Astrophysics Major
Program Requirements
- Total units required: 52-59
Students must complete all course work for the astrophysics major with a grade of at least a C-.
Required Introductory Courses
Majors in astrophysics are required to complete a series of introductory courses.
They may take either:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Physics 191 | Physics I | 3 |
| Physics 191L | Physics I Laboratory | 1 |
| Physics 192 | Physics II | 3 |
| Physics 192L | Physics II Laboratory | 1 |
| Total Units | 8 | |
or (recommended for majors):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Physics 193 | Focused Physics I | 4 |
| Physics 193L | Focused Physics I Laboratory | 1 |
| Physics 194 | Focused Physics II | 4 |
| Physics 194L | Physics II Laboratory | 1 |
| Total Units | 10 | |
Required Courses
In addition, majors in astrophysics are required to complete the following courses:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Physics 217 | Introduction to Quantum Physics | 3 |
| Physics 312 | Introduction to Astrophysics | 3 |
| Physics 322 | Physical Measurement Laboratory | 3 |
| Physics 411 | Mechanics | 3 |
| Physics 421 | Electricity and Magnetism | 3 |
| Total Units | 15 | |
One additional laboratory course must be chosen from the following:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Physics 316 | Optics and Wave Physics Laboratory | 3 |
| Physics 321 | Electronics Laboratory | 3 |
| Physics 427 | Introduction to Computational Physics | 3 |
| Physics 435 | Nuclear and Radiochemistry Lab | 3 |
Required Advanced Courses
In addition to the above requirements, students who are earning the astrophysics major are required to complete three advanced electives (300 level and above). Students who declare an astrophysics major and who complete both Physics 125A Solar System Astronomy and Physics 126A Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology will be required to complete two advanced electives (300 level and above). They will choose courses from the following list. Students must receive letter grades for these advanced courses.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Physics 446 | Galactic Astrophysics | 3 |
| Physics 456 | Stellar Astrophysics | 3 |
| Physics 460 | X-ray & Gamma-ray Astrophysics | 3 |
| Physics 476 | Astrophysics | 3 |
| Physics 478 | From Black Holes to the Big Bang | 3 |
| Physics 3330 | Planets and Life in the Universe | 3 |
They must also complete one additional course from the preceding list of five courses or one from the following list of courses:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| EEPS 353 | Earth Forces | 4 |
| EEPS 407 | Remote Sensing | 3 |
| Physics 422 | Electricity and Magnetism II | 3 |
| Physics 474 | Introduction to Particle Physics | 3 |
| Physics 477 | Physics of Finite and Infinite Nuclear Systems | 3 |
| Physics 547 | Intro to Elementary Particle Physics | 3 |
| Physics 558 | Relativistic Astrophysics | 3 |
| MEMS 3410 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
Required Math Courses
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Math 131 | Calculus I | 3 |
| Math 132 | Calculus II | 3 |
| Math 217 | Differential Equations | 3 |
| Math 233 | Calculus III | 3 |
| Total Units | 12 | |
Students who have completed Math 203 Honors Mathematics I and Math 204 Honors Mathematics II will have fulfilled the requirement for Math 131 Calculus I, Math 132 Calculus II, and Math 233 Calculus III.
Science-Breadth Requirement
Majors must select one of the following courses to satisfy the science-breadth requirement:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Chem 105 | Principles of General Chemistry I | 3 |
| Chem 106 | Principles of General Chemistry II | 3 |
| Chem 111A | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| Chem 112A | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| Chem 151 | General Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
| Chem 152 | General Chemistry Laboratory II | 2 |
| Chem 401 | Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
| Chem 402 | Physical Chemistry II | 3 |
| Chem 445 | Instrumental Methods: Physical Chemistry | 3 |
| CSE 131 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 |
| CSE 132 | Introduction to Computer Engineering | 3 |
| CSE 247 | Data Structures and Algorithms | 3 |
| EEPS 202 | Introduction to Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science | 3 |
Students who receive Advanced Placement credit or the equivalent of advanced placement credit (indicated with the use of CHEM 103 Advanced Placement Chemistry I and/or CHEM 104 Advanced Placement Chemistry II by the Chemistry department) may use those credits toward the science-breadth requirement.
Additional Information
Senior Honors
The physics department also offers physics majors the possibility to earn departmental distinctions. These distinctions require the same grade point average cutoffs as Latin honors but are calculated exclusively from the grades in physics courses (i.e., all courses with the prefix L31). Three levels of distinction are offered: 1) highest distinction; 2) high distinction; and 3) distinction. The highest and high distinctions require at least one semester of undergraduate research and a senior thesis describing the results; these distinctions are limited to the top 15% (highest distinction) and the top 15% to 50% (high distinction) of the physics majors in their senior year as ranked by their GPA in the physics courses. Students who meet the GPA cutoff but who do not undertake undergraduate research and a senior thesis may only receive the third level of distinction.
Transfer Credit and Study Abroad
Students may transfer up to 9 credits of advanced course work (300+ level) to satisfy major requirements by taking comparable physics courses at another institution. Prior approval by the department is needed. Online or other distance learning courses are not eligible for transfer credit.
Contact Info
| Website: | http://physics.wustl.edu |