Academic Advising

To declare a Physics or Biophysics major, you must complete a "Declaration of Major Form" on the MySanDiego portal. The declaration of major form is located under the Academic Forms tab within MyAcademics on the portal. Once completed, the electronic form will be sent to the department chair for approval, at which time the chair will also assign you an advisor. The system will notify you by email when the form has been approved by the chair. You should also receive an email from your new advisor shortly thereafter.

You use the Declaration of Major electronic form to add, change, or drop a major or minor at any time. Simply list the desired major(s) and minor(s) on the form and resubmit on the MySanDiego portal. The form will be sent electronically to department chairs for approval in the same fashion as your original major declaration. Any majors or minors not listed on the most current form will be dropped.

The department chair will assign you an adviser on the Declaration of Major electronic form. If you would like, you may request a specific advisor or indicate a specific area of interest by emailing the department chair before submitting your electronic declaration. Your advisor's name will always be listed on the top left-hand corner of your DegreeWorks.

Yes. You can change your advisor by emailing the department chair (Dr. Ryan McGorty rmcgorty@sandiego.edu).

You can find the course requirements for the Physics major in the course catalog.

You can find the course requirements for the Physics minor in the course catalog. Note that we do not offer a minor in Biophysics.

Yes. Most minors require 18 credit hours to complete the minor. See your advisor to work out a plan of study with your minor.

For all majors in our department, students will need to complete three semesters of calculus (MATH 150: Calculus I, MATH 151: Calculus II, MATH 250: Calculus III). For the Physics BS program, students may also take MATH 260: Foundations of Higher Mathematics or MATH 262: Discrete Mathematics to complete their Preparation for the Major requirement. Some students elect to complete a minor in Mathematics and we encourage this if it is possible (students in the Applied Scientific Computing pathway are required to earn a Math minor). Because MATH 150 is a prerequisite for PHYS 270, we recommend taking MATH 150 as soon as possible (see details about the math placement exam to determine which math course you would start out taking).

If you are interested in a Physics or Biophysics major, we recommend taking PHYS 270/L and PHYS 271/L. The PHYS 136/137 sequence is designed for life science majors and is required for students majoring in Biology, Behavioral Neuroscience, and Environmental Science. If you do take PHYS 136 and then decide to major in Physics or Biophysics, you should not take PHYS 270, but should enroll in PHYS 271. Likewise, if you take PHYS 136 and PHYS 137 and then decide to major in Physics or Biophysics, you may take PHYS 272 without needing to take PHYS 270/271.

You can find a list of all course descriptions in the course catalog. Remember that not all courses listed in the course catalog are offered each semester. To see what courses are being offered next semester, log into the MySanDiego portal, click My Academics, then under Registration Tools, click Look Up Classes. Course offerings and available seats can change up to the add/drop date two weeks into the semester, so check the schedule frequently.

To see what courses are being offered next semester, log into the MySanDiego portal, click My Academics, then under Registration Tools, click Look Up Classes. Course offerings and available seats can change up to the add/drop date two weeks into the semester, so check the schedule frequently. To find what upper-division physics and biophysics courses will be offered in future semesters, please consult this spreadsheet and/or talk with your academic advisor.

You can register for 300- and 400-level courses in the College of Arts and Sciences when you have 45 units (including in progress units). For upper division courses in our department, you will need to first take PHYS 272: Introduction to Modern Physics and earn a minimum grade of a C-.

Courses that fulfill a core requirement, preparation for the major, or major requirement must be taken for a letter grade unless the class is only offered as pass/fail. Refer to the course catalog for more information.

Our department sometimes offers PHYS 136/L, PHYS 137/L, PHYS 270/L, and/or PHYS 271/L over the summer. Check the Look Up Classes tool on your MySanDiego portal or check with the department chair to learn if we are offering one of these courses next summer.

The department chair that oversees the discipline of the course you are trying to transfer will make that determination. For example, a calculus course must be approved by the chair of the Department of Mathematics, and a public speaking course must be approved by the chair of the Department of Communication. You should submit the online Petition to Transfer Credit form and get approval for the course before you take it. After you complete an approved course, you must send your official transcript with a grade to USD in order to receive credit at USD. Instructions can be found in the My Academics tab under Transfer Articulation.

Note: Junior college courses cannot transfer as upper-division (300- or 400-level) courses at USD. The only way to transfer a course as an upper-division is to take the course at a four-year bachelor-degree granting institution.

For the introductory courses required as part of the Preparation for the Major (PHYS 270, PHYS 271, PHYS 272), you will need to earn a minimum grade of a C- in order to take subsequent courses. For upper division courses, you may receive a grade of a D and have it count towards your major provided that your overall GPA in the major is at or above a 2.0.

Yes! For internships (as well as projects such as community outreach or teaching assistantships), you can enroll in PHYS 487: Experiential Physics. Please reach out to your advisor or the department chair to enroll in this course. For receiving credit for research, you can enroll in PHYS 496: Research. Find instructions for enrolling in PHYS 496 and the requirements on the Research page of our website. When taking PHYS 496, you should concurrently enroll in PHYS 400: Research Forum if possible. PHYS 400 is offered every Fall semester.

We encourage students to get involved in research in the department! Discuss with your professors, talk with other students, pop by faculty offices, review our Research webpage, come to our Quantum and Coffee hour, or search for research opportunities on the Office of Undergraduate Research website. It also helps to follow USD Physics and Biophysics on Instagram.

We do have an Engineering Physics pathway for students looking to complete the PHYS and MENG programs. For the PHYS BS program, we require 12 units of upper division physics electives. Students in the PHYS-MENG program can take MENG 360, MENG 370, MENG 400/400L, and then complete just one 3-unit physics elective course. Mechanical Engineering elective requirements can be satisfied with PHYS 319, PHYS 324, PHYS 330, PHYS 371, and PHYS 480. Additionally, PHYS 300 can be replaced with MATH 310 and (MATH 315 or ISYE 330), PHYS 281 can be replaced with ENGR 103, PHYS 282 can be replaced with ENGR 121 or COMP 110, PHYS 493 can be replaced with COMM 203, and PHYS 400 can be replaced with MENG 491. Consult with your academic advisor to plan out a double major or dual degree in Physics and an Engineering major.

Yes, it is possible to double major with either a Physics or Biophysics major. Our BA options for both majors may provide the most flexibility if you are considering adding another major. Be advised that because the Biophysics degree is an interdisciplinary program, upper division courses that satisfy the Biophysics degree will not double count for a second major's upper division requirements.

We offer BA and BS degree options for both Physics and Biophysics. We recommend the BS degree for students interested in later enrolling in a graduate program in physics, biophysics, astronomy, or engineering. The degree is also suitable for students interested in careers in technical or scientific fields such as data science, engineering, or research and development. The BA degree provides more flexibility and is suitable for students looking to earn multiple minors, a double major, or a teaching credential. The BA option leaves open the door for graduate studies in physics or biophysics or another STEM field. But it may allow the flexibility needed to pursue graduate studies or careers in more interdisciplinary fields such as law, business, education, journalism, or policy.

We offer PHYS 495: Seminar II: Frontiers of Physics to fulfill the advanced integration requirement in the core. This course is a one-credit seminar that requires students to articulate the interdisciplinary of physics and biophysics. This course is offered every Fall semester.

You should petition to graduate when you have completed 90 units. A senior tab will appear in your MySanDiego portal. You can find the petition to graduate there.

So many! As a major in our department, you will be able to learn about possible career paths through opportunities to connect with alumni and others working as physicists and biophysicists. Here are some other resources to discover possible careers: (1) Career Toolbox from the Society of Physics Students; (2) Physics Today job postings site; and (3) Statistics on who's hiring physics bachelors.

Many of our graduates go on to top universities to pursue graduate studies! Faculty in our department can help you plan your applications and think about programs to apply to. You can find other resources online such as what is hosted on the Society of Physics Students website.