About the Physics: Professional Concentration Bachelor’s Program
The professional concentration provides a traditional curriculum for students majoring in physics and is intended to prepare them for graduate study or employment in the private or government sector as a physicist. A typical sequence of courses begins with PHYS 1408 , PHYS 2401 , PHYS 2302 , PHYS 3201 /PHYS 3301 for a total of 16 hours at the introductory level. These are usually followed by the intermediate and advanced sequences, PHYS 2305 , PHYS 3305 , PHYS 3306 , PHYS 3401 , PHYS 4302 , PHYS 4304 , PHYS 4307 , and PHYS 4308 . Students desiring to pursue advanced degrees are recommended to take advanced topic courses.Two PHYS elective courses are required in the professional concentration.
The required mathematics courses for physics majors are MATH 1451 , MATH 1452 , MATH 2450 , PHYS 4325 and PHYS 4326 . MATH 3350 and MATH 3351 or MATH 3354 and MATH 4354 may be substituted for PHYS 4325 and PHYS 4326 . Students planning to pursue an advanced degree in physics should consult the physics undergraduate advisor about appropriate additional courses. Majors in this concentration are strongly encouraged to minor in mathematics.
Communication Literacy Requirement. Students attending Texas Tech University for the first time in the Fall 2017 term or later will complete a Communication Literacy requirement in their program(s) of study.
Texas Tech University’s transition from the Writing Intensive requirement to the Communication Literacy requirement signals the university’s awareness that in addition to the fundamental role that writing plays in enabling students to explore, develop, focus, and organize a message, other types of communication must also be taught as appropriate for a student’s discipline. Throughout each program of study, then, students must be given ample opportunity to develop their skills in forms of communication central to that program.
Communication Literacy courses for the Physics major (all concentrations) are: PHYS 2305 , PHYS 3304 , PHYS 3401 , and PHYS 4306 .
Total Hours: 120
Professional concentration students are strongly encouraged to minor in mathematics, as assumed in the curriculum above.
* Choose from the university’s core curriculum .
† Physics electives are offered in alternate years. Consult the current Physics Undergraduate Handbook at www.phys.ttu.edu for current scheduling.
‡ Students who entered Tech prior to 2017 will take PHYS 3101 instead of PHYS 3201 , and are not required to take PHYS 2302 .
