Major in Applied Physics
We offer a Bachelor of Science in Applied
Physics
Applied Physics
Option
Applied Electronics
Option
Catalog descriptions of
physics courses associated with the program
Purpose of
major
Physics is a study of the
fundamental macroscopic and microscopic properties of
nature, from the building blocks of matter to the origin,
extent, and future of the universe itself. Physicists seek
to measure, understand, model, and control the processes in
the physical world around us. To this end, physicists use a
variety of descriptive and quantitative techniques to
represent their knowledge. Furthermore, this work is
conducted in a community where collaboration, teaching, and
communication of results are essential. Applied physics
makes a connection between fundamental research in physics
and its application to real-world problem-solving. Research
in applied physics has led to the use of electricity and
magnetism for lighting and propulsion, given birth to the
semiconductor industry, which has provided us with the
conveniences of modern electronics, and played an important
part in the development of biomedical technology. While
engineers have perfected many of these inventions, applied
physicists have been responsible for their discovery.
The degree in applied physics prepares students to succeed
in a wide range of entry-level positions in the high
technology and biotechnology industry by giving them a
broad and rigorous grounding in the principles of physics,
while at the same time emphasizing the application of
physics to real-world problems. Applied physics
baccalaureate-level graduates will have unique critical
thinking and problem-solving abilities that will be
valuable to employers in a wide range of technical fields.
The Applied Physics Degree requires the completion of 120
semester units in one of two options, Applied Physics or
Applied Electronics, each of which allows students to focus
on a particular area of interest. Both options will provide
opportunities for student research in collaboration with
faculty in the Physics Department. These undergraduate
research opportunities will provide valuable training that
will make graduates more competitive in the job market.
Preparation
Freshman applicants must complete a comprehensive
program of college preparatory study totaling between 24
and 28 units, depending on the option chosen. Transfer
students entering at the junior and senior level will be
expected to have completed the equivalent required physics
and supporting courses elsewhere. All courses taken for the
major, including supporting courses, must be completed with
a grade of C (2.0) or better.
Degree Requirements
Either option for the
Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics requires the
completion of 120 semester units. As a part of each option,
students are required to complete 51 units of General
Education courses. Six (6) to nine (9) units of
lower-division GE, including the laboratory requirement in
Area B (Math and Science), are automatically satisfied by
combinations of CHEM 150, CS 111, MATH 160, and PHYS 201.
The exact number of units satisfied in this way will depend
on the option chosen. A minimum of 18 units in physics must
be completed at Cal State San Marcos.
Applied Physics
Option
This option is intended for those students who
wish to pursue a career in industry where the application
of the principles of physics might be important in
modeling, or in research and development.
General
Education* 51 units
Preparation for the major* 39-40 units
Option requirements 35-36 units
Students must take a sufficient number of elective units to
bring the total number of units to a minimum of 120
* Six (6) lower-division General Education units in Area B
(Math and Science) are automatically satisfied by courses
taken in Preparation for the Major.
Preparation for the
Applied Physics Option
Lower-division Physics courses (15
units)
PHYS 201† or 205 (4 units)
PHYS 202 or 206 (4 units)
PHYS 203 (4 units)
PHYS 280 (3 units)
Non-physics
supporting courses (24-25 units)
CHEM 150†
(5 units)
CS 111† (4 units)
MATH 160† (5 units)
MATH 162† (4 units)
MATH 346 (3 units)
Plus choose one of the following courses:
MATH 260† (4 units)
MATH 362 (3 units)
MATH 370 (3 units)
MATH 374 (3 units)
† These courses supporting the preparation or
electives in the major may satisfy the Mathematics and
Physical Science requirements of General Education.
Option Requirements
Upper-division Physics courses (25
units)
PHYS 320 (3 units)
PHYS 321 (3 units)
PHYS 323 (3 units)
PHYS 324 (3 units)
PHYS 421 (3 units)
PHYS 422 (3 units)
PHYS 423 (3 units)
PHYS 380 or PHYS 480 (2 units)
PHYS 499B (2 units)
Electives
for the major (10-11 units)
Select elective courses from the following list:
CHEM 402
PHYS 301
PHYS 380*
PHYS 402
PHYS 403
PHYS 480*
* PHYS 380 or PHYS 480 may be chosen as an
elective, if it has not already been taken as part of the
upper-division core.
Students may
also take up to six (6) units of elective courses in
another major in the natural or mathematical sciences,
chosen in consultation with and approved by the physics
academic advisor prior to taking the course.
Applied Electronics
Option
This option is intended for those students who
wish to pursue a career in which an understanding of the
design of electronic devices, possibly interfaced to
computers and/or research equipment, is
required.
General Education* 51 units
Preparation for the major* 42-43 units
Option requirements 32-33 units
Students must take a sufficient number of elective units to
bring the total number of units to a minimum of 120
Preparation
for the Applied Electronics Option
Lower-division Physics courses (15
units)
PHYS 201† or 205 (4 units)
PHYS 202 or 206 (4 units)
PHYS 203 (4 units)
PHYS 280 (3 units)
Non-physics
supporting courses(27-28 units)
CS 111† (4
units)
CS 211 (4 units)
CS 231 (4 units)
MATH 160† (5 units)
MATH 162† (4 units)
MATH 346 (3 units)
Plus choose one of the following courses:
MATH 260† (4 units)
MATH 362 (3 units)
MATH 370 (3 units)
MATH 374 (3 units)
Option Requirements
Upper-division Physics courses (24
units)
PHYS 301 (4 units)
PHYS 320 (3 units)
PHYS 321 (3 units)
PHYS 323 (3 units)
PHYS 402 (4 units)
PHYS 403 (3 units)
PHYS 380 or PHYS 480 (2 units)
PHYS 499B (2 units)
Electives
for the major (8-9 units)
Select elective courses from the following list:
CS 331
PHYS 324
PHYS 380*
PHYS 421
PHYS 422
PHYS 423
PHYS 480*
* PHYS 380 or PHYS 480 may be chosen as an
elective, if it has not already been taken as part of the
upper-division core.
Students may
also take up to six (6) units of elective courses in
another major in the natural or mathematical sciences,
chosen in consultation with and approved by the physics
academic advisor prior to taking the course.
Catalog
descriptions of physics courses associated with the
program:
PHYSICS (PHYS)
PHYS 201 Physics of Mechanics and
Sound (4)
A broad coverage of the principles of
mechanics and wave motion. The areas covered include:
Observation and measurement, kinematics, dynamics, work and
energy, impulse and momentum, equilibrium of rigid bodies,
rotational motion, oscillations, and waves in mechanical
media. Required for students whose field of study is
physics, chemistry, or computer science. Counts toward
the fulfillment of the lower-division General Education
requirement in Physical Universe and Its Life Forms. Three
hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory.
Recommended: High school physics. Prerequisites: Completion
of MATH 160 with a minimum grade of C (2.0).
PHYS 202 Physics of Electromagnetism and
Optics (4)
A broad coverage of classical electromagnetism and optics.
The areas covered include: electric charge, electric
fields, electric potential, capacitors and dielectrics, DC
circuits, magnetic fields, magnetic properties of matter,
AC circuits, Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic waves,
the nature and propagation of light, geometrical optics,
and wave optics. Three hours of lecture and three hours
of laboratory. Prerequisites: Completion of PHYS 201 and
MATH 162 with a minimum grade of C in each.
PHYS 203 Modern Physics (4)
An overview of the fundamental ideas of
modern physics and coverage of the principles of fluids and
thermodynamics. The areas covered include fluids,
temperature, heat, the kinetic theory of gases, entropy,
and the law of thermodynamics, along with the theory of
special relativity, wave particle duality, an introduction
to quantum mechanics, and atomic physics, the electronic
properties of solids, nuclear physics, and a descriptive
introduction to the standard model and cosmology. Three
hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory.
Prerequisite: PHYS 202 or 206.
PHYS 205 Physics
for the Biological Sciences I (4)
A broad coverage of the principles of
mechanics, properties of matter and wave motion. The
subjects covered include: Observation and measurement,
kinematics, dynamics, energy, momentum, equilibrium, fluids
and solids, thermodynamics, oscillations, and waves.
Required for students whose field of study is biology.
Recommended: High school physics or an introductory college
level physics course. Three hours of lecture and three
hours of laboratory. Prerequisite or Corequisite: MATH
160.
PHYS 206 Physics for the Biological Sciences II (4)
A broad coverage of electromagnetism,
optics, and nuclear physics. The areas covered include:
Electrostatics, electric fields, magnetism, magnetic
fields, electric circuits, geometrical optics, optical
instruments, nuclear physics, radiation, and spectroscopy.
Required for students whose field of study is biology.
Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory.
Prerequisites: Completion of PHYS 201 or PHYS 205 with a
minimum grade of C (2.0) in both
courses.
PHYS 280 Introduction to Electronics (3)
Introduction to the design and measurement
techniques of modern electronics. Includes AC circuit
theory, passive filters, semiconductor diodes, transistors,
operational amplifiers, including active filters, and a
general introduction to digital circuits. The activities
provide students with an opportunity for hands-on
experience with a wide range of electronic circuits.
Two hours of lecture and two hours of activity.
Recommended completion or concurrent enrollment: PHYS
203. Prerequisite: PHYS 202.
PHYS 301 Digital Electronics (4)
Introduction to digital computer hardware
design including: gates, flip-flops, registers, and memory
to perform logical and arithmetic operations on numeric and
other data represented in binary form. The laboratory uses
digital logic integrated circuitry for experiments with
combinational and sequential networks, and simple digital
systems. Three hours of lecture and three hours of
laboratory. Prerequisites: CS 231 or MATH 370, and PHYS 202
or 206.
PHYS 320 Classical Mechanics (3)
Classical mechanics and associated
mathematical and numerical techniques: Principles of
Newtonian mechanics, an introduction to Hamiltonian and
Lagrangian Dynamics. Applications to central force problems
and small vibrations, and other selected topics in
mechanics, including applications in engineering and
biological systems. Prerequisites: PHYS
203.
PHYS 321 Classical Electromagnetism (3)
An introduction to the applications of
Maxwell’s equations and the propagation of EM waves in
relation to matter. Topics to be covered include:
dielectrics, conductors, plasmas, and waveguides, and
selected topics in EM wave radiation, propagation,
absorption, transmission, and diffraction. Three hours
of lecture. Recommended: MATH 346. Prerequisites: PHYS 202,
PHYS 203, MATH 162 all with a grade of C or better.
PHYS 323 Quantum Physics (3)
A survey of quanta based physical theories,
their experimental foundations and applications: quantum
physics of atoms, molecules, nuclei and electrons;
introduction to condensed matter physics. Recommended:
MATH 346. Prerequisite: PHYS 203.
PHYS 324 Statistical
Mechanics & Thermodynamics (3)
Covers the laws of thermodynamics with
applications to ideal and non-ideal systems. Includes
elementary kinetic theory of gases, entropy, classical and
quantum statistical mechanics. Other topics covered may
include magnetism and low-temperature physics.
Prerequisites: PHYS 203.
PHYS 380 Applied Laboratory Techniques (2)
Experimental work including an introduction
to the equipment and techniques used in mechanics,
electromagnetism, optics, electronics, quantum physics,
nuclear physics, biophysics, medical physics, and/or
geophysics. An emphasis will be placed on experimental
design and data analysis. Six hours of laboratory.
Prerequisite: PHYS 203.
PHYS 402 Computer Interfacing and Control (4)
Introduction to the design and use of
sensors of various types with digital computer interfaces
for data capture and experimental control. Various types of
digital communication are studied including synchronous and
asynchronous interfaces. The laboratory provides hands on
experience in computer interfacing through integrated
circuits, sensors, and microcontrollers. May not be
taken for credit by students who have received credit for
PHYS 302. Three hours of lecture and three hours of
laboratory. Prerequisites: PHYS 301.
PHYS 403 Signals and Systems (3)
Introduction to signals and digital signal
processing including: fundamentals of signals, signal
processing, filter synthesis, discrete-time systems,
discrete Fourier transforms and FFT, Z-transforms,
sampling, quantization, and image processing. May not
be taken for credit by students who have received credit
for PHYS 303. Prerequisites: PHYS 203 with a minimum grade
of C (2.0).
PHYS 421 Applied Electromagnetic Waves and Optics
(3)
Includes radiation and propagation of
electromagnetic waves, ray optics, physical optics, optical
devices, laser optics, holography, and optics of vision.
Prerequisites: PHYS 321, MATH 162, MATH 346.
PHYS 422 Applied Solid State Physics (3)
Selected topics in solid-state physics. Includes crystal
structure, thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties of
solids, elementary band theory, semiconductors, and
solid-state devices. May not be taken for credit by
students who have received credit for PHYS 322.
Prerequisites: PHYS 203, and an upper-division non-GE
mathematics course.
PHYS 423 Quantum Mechanics (3)
A study of the concepts and theories of
nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. Includes the
Schroedinger equation, operators, angular momentum, the
hydrogen atom, and applications to simple quantum
mechanical systems. Prerequisites: PHYS 323, MATH
346.
PHYS 480 Advanced Applied
Physics Laboratory (2)
Experimental work including in-depth
experimentation in mechanics, electromagnetism, optics,
electronics, quantum physics, computational physics,
biophysics, medical physics, and/or geophysics. An emphasis
will be placed on experimental design and data analysis.
Six hours of laboratory. Prerequisite: PHYS 203, PHYS
280.
PHYS 499A (1 unit) 499B (2 units) 499C (3 units)
Senior Laboratory Thesis
Experimental or laboratory physics research
project. The student must consult with a physics faculty
member to decide on the research problem and then work
collaboratively under the guidance of the faculty member in
the laboratory. The student will produce a 10-20 page paper
summarizing the research and the results obtained. An
appropriate bibliography must be included.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.