2022-2023 Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin (with addenda) 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin (with addenda)

Applied Physics, B.S.


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Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics


Students must complete 128 credits, as defined below, to graduate from the School of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics.  Please note that the curriculum that follows applies to students who began classes in the fall of 2022 or later. If students entered the School of Engineering prior to that date, please consult the curriculum and typical course schedule for students entering before fall 2022.

The Department of Applied Physics also offers a Minor in Applied Physics. A full list of the department’s course offerings is available on the departmental website.

Physics and Math Electives: 20 Credits


Students should select 5 physics elective courses totaling at least 16 credits, and at least 4 credits of math.

Electives in the Humanities and Social Sciences: 16 Credits


Students must complete 4 humanities or social science courses totaling 16 credits. These 4 courses can be within a single cluster or across multiple clusters. For optimal breadth of experience, students are encouraged to take electives across clusters and/or across disciplines within a cluster. These 4 humanities and social science electives must satisfy the following:

  • 1 must be a 3000/4000 level humanities or social science elective
  • 1 must be an Advanced Seminar, identifiable by course number 4504
  • For new first-year students entering in or after Fall 2022, one course must be a course in ethics and technological and/or scientific practice. Most students will take STS-UY 2144 Ethics and Technology  to fulfill this requirement, but other ethics courses may serve to fulfill this requirement, with the permission of a student’s major advisor and the TCS Ethics Program Director.

Please see the General Education Requirements for further details.

STEM & Free Electives, Project and Independant Study: 18 Credits


Students should take 18 credits of independent study, STEM and free electives. It is strongly recommended that students use 6 of these credits toward a senior project or thesis topic. The program adviser must approve electives selected from other disciplines.

Typical Course Schedule - Applied Physics, BS


Freshman Year


Sophomore Year


Junior Year


Fall Semester: 16 Credits


Spring Semester: 16 Credits


Senior Year


Fall Semester: 17 Credits


Spring Semester: 17 Credits


Total Credits Required for the Degree: 128


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