Programs How many concentration courses in an undergraduate degree

AI Thread Summary
Undergraduate physics programs in the US typically require around 60 credits in physics and an additional 15-20 credits in math, computer science, or chemistry. Students must also complete general education courses, which may limit the time available for non-major electives. While Canadian honours physics programs require 72-97 credits out of 120, US programs offer some flexibility for students to choose electives in subjects like English, history, and philosophy. It is possible to manage a balanced course load, allowing for additional courses outside the major, but this often depends on the number of credits taken each semester. Overall, aspiring physics majors should consider the structure of both US and Canadian programs when planning their education.
gwnorth
Education Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
437
Reaction score
320
Hello,

I hope someone can help. I'm a high school student in Canada who is thinking about majoring in Physics in university. I've started researching different potential programs and had a question regarding the structure of undergraduate programs at US universities. How many core courses, physics & math, are required for an undergraduate degree in physics? I've been investigating honours physics programs at Canadian universities (to keep my options for grad school open) and the ones I'm considering require a range of 72-97 credits out of 120. Most also have additional mandatory courses in other sciences, primarily chemistry and computer science. Do US programs require a similar number of core concentration credits or is there more room for non-major electives?

Thanks
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I think 72-97 credits sounds like a good range for a physics program in the US. Generally getting a BS in physics requires, say, 60 credits (based off my own undergrad degree) in physics, and another 15-20 in math/CS/chemistry. If you go straight to a four-year university, you will probably have to take some flavor of general education courses (English, history, art, what have you) - though you can usually make some decisions about which courses you want to take, often they are required.

So if by "non-major electives" you mean extra not-required-at-all courses, you're pretty limited time-wise.
 
Thanks that's basically what I was wondering. While I'd like to major in physics, I still want to be able to take courses in English, history, music, and philosophy etc. Most graduate programs in Canada seem to require a 4 year honours undergraduate degree and most of those programs don't seem to leave much room for non-major electives.
 
It's certainly doable. I went four years taking the minimum number of credits (12, which means usually 3-4 courses) whereas most people took ~15. (one more course). This meant that, if I had wanted to take an extra course for fun as opposed to doing research and working, I could have. So it can be done!
 
Ok thanks.
 
After a year of thought, I decided to adjust my ratio for applying the US/EU(+UK) schools. I mostly focused on the US schools before, but things are getting complex and I found out that Europe is also a good place to study. I found some institutes that have professors with similar interests. But gaining the information is much harder than US schools (like you have to contact professors in advance etc). For your information, I have B.S. in engineering (low GPA: 3.2/4.0) in Asia - one SCI...
I graduated with a BSc in Physics in 2020. Since there were limited opportunities in my country (mostly teaching), I decided to improve my programming skills and began working in IT, first as a software engineer and later as a quality assurance engineer, where I’ve now spent about 3 years. While this career path has provided financial stability, I’ve realized that my excitement and passion aren’t really there, unlike what I felt when studying or doing research in physics. Working in IT...
Hello, I’m an undergraduate student pursuing degrees in both computer science and physics. I was wondering if anyone here has graduated with these degrees and applied to a physics graduate program. I’m curious about how graduate programs evaluated your applications. In addition, if I’m interested in doing research in quantum fields related to materials or computational physics, what kinds of undergraduate research experiences would be most valuable?
Back
Top