Courses
The online catalog includes the most recent changes to courses and degree requirements that have been approved by the Faculty Senate, including changes that are not yet effective. Courses showing two entries of the same number indicate that the course information is changing. The most recently approved version is shown first, followed by the older version, in gray, with its last-effective term preceding the course title. Courses shown in gray with only one entry of the course number are being discontinued. Course offerings by term can be accessed by clicking on the term links when viewing a specific campus catalog.
Physics (PHYSICS)
101 [PSCI] General Physics 3 Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 111 or concurrent enrollment; MATH 108 with a grade of C or better, a minimum ALEKS math placement score 75%, or passing MATH 140, 171, 202, or 206. Algebra/trigonometry-based physics; topics in mechanics, wave phenomena, temperature, and heat; oriented toward non-physical science majors. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
102 General Physics 3 Course Prerequisite: 4 credits of PHYSICS 101 with a C or better, or PHYSICS 101 and 111 with a C or better; PHYSICS 112 or concurrent enrollment; MATH 108 with a grade of C or better, a minimum ALEKS math score 75%, or passing MATH 140, 171, or 202. Algebra/trigonometry-based physics; topics in electricity, magnetism, optical phenomena, relativity, and quantum theory; oriented toward non-physical science majors. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
103 Problem Solving for Physics 101 1 Course Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in PHYSICS 101 and 111. Small class environment for students who desire focused attention on problem solving skills as applied to PHYSICS 101 and 111 materials. S, F grading.
104 Problem Solving for Physics 102 1 Course Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in PHYSICS 102 and 112. Small class environment for students who desire focused attention on problem solving skills as applied to PHYSICS 102 materials. S, F grading.
111 [PSCI] General Physics Lab 1 (0-3) Course Prerequisite: MATH 108 with a grade of C or better, a minimum ALEKS math placement score 75%, or passing MATH 140, 171, 202, or 206; PHYSICS 101 or concurrent enrollment. Algebra/trigonometry-based physics lab; topics in mechanics and oscillations; heavy emphasis on group work; oriented toward non-physical science majors. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
112 General Physics Lab II 1 (0-3) Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 102 or concurrent enrollment. Algebra/trigonometry-based physics lab; topics in electricity, magnetism, optical phenomena; heavy emphasis on group work; oriented toward non-physical science majors. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
137 Physics and Society 3 Course Prerequisite: Minimum ALEKS math placement score of 45% or MATH 103 or higher with a C or better. Enrollment not allowed if credit already earned for PHYSICS 408. Interactions of physics with society; energy; air and water pollution; recycling; communications and computers; physics and war; physics and art. Credit not allowed for students who have earned credit for PHYSICS 408. Recommended preparation: UCORE [QUAN].
137 (Effective through Summer 2024) [PSCI] Physics and Society 3 Course Prerequisite: Minimum ALEKS math placement score of 45% or MATH 103 or higher with a C or better. Enrollment not allowed if credit already earned for PHYSICS 408. Interactions of physics with society; energy; air and water pollution; recycling; communications and computers; physics and war; physics and art. Credit not allowed for students who have earned credit for PHYSICS 408. Recommended preparation: UCORE [QUAN].
150 [PSCI] Physics and Your World 3 Survey of physics as found in everyday phenomena; including many hands-on activities and home experiments. Typically offered Summer Session.
188 First-Year Seminar I 1 Faculty will present current research interests and opportunities in physics; questions and discussion. Taught annually each fall. Typically offered Fall. S, F grading.
189 First-Year Seminar II 1 Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 188. Continuation of PHYSICS 188; faculty will present current research interests and opportunities in physics; questions and discussions. Typically offered Spring. S, F grading.
201 [PSCI] Physics for Scientists and Engineers I 3 Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 211 or concurrent enrollment; MATH 171 with a C or better, or credit for or concurrent enrollment in MATH 172, 182, 273, or 315. Calculus-based physics; topics in motion and dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, vibrations, wave phenomena, and the laws of thermodynamics. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
202 Physics for Scientists and Engineers II 3 Course Prerequisite: 4 credits of PHYSICS 201 with a C or better, or PHYSICS 201 and 211 with a C or better, or PHYSICS 205 with a C or better; PHYSICS 212 or concurrent enrollment; MATH 172 or 182 with a C or better. Calculus-based physics, topics in electricity, magnetism, electromagnetics, D/C and A/C circuits, optics, reflection, refraction, interference, diffraction, polarization. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
203 Problem Solving for Physics 201 1 Course Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in PHYSICS 201 and 211. Small class environment for students who desire focused attention on problem solving skills as applied to PHYSICS 201 materials. S, F grading.
204 Problem Solving for Physics 202 1 Course Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in PHYSICS 202 and 212. Small class environment for students who desire focused attention on problem solving skills as applied to PHYSICS 202 materials. S, F grading.
205 [PSCI] Physics for Scientists and Engineers I - Honors 5 (3-5) Course Prerequisite: MATH 171 with a C or better, MATH 172 or concurrent enrollment, MATH 182 or concurrent enrollment, MATH 273 or concurrent enrollment, or MATH 315 or concurrent enrollment. Calculus-based physics, honors section; mechanics, sound, and thermodynamics. Typically offered Spring.
206 Physics for Scientists and Engineers II - Honors 5 (3-5) Course Prerequisite: 4 credits of PHYSICS 201 with a C or better, or PHYSICS 201 and 211 with a C or better, or PHYSICS 205 with a C or better; MATH 172 with a C or better or MATH 182 with a C or better. Calculus-based physics, honors section; electricity, magnetism, light, topics in modern physics. Typically offered Fall.
211 [PSCI] Physics Lab for Scientists and Engineers 1 (0-3) Course Prerequisite: MATH 171 with a C or better, MATH 172 or concurrent enrollment, MATH 182 or concurrent enrollment, MATH 273 or concurrent enrollment, or MATH 315 or concurrent enrollment; PHYSICS 201 or concurrent enrollment. Calculus-based physics lab; topics in motion and dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, vibrations, waves; heavy emphasis on group work. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
212 Physics Lab for Scientists and Engineers II 1 (0-3) Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 202 or concurrent enrollment; PHYSICS 201 with a C or better or PHYSICS 205 with a C or better; MATH 172 with a C or better or MATH 182 with a C or better. Calculus-based physics lab; topics in electricity, magnetism, electromagnetics, circuits, optics, reflection, refraction, interference, diffraction, polarization; heavy emphasis on group work. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
303 Modern Physics I 3 Course Prerequisite: 4 credits of PHYSICS 202, or PHYSICS 202 and 212 or concurrent enrollment, or PHYSICS 206 or concurrent enrollment; MATH 220 or concurrent enrollment or MATH 230 or concurrent enrollment. Quantum and relativity theories with applications to atomic, solid state, nuclear and elementary particle physics. Typically offered Fall.
304 Modern Physics II 3 Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 303. Continuation of PHYSICS 303. Typically offered Spring.
320 Mechanics 3 Course Prerequisite: MATH 315 or concurrent enrollment; MATH 220 or concurrent enrollment or MATH 230 or concurrent enrollment; 4 credits of PHYSICS 202, or PHYSICS 202 and 212, or PHYSICS 206. Particle motion in one-, two-, and three-dimensions; motions of systems of particles; rigid body motion; Lagrange's equations. Typically offered Fall.
322 [PSCI] Sound Waves and Music 4 (3-3) Course Prerequisite: MATH 103 or higher with a C or better or a minimum ALEKS math placement score of 45%. Multi-disciplinary introduction to the acoustics of musical sound with a hands-on approach, including human hearing and perception. Typically offered Fall.
330 Thermal Physics 3 Course Prerequisite: 4 credits of PHYSICS 202, or PHYSICS 202 and 212, or PHYSICS 206; MATH 273 or 283. Thermal behavior of systems; energy and entropy; equations of state; changes of phase; elements of continuum and statistical approaches. Typically offered Spring.
341 Electricity and Magnetism I 3 Course Prerequisite: 4 credits of PHYSICS 202, or PHYSICS 202 and 212, or PHYSICS 206; MATH 315 or concurrent enrollment. Electrostatic fields, magnetic fields, dielectric and magnetic media. Typically offered Fall.
342 Electricity and Magnetism II 3 Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 341. Continuation of PHYSICS 341. Maxwell's equations; electromagnetic waves, special relativity. Typically offered Spring.
408 Physics and Society 3 Course Prerequisite: Junior standing. Interactions of physics with society; energy; air and water pollution; recycling; communications and computers; physics and war; physics and art.
410 Electronics 4 (2-6) Course Prerequisite: 4 credits of PHYSICS 202, or PHYSICS 202 and 212, or PHYSICS 206. Laboratory construction and investigation of electronic circuits employed in research instruments. Typically offered Fall.
415 [M] Quantum Physics Laboratory 3 (2-3) May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 credits. Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 304. Experiments in modern and quantum physics, fundamental interactions of radiations with matter. Typically offered Spring.
443 Optics 3 Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 341 or concurrent enrollment. Polarization, interference, coherence, and diffraction phenomena of the electromagnetic spectrum; optics of solids; laser resonators; gaussian beams; ABCD matrices. Typically offered Fall.
450 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics 3 Course Prerequisite: MATH 315; PHYSICS 303. Introduction to quantum theory with applications to atomic physics. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
455 Quantum Technologies and Computation 3 Fundamentals of quantum mechanics required for quantum computing and quantum information science; technologies and platforms that enable quantum applications to computing, simulation, and advance sensing. Credit not granted for both PHYSICS 455 and PHYSICS 555. Offered at 400 and 500 level. Typically offered Fall.
461 Introduction to Atomic and Molecular Physics 3 Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 304. Introduction to atomic and molecular physics; spectroscopy. Typically offered Spring.
463 Introduction to Solid State and Materials Physics 3 Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 304. Introduction to the physics of solids; crystal structures, lattice vibrations, and electron theory. Typically offered Spring. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
465 Introductory Nuclear Physics 3 Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 304. Nuclear systematics, apparatus of nuclear research, radioactivity, nuclear-atomic interactions, nuclear reactions and scattering; introductory particle physics. Typically offered Spring. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
466 Biological Physics 3 Course Prerequisite: 4 credits of PHYSICS 202, or PHYSICS 202 and 212, or PHYSICS 206; CHEM 106 or 116; MATH 172 or 182. Fundamental physics and thermodynamics of the cell; mechanics of biomolecular machines. Credit not granted for both PHYSICS 466 and PHYSICS 566. Offered at 400 and 500 level. Typically offered Fall.
481 Advanced Topics V 1-3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 credits. Topics in scientific and technological areas that have relative significance to physics and astronomy. Typically offered Spring.
489 Thesis Proposal 1 Research project directed by an approved faculty member in support of completing a thesis proposal for PHYSICS 490. Typically offered Fall and Spring. S, F grading.
490 [M] Undergraduate Thesis 1 Course Prerequisite: PHYSICS 489. Preliminary thesis draft of a laboratory or library research experience, oral presentation, and final draft. Typically offered Fall and Summer.
499 Special Problems V 1-4 May be repeated for credit. Course Prerequisite: By department permission. Independent study conducted under the jurisdiction of an approving faculty member; may include independent research studies in technical or specialized problems; selection and analysis of specified readings; development of a creative project; or field experiences. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, F grading.
501 Graduate Seminar 1 Introduction to graduate and interdisciplinary research. Typically offered Fall. S, F grading.
511 Advanced X-ray Characterization 3 Foundations in X-ray diffraction, scattering, and spectroscopy-based characterization methods as applied to a wide range of systems relevant to physics, chemistry, and engineering; hands-on experience with data collection and analysis. (Crosslisted course offered as PHYSICS 511, CHEM 511.) Typically offered Odd Years - Spring.
514 Optoelectronics Lab I 1 (0-3) May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 3 credits. Experiments with optical systems: Imaging, interference, coherence, information storage/processing, gas and solid state lasers, optical fibers, and communications systems. Typically offered Fall.
515 Optoelectronics Lab II V 1 (0-3) to 3 (0-9) May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 3 credits. Experiments in optical physics, physical properties of light, laser physics, waveguides, quantum confined semiconductor structures and ultrafast dynamics and nonlinear optics.
521 Classical Mechanics I 3 Laws of motion as developed by Newton, d'Alembert, Lagrange, and Hamilton; dynamics of particles and rigid bodies. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
522 Classical Mechanics II 3 Continuation of PHYSICS 521. Classical mechanics of liquids and deformable solids; stress, deformation and strain, flow, oscillations and waves.
533 Thermal and Statistical Physics I 3 Thermodynamic laws and potentials, kinetic theory, hydrodynamics and transport coefficients; introduction to statistical mechanics, ensembles, partition functions. Typically offered Spring. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
534 Thermal and Statistical Physics II 3 Phase transitions and critical phenomena, Ginzburg-Landau theory, Bose-Einstein condensation, superfluids, Fermi systems, low-temperature expansions. Typically offered Spring. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
541 Electromagnetic Theory 3 Special relativity and the classical electromagnetic field; emission, propagation, and absorption of electromagnetic waves. Typically offered Spring. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
542 Electrodynamics 3 Interaction of matter and electromagnetic radiation; classical and quantum electrodynamics. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
545 Nonlinear Optics 3 Nonlinear wave propagation theory applied to several nonlinear-optical phenomena; experimental techniques that probe a material's nonlinearity. Typically offered Spring.
546 Quantum Electronics 3 The physics of lasers and of coherent optical radiation generation and propagation. Typically offered Spring.
550 Quantum Theory I 3 Introduction to quantum theory; physical and mathematical foundations; application to atomic systems. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
551 Quantum Theory II 3 Symmetry and invariance; angular momentum theory; approximation methods. Typically offered Spring. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
552 Quantum Theory III 3 Scattering theory; relativistic wave mechanics; quantum field theory. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
555 Quantum Technologies and Computation 3 Fundamentals of quantum mechanics required for quantum computing and quantum information science; technologies and platforms that enable quantum applications to computing, simulation, and advance sensing. Credit not granted for both PHYSICS 455 and PHYSICS 555. Offered at 400 and 500 level. Typically offered Fall.
561 Atomic and Molecular Physics 3 Physics of atoms and molecules using quantum theory. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
563 Physics of the Solid State 3 Lattice vibrations and defects; ionic and electronic conductivities; band theory; magnetic properties; luminescence. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
566 Biological Physics 3 Fundamental physics and thermodynamics of the cell; mechanics of biomolecular machines. Credit not granted for both PHYSICS 466 and PHYSICS 566. Offered at 400 and 500 level. Typically offered Fall.
571 Methods of Theoretical Physics 3 Mathematical methods for theoretical physics; linear algebra, tensor analysis, complex variables, differential equations, integral equations, variational calculus, and group theory. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
575 Advanced Solid State Physics 3 Quantum theory of solids; Green's functions, correlation functions and other field-theoretic methods; magnetism, superconductivity and transport properties. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
581 Advanced Topics in Physics 3 May be repeated for credit. Topics of current interest in advanced physics. Typically offered Fall and Spring. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
590 Seminar 1 May be repeated for credit. Typically offered Fall and Spring. S, F grading.
592 Wave Propagation Seminar 2 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 4 credits. Waves in the continuum; elastic, plastic, and hydrodynamic waves; shock waves. S, F grading.
598 Teaching Undergraduate Physics Laboratories 1 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 4 credits. Principles and practices of teaching, planning and management of undergraduate physics laboratories; choice and care of equipment. Typically offered Fall and Spring. S, F grading.
600 Special Projects or Independent Study V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Independent study, special projects, and/or internships. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor before enrolling in 600 credit, which cannot be used toward the core graded credits required for a graduate degree. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, F grading.
700 Master's Research, Thesis, and/or Examination V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Independent research and advanced study for students working on their master's research, thesis and/or final examination. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor/committee chair before enrolling for 700 credit. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, U grading.
702 Master's Special Problems, Directed Study and/or Examination V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Independent research in special problems, directed study, and/or examination credit for students in a non-thesis master's degree program. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor/committee chair before enrolling for 702 credit. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, U grading.
800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Course Prerequisite: Admitted to the Physics PhD program. Independent research and advanced study for students working on their doctoral research, dissertation and/or final examination. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor/committee chair before enrolling for 800 credit. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, U grading.