Physics
Including Physics-Engineering Dual Degree, and Pre-Engineering
Online Articulation
Cooperative program leading to the Associate of Science Degree and the
Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics at Sam Houston State University
The following is a cooperative effort by your college and Sam Houston State University allowing a student to complete the Associate Degree and utilize the majority of course work to complete the Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics at SHSU. Students are encouraged to seek advice from Academic Advisors to ensure maximum transferability of course work between institutions.
Sam Houston State University:
The Department of Physics goals include training professional physicists; providing the first two years toward engineering degrees; preparing physics teachers; providing the background for effective work in environmental science, agriculture, law, medicine, nursing, medical technology, engineering, and forensics.
The Department of Physics at Sam Houston State University encourages you to join our faculty, staff, and student body in a field that allows for life long exploration and improvement of the mind. Students completing the Bachelor of Science degree are prepared for careers in industry, academia, admission to professional schools, and to seek advanced degrees.
Suggested Minors
All Physics majors meet the requirements for a minor in mathematics.
Student Organizations
Society of Physics – The Society of Physics is a nationally recognized organization. The society sponsors field trips, campus visits by potential students and attendance at professional meetings.
Scholarships
The Physics Department awards scholarships on a competitive basis. Other general scholarships are available from the University. Information on University scholarships may be obtained from the Office of Academic Scholarships website at http://www.shsu.edu/~fao_www/scholarship.html or telephone (936) 294-1672. Prospective students should contact the chair of the Physics Department, Box 2267, Huntsville, Texas 77341 or the website.
Program Specific Requirements
Physics students will learn the simplicity of nature and the unifying aspects of the laws of physics. This is accomplished by recognizing physical problems, developing a hypothesis and predicting the consequences of it, performing experiments to test the predictions, and formulating the results into a theory. The skills of inquiry, observation, and experimentation are used in all scientific careers including engineering, business, teaching, and administration.The Physics Department has basic research laboratories in selected fields and provides opportunities for advanced students to be involved in research projects. The University operates computer laboratories containing desktop computers, and work stations at several locations on campus.
Physics Degree
The following table lists courses leading towards a concentration / major in Physics at each institutions.
|
College TCCN |
SHSU |
Credit |
|
|
PHYS 2425 |
PHYS 1411 (PHY 141) |
4 |
|
| CHEM 1311/1111, CHEM 1312/1112 | CHEM 1311/1111 (CHM 138/118), CHEM 1312/1112 (CHM 139/119) | 8 | |
|
MATH 2413 / 2414 |
MATH 2413 & 1415 (MTH 142 & 143) |
|
|
|
PHYS 2426 |
PHYS 2426 (PHY 142) |
4 |
|
|
COSC 1436 (CS 146 programming language "C" or Java) |
3 |
||
| MATH 2415 | MATH 2415 (MTH 244) | 4 | |
| PHYS 2426 | PHYS 2426 (PHY 245) | 4 |
A student may need preparatory work in mathematics or might be eligible for advanced placement, either of which necessitates adjustment of the schedule. Such a student should consult a member of the physics or mathematics faculty concerning his/her schedule.
Minor in Physics
A minor in Physics requires a minimum of 24 hours of coursework and shall include PHY 141 and 142, 245, 391/311, and eight semester hours of advanced electives in physics.
Physics/Engineering Dual Degree
|
College |
SHSU |
Credit |
|
|
PHYS 2425 |
PHYS 1411 (PHY 141) |
4 |
|
|
CHEM 1311/1111,CHEM 1312/1112 |
CHEM 1311/1111 (CHM 138/118), CHEM 1312/1112 (CHM 139/119) | 8 | |
|
MATH 2413 / 2414 |
MATH 2413 & 2414 (MTH 142 & 143) |
|
|
|
PHYS 2426 |
PHYS 2426 (PHY 142) |
4 |
|
|
COSC 1436 (CS 146 programming language "C" or Java) |
4 |
||
| MATH 2415 | MATH 2415 (MTH 244) | 4 | |
| PHYS 2426 | PHYS 2426 (PHY 245) |
Pre-Engineering
Students wishing to major in any of the many fields of engineering may take their first two years in pre-engineering at Sam Houston State University and transfer to a college of engineering to complete their degree requirements.
Pre-Engineering
|
College TCCN |
SHSU |
Credit |
|
|
PHYS 2425 |
PHYS 1411 (PHY 141) |
4 |
|
| CHEM 1311/1111, CHEM 1312/1112 | CHEM 1311/1111 (CHM 138/118), CHEM 1312/1112 (CHM 139/119) | 8 | |
|
MATH 2413 / 2414 |
MATH 2413 & 1414 (MTH 142 & 143) |
|
|
|
PHYS 2426 |
PHYS 2426 (PHY 142) |
4 |
|
|
COSC 1436 9CS 146 - programming language "C" or Java) |
4 |
||
| MATH 2415 | MATH 2415 (MTH 244) | 4 | |
| PHYS 2426 | PHYS 2426 (PHY 245) |
For the Dual Degree Plan the student completes three years in Physics at Sam Houston State University and the curriculum in an engineering field at a university with a recognized accredited degree program in the chosen engineering field. After successfully completing this program, the student receives two Bachelor of Science degrees, one in Physics from Sam Houston State University and one in an engineering specialty from the university with the recognized accredited engineering degree program. The applicable engineering specialties are aerospace, agriculture, chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, nuclear, petroleum, and radiation protection engineering. For the chemical engineering option, a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry would be received from Sam Houston State University.
For more information on this program contact:
Dual Degree Plan Coordinator
Department of Physics
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, Texas 77341-2267
Students in either of these programs should consult with the Physics/Engineering advisor to adjust the recommended programs to meet the requirements of the particular field of engineering at the terminal university. To contact the Department of Physics call (936) 294-1601; FAX: (936) 294-1585 or visit our website at http://www.shsu.edu/academics/physics/.
The Core Curriculum at Sam Houston State University contains 42 semester credit hours, encompassing six component areas. Each component area has a minimum credit-hour requirement and a set of specific courses that may be used to satisfy the requirement. The chart below details the Sam Houston State University courses and their Texas Common Course Number (TCCN) equivalents that comprise SHSU's core curriculum. Course requirements to meet the university foreign language component of the Bachelor of Arts degree have been included for convenience.
Many departments require specific courses from core component areas to meet degree requirements. Selecting departmentally specified core courses to complete university core requirements reduces the total number of hours required to graduate.
|
Component Area 1 Communication
|
||
| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit |
|
ENGL 1301 |
ENGL 1301 | 3 |
|
ENGL 1302 |
ENGL 1302 | 3 |
|
Component Area 2 Mathematics
|
||
| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit |
|
MATH 1332 or 2312 or 2413 or 1316 or 1324 |
MATH 1332 (MTH 164) or MATH 1314 (MTH 170) or MATH 1420 (MTH 142) or MATH 1316 (MTH 163) or MATH 1324 (MTH199) | 3 |
|
MATH 1350 & MATH 1351 (both required) |
MATH 1385 (MTH 184) & MATH 1385 (MTH 185) | 6 |
Credit for MATH 1385 (MTH 184) & MATH 1385 (MTH 185) is applicable only towards elementary/middle school certification.
|
Component Area 3 Natural Science
|
||
| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit |
|
Select two courses with Labs |
8
|
|
|
BIOL 1308 & 1108 |
BIOL 1308 & 1108 |
|
|
BIOL 2306 & 2106 or 2406 |
BIOL 1301 & 1101 |
|
|
BIOL 1311 & 1111 |
BIOL 1311 & 1111 |
|
|
BIOL 1313 & 1113 |
BIOL 1313 & 1113 |
|
|
BIOL 2401 |
BIOL 2401 |
|
|
CHEM 1305 & 1105 |
CHEM 1306 & 1106 |
|
|
CHEM 1307 & 1107 |
CHEM 1307 & 1107 |
|
|
CHEM 1311 & 1111 |
CHEM 1311 & 1111 |
|
|
CHEM 1312 & 1112 |
CHEM 1312 & 1112 |
|
| GEOL 1305 & 1105 |
GEOL 1305 & 1105 |
|
|
GEOL 1303 & 1103 |
GEOL 1303 & 1103 |
|
|
GEOL 1304 & 1104 |
GEOL 1304 & 1104 |
|
|
GEOG 1301 |
GEOG 1301 & Lab 1101 (lab required @ SHSU) |
|
|
PHYS 1311 & 1111 |
PHYS 1311 & 1111 |
|
|
PHYS 1312 & 1112 |
PHYS 1312 & 1112 - subject to THECB approval |
|
|
PHYS 1305 & 1105 |
PHYS 1305 & 1105 |
|
|
PHYS 1301 & 1101 |
PHYS 1301 & 1101 |
|
|
PHYS 1302 & 1102 |
PHYS 1302 & 1102 |
|
| PHYS 2425 | PHYS 1411 | |
|
Component Area 4 Humanities & Visual & Performing Arts
|
||
| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit |
| Select 3 hrs from visual and performing arts: |
9
|
|
|
ARTS 1301 |
AGRI 2399 |
|
|
ARTS 1301 |
ARTS 1301 |
|
|
ARTS 1311 |
ARTS 1311 |
|
|
ARTS 1316 |
ARTS 1316 |
|
|
ARTS 1303 |
ARTS 1303 |
|
|
DANC 2303 |
DANC 1372 |
|
|
DANC 1301 |
DANC 1301 |
|
|
MUSI 1308 |
MUSI 2348 |
|
|
MUSI 1301 |
MUSI 1301 |
|
|
MUSI 1310 |
MUSI 2364 |
|
|
MUSI 1306 |
MUSI 1306 |
|
|
DRAM 1330 |
THEA 1330 |
|
|
DRAM 1351 |
THEA 1364 |
|
|
DRAM 1310 |
THEA 1366 |
|
|
DRAM 1341 |
THEA 2330 |
|
|
DRAM 2336 |
THEA 2336 |
|
| Select 3 hours from Literature or Philosophy: | ||
|
ENGL 2331 or 2332 |
ENGL 2331 |
|
|
ENGL 2342 |
ENGL 2342 |
|
|
PHIL 1301 |
PHIL 2361 |
|
|
PHIL 2306 |
PHIL 2306 |
|
| Select 3 hours from Cultural Studies: | ||
|
NO TCCN |
BESL 2301 |
|
|
FREN, GERM, SPAN 2311/2312 (Sign and other languages may be substituted) |
FOLG 2312- FREN, GERM, SPAN 2312 |
|
|
GEOG 1303 |
GEOG 2355 |
|
|
GEOG 1303 |
GEOG 2356 |
|
|
HIST 2311 |
HIST 2311 |
|
|
HIST 2312 |
HIST 2312 |
|
|
SOCI 2319 |
SOCI 2319 |
|
|
Component Area 5 Social and Behavioral Sciences
|
|||
| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit | |
| 15 | |||
| 3 | |||
|
HIST 1301 |
HIST 1301 |
3
|
|
|
HIST 1302 |
HIST 1302 |
3
|
|
|
GOVT 2301 or 2306 |
POLS 2301 |
3
|
|
|
GOVT 2302 or 2305 |
POLS 2302 |
3
|
|
| Select 3 hours from: | |||
|
SOCI 1301 |
AGRI 2360 |
3
|
|
|
ECON 1301 |
ECON 2300 |
||
|
ECON 2302 |
ECON 2302 |
||
|
ECON 2301 |
ECON 2301 |
||
|
GEOG 1300 |
GEOG 1321 |
||
|
PHIL 2303 |
PHIL 2303 |
||
|
PSYC 2301 |
PSYC 1301 |
||
|
PSYC 2315 |
PSYC 2315 |
||
|
SOCI 1301 |
SOCI 1301 |
||
|
SOCI 1306 |
SOCI 1306 |
||
|
NO TCCN Local Political Systems |
POLS 2331 |
||
|
NO TCCN State Political Systems |
POLS 2332 |
||
|
NO TCCN Politics of Ethnic Minorities and Gender |
POLS 2335 |
||
|
NO TCCN Comparative Survey of World Political Systems |
POLS 2365 |
||
|
NO TCCN Introduction to Public Administration |
POLS 2366 |
||
|
NO TCCN American Foreign Policy |
POLS 2381 |
||
|
Component Area 6 Institutionally Designated Option
|
||
| Common Course # | SHSU Course | Credit |
|
Select 1 hour from: |
||
| PHED 1164 | KIN 215 | |
|
B.A. Foreign Language Component |
|
|
language 1411 |
FOLG 1411 |
| language 1412 | FOLG 1412 |
| language 2311 | FOLG 2311 |
| language 2312 | FOLG 2312 |
Degrees require a minimum of 120 hours with 42 advanced hours (3000-level and 4000-level courses). Some degrees require additional hours. All students are required to complete at least six writing-enhanced courses accumulating a minimum of 18 semester hours towards degree completion. Six of the hours must come from the student’s major field of study. SHSU students MUST complete ENGL 1301, ENGL 1302, Core Composite Area 2, and one-half of Composite Area 3 prior to enrollment in any upper-level class. In general, the Bachelor of Arts degree requires 8 hours of lab science and the Bachelor of Science degree requires 16 hours of lab science. Applicants for the Bachelor of Arts degree should consult their major department web page for foreign language requirements. Many colleges and programs have additional prerequisites for upper-level classes.
Prior to enrolling in core classes, students are encouraged to review specific degree requirements for their major. Selection of major-specified core courses may reduce the total number of hours required for graduation.
Students are encouraged to select the university catalog offering them the most advantages with respect to degree completion. The respective university and/or college catalog selected for graduation determines final degree requirements.
Sam Houston State University
A Member of The Texas State University System