Requirements

Physics Major

The major requires nine courses.

Students pursuing honors are expected to take MATH 1800 Multivariate Calculus  (or have a placement above MATH 1800 Multivariate Calculus), PHYS 1130 Introductory Physics I  (or placement above PHYS 1130 Introductory Physics I), PHYS 1140 Introductory Physics II, PHYS 2130 Electric Fields and Circuits, PHYS 2140 Quantum Physics and Relativity, PHYS 2150 Statistical Physics, PHYS 3000 Methods of Theoretical Physics, PHYS 4050, and four additional courses above PHYS 1140 Introductory Physics II, three of which must be above PHYS 3000 Methods of Theoretical Physics and one of which can be the second semester of honors, PHYS 4051.

Physics Minor

The minor consists of at least four physics courses (completed at Bowdoin) numbered 1130 or higher, one of which must be PHYS 1140 Introductory Physics II.

Interdisciplinary Major

The department participates in the interdisciplinary major programs of chemical physics and physics and education. See the Interdisciplinary Majors.

• Students must earn a grade of C- or above in any prerequisite physics course. Up to two courses with a grade of D are allowed to be counted toward the major.
• Courses that count toward the major or minor must be taken for regular letter grades (not Credit/D/Fail).
• Majors must complete at least five physics courses at Bowdoin.
• Students interested in applying coursework taken at another college or university to the major or minor should consult the department.
• Up to two independent studies, including honors projects, may count towards the elective requirements of the major and one independent study may count toward the minor.
• Students pursuing honors should consult with faculty about available projects and plan for two semesters of honors research (PHYS 4050 and PHYS 4051).
• Majors and minors may double-count an unlimited number of courses with another department or program. 
• The major program depends to some extent on the student’s goals, which should be discussed with the department. Those who intend to do graduate work in physics or an allied field should plan to do an honors project.
• Students considering a program in engineering should consult the Special Areas of Study.
• A major with an interest in an interdisciplinary area—such as geophysics, biophysics, or oceanography—should choose appropriate courses in related departments.
• Secondary school teaching requires a broad base in science courses, as well as the necessary courses for teacher certification. Students who know they want to do this should consider the physics and education interdisciplinary major.
• For a career in industrial management, some courses in economics and government should be included.

Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate (AP/IB):

• Students who receive a minimum score of four on the Physics 1 AP exam are exempt from taking PHYS 1130 Introductory Physics I, and do not need to take an additional course to replace it. No AP credit is awarded for the Physics 2 AP exam.
• Students who receive a minimum score of four on the Physics C: Mechanics AP exam, or a minimum score of six on the Physics without Optics IB exam, are eligible to receive one credit toward the major, are exempt from taking PHYS 1130 Introductory Physics I, and are placed in PHYS 1140 Introductory Physics II. To earn the credit, a minimum grade of C- (not taken Credit/D/Fail) must be received in PHYS 1140 Introductory Physics II by the end of their junior year or no credit is awarded. Students who receive a minimum score of six on the Physics with Optics IB exam are eligible to receive one credit toward the major and have the option of being placed in either PHYS 1140 Introductory Physics II or PHYS 2130 Electric Fields and Circuits. To receive the credit, the student must earn a minimum grade of C- (not taken Credit/D/Fail) in the course in which they choose to be placed, and are strongly encouraged to complete the required course by the end of their junior year or prior.
  • Minors meeting either of the criteria above are exempt from taking PHYS 1130 Introductory Physics I, but must take at least four Bowdoin physics courses.
• No credit is awarded for the Physics 2 or Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism AP exams.
• In order to receive credit for AP/IB work, students must have their scores officially reported to the Office of the Registrar by the end of their sophomore year at Bowdoin.

Interdisciplinary Majors

The department of physics and astronomy participates in an interdisciplinary major, chemical physics, with the department of chemistry as well as an interdisciplinary major, physics and education, with the department of education. See the Interdisciplinary Majors section for more information. In addition, students are able to declare a coordinate major between physics and digital and computational studies, education, or environmental studies as well.

The departments of physics and earth and oceanographic science have identified major/minor pathways for students interested in majoring in physics with an earth and oceanographic science application (physics major/earth and oceanographic science minor) and for students interested in majoring in earth and oceanographic science with a physics application (earth and oceanographic science major/physics minor).

Students pursuing the physics major/earth and oceanographic science minor with interests in the solid earth discipline would be best served by selecting:

 Those with interests in the surface earth discipline should select:

 Those with interests in the oceanography discipline should choose:

Physics and 3-2 Engineering

Please consult the Special Areas of Study section for additional information. Students planning to pursue one of the 3-2 engineering options and graduating with a physics degree must take:

Other courses are expected by the partnering engineering institution and students should contact the advisor in Bowdoin's Department of Physics and Astronomy for more information.

Information for Incoming Students

Physics has a placement test to help determine which entry-level course in the physics sequence is the appropriate starting point for each student.

Topical physics courses, which many students choose out of general interest in physics or to satisfy college distribution requirements, do not require a placement exam.  PHYS 1510 Introductory Astronomy is open to all students interested in the ideas of physics and their impact on our built and natural world.

PHYS 1130 Introductory Physics I and PHYS 1140 Introductory Physics II, both offered every semester, provide students with physics tools that support their future work in STEM majors and career fields. PHYS 1093 Introduction to Quantitative Reasoning in the Physical Sciences can help prepare students for the pace and intensity of these introductory courses.

Students cannot enroll in PHYS 1093 Introduction to Quantitative Reasoning in the Physical Sciences or PHYS 1130 Introductory Physics I without taking the placement test. If a student has not completed the on-line physics placement test prior to arriving on campus, they should contact the department to complete the placement exam as soon as possible to be able to register for introductory physics at Bowdoin. The only introductory students who are exempt from the placement exam are students who submit qualifying official scores on AP (4 or 5) or IB (6 or 7) exams to the Bowdoin Registrar and those who transfer college credits in physics to Bowdoin. Please e-mail Emily Green if you have questions about placement or testing.

The three entry point options to the introductory physics sequence are:

PHYS 1093 Introduction to Quantitative Reasoning in the Physical Sciences develops applied mathematical and physical reasoning skills. This course focuses on improving independent problem-solving skills and STEM literacy with individualized support. Students learn how to build upon and apply quantitative skills that they already have to problem solving for the physical sciences. This course works very well in conjunction with another introductory STEM course in the first college semester, including CHEM 1091 Introductory Chemistry and Quantitative Reasoning I or CHEM 1101 Introductory Chemistry I. It satisfies the Mathematical, Computational and Statistical Reasoning (MCSR) distribution requirement. There is no math prerequisite for enrollment in this class.

PHYS 1130 Introductory Physics I is the first semester of a two-part, calculus-based physics sequence. This course in Newtonian Mechanics with laboratory. It is required for all physics, biochemistry, chemistry, and chemical physics majors, and for pre-medical, pre-health, and pre-dental students. This course can satisfy either the Mathematical, Computational and Statistical Reasoning (MCSR) distribution requirement or the Inquiry in the Natural Sciences (INS) distribution requirement. Mathematics prerequisite: concurrent enrollment in or previous credit for MATH 1600 Differential Calculus, or placement in MATH 1700 Integral Calculus or above.

PHYS 1140 Introductory Physics II is the second semester of calculus-based physics with laboratory that covers many applications of modern physics. It is required for all physics, chemistry, and chemical physics majors, and for pre-medical, pre-health, and pre-dental students. This course can satisfy either the Mathematical, Computational and Statistical Reasoning (MCSR) distribution requirement or the Inquiry in the Natural Sciences (INS) distribution requirement. Students with qualifying scores on advanced placement exams can be placed in PHYS 1140 Introductory Physics II without taking the departmental placement exams. All others must take the placement exam. Mathematics prerequisite: concurrent enrollment in or previous credit for MATH 1700 Integral Calculus or MATH 1750 Intermediate Integral Calculus, or placement in MATH 1800 Multivariate Calculus or above.