Bachelor of Science in
Space Physics

View Degree Requirements

Excerpt taken from the Online Course Catalog

Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Space Physics is a 120-credit hour program that can be completed in eight semesters. The list of courses below comprises the complete requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Space Physics. The list is organized as a “vertical outline” according to the year in which the courses would normally be taken. While it is not a requirement that the courses be taken during the year shown, students should be aware that several courses in each academic year may have prerequisites and/or corequisites. Therefore, it is recommended that students keep their schedule as close as possible to the one shown below. Before registering for a course, check the course description section of the catalog to ensure that all prerequisites and/or corequisites are met. Note that prerequisites for a course are only considered met if the student obtained a grade of “C” or better in the prerequisite courses. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in core PS courses.

Suggested Program of Study

Freshman Year
		Credits
	COM Elective *	3
CHM 105	General Chemistry I	4
MA 241	Calculus and Analytical Geometry I	4
MA 242	Calculus and Analytical Geometry II	4
PS 204	General Astronomy	3
PS 208	Physics II	3
PS 215	Physics I	3
PS 216	Physics I Laboratory	1
PS 221	Intermediate Physics Laboratory	2
	SS lower-level elective *	3
UNIV 101	College Success **	1
	Credits Subtotal	31
Sophomore Year
	COM Elective *	3
	HU lower-level elective *	3
MA 243	Calculus and Analytical Geometry III	4
MA 335	Introduction to Linear and Abstract Algebra	3
MA 345	Differential Equations and Matrix Methods	4
PS 219	Physics III	3
PS 222	Intermediate Astronomy	3
PS 232	Computational Methods in the Physical Sciences	3
PS 303	Modern Physics	3
PS 315	Modern Physics Laboratory	2
	Credits Subtotal	31
Junior Year
	COM Elective *	3
MA 435	Linear and Abstract Algebra II	3
MA 441	Mathematical Methods for Engineering and Physics I	3
MA 442	Mathematical Methods for Engineering and Physics II	3
PS 321	Classical Mechanics I	3
PS 330	Electricity and Magnetism I	3
PS 350	Quantum Mechanics I	3
PS 380	Optics Laboratory	3
	Open Electives	3
	Technical Elective	3
	Credits Subtotal	30
Senior Year
PS 405	Atomic Nuclear Physics	3
PS 430	Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics	3
PS 490	Senior Research Thesis, Part I ***	3
PS 491	Senior Research Thesis, Part II ***	3
	Technical Electives	6
	HU upper-level elective	3
	SS upper-level elective	3
	Open Electives	4
	Credits Subtotal	28
	Credits Total	120

*	Embry-Riddle courses in the general education categories of Communication, Humanities, and Social Sciences may be chosen from those listed below, assuming prerequisites are met. Courses from other institutions are acceptable if they fall into these broad categories and are at the appropriate level.
**	Open elective or in excess of degree requirement.
***	In their senior year, eligible students will choose a thesis project in association with a supervising faculty member. Students who are not eligible to take PS 490 and PS 491 will instead take 6 credits of technical electives selected from the list below. Eligibility for taking PS 490 is described in the prerequisites for the course in the course description section of the catalog.

Communications Electives
COM 122	English Composition	3
COM 219	Speech	3
COM 221	Technical Report Writing	3
COM 222	Business Communication	3
COM 225	Science and Technology Communication	3
or any COM 3XX or COM 4XX course
Lower-level Social Sciences electives
EC 210	Microeconomics	3
EC 211	Macroeconomics	3
Any lower-level SS, RS, or SIS course
Lower-level Humanities electives
Any HU 140 series
Upper-level Humanities electives
Any upper-level HU course
Upper-level Social Sciences electives
Any upper-level SS course
Technical Electives
PS 322	Classical Mechanics II	3
PS 331	Electricity and Magnetism II	3
PS 375	Planetary Science	3
PS 408	Astrophysics II	3
PS 412	Particle Physics and Cosmology	3
PS 413	Particle Physics and Cosmology II	3
PS 420	Remote Sensing	3
PS 422	Space Propulsion	3
PS 451	Quantum Mechanics II	3
PS 299	Special Topics in Physical Science	1-4
or PS 399	Special Topic in Physical Science
or PS 499	Special Topic in Physical Science
MA 412	Probability and Statistics	3
MA 443	Complex Variables	3
MA 299	Special Topics in Mathematics	1-4
or MA 399	Special Topics in Mathematics
or MA 499	Special Topics in Mathematics
Any other upper-division technical course with approval of the Physics Department Chair.

Top  

Go to the Online Course catalog