础听114 | Introduction to Finite Mathematics with Applications | 3 |
| 惭础听121 | Elements of Calculus | 3 |
| 惭础听131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 |
| 惭础听132 | Computational Mathematics for Life and Management Sciences | 1 |
| 惭础听151 | Calculus for Elementary Education I | 3 |
| 惭础听152 | Calculus for Elementary Education II | 3 |
| 惭础听231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B | 3 |
| 厂罢听101 | Statistics by Example | 3 |
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| 笔驰听201 | 福利逼站 Physics I (CP) 1 | 4 |
| 惭础听141 | Calculus I (CP) 2 | 4 |
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 颁翱厂听100 | Science of Change | 2 |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 笔驰听202 | 福利逼站 Physics II (CP) 1 | 4 |
| 惭础听241 | Calculus II (CP) 2 | 4 |
| 颁贬听101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 3 | 3 |
| 颁贬听102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 3 | 1 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 笔驰听203 | 福利逼站 Physics III (CP) 1 | 4 |
| 笔驰听251 | Introduction to Scientific Computing 2 | 3 |
| 惭础听242 | Calculus III (CP) 2 | 4 |
| Basic Sciences 3 | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 笔驰听252 | Instrumental and Data Analysis for Physics 1 | 2 |
| 笔驰听411 | Mechanics I (CP) 1 | 3 |
| 惭础听341 | Applied Differential Equations I 2 | 3 |
| Advised Science/Engineering Elective 3,4 | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 14 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 笔驰听414 | Electromagnetism I 1 | 3 |
| Advised Science/Engineering Elective 3,4 | 3 | |
| Advanced Math Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Statistics Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Advanced Writing Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 笔驰听401 | Quantum Physics I 1 | 3 |
| 笔驰听413 | Thermal Physics 1 | 3 |
| Advised Science/Engineering Elective 3,4 | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Free Elective 5 | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Advanced Quantitative Methods Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Advised Science/Engineering Electives 3,4 | 6 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | |
| Free Elective 5 | 4 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Advanced Experimental Physics 1 | 3 | |
| Advised Science/Engineering Elective 3,4 | 3 | |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Free Elective 5 | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| 听 | Total Hours | 120 |
- 1
At most one passing grade below C- is permitted in the Physics category.
- 2
At most one passing grade below C- is permitted in the Math/Statistics/Computing category.
- 3
At most one passing grade below C- is permitted in the Other Science/Engineering category.
- 4
Students in the Interdisciplinary Physics option for the B.S. in Physics will identify a second area of interest in which to also focus their studies. These 18 credit hours will be planned by the student in consultation with their advisor and must be approved by the advisor and by the program,听to ensure sufficient breadth and depth of study. This second disciplinary focal area can be selected from a wide range of fields in science or engineering. Students should check the prerequisites and restrictions on courses in which they are interested.
- 5
Any course not satisying another requirement will automatically count for the Free Elective requirement, except for those courses on the Free Elective Restrictions list. Courses from the Free Elective Restrictions list can only count as Free Electives with advisor and departmental approval.
Career Opportunities
Career Titles
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- Fuel Cell Engineers
- Geologist
- Geophysicist
- Hazardous Waste Management Analyst
- Hydrographer
- Hydrologist
- Industrial Engineer
- Industrial Hygienist
- Materials Engineer
- Materials Scientist
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- Mechanical Engineer
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- Nuclear Fuels Research Engineer
- Oceanographer
- Optometrist
- Petroleum Engineer
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- Physicist
- Physics Professor
- Radiation Protection Engineer
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- Soil Engineer
- Solar Energy Systems Designer
- Structural Engineer
- Sustainability Specialists
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