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Everyone takes the core curriculum. Each student also specializes in a track. Some students also participate in the Undergraduate Honors Curriculum. In our core courses, lecture demonstrations are used extensively.

The General Catalogue is the official document of approved programs and courses of the University. As a student, you are governed by the requirements in the Catalogue when you matriculated (entered the program). Click here for the beginning of the Physics and Astronomy section. Click here for official Course Descriptions. 

To see general information about a course (decided by the department), click on the course in the table below. Click here to see actual syllabi offered by particular instructors.

Undergraduate Core Curriculum an Course Descriptions



Fall Winter Spring
Freshman    
Newton's Laws (7A) 
  updated 4-06
 Conservation Laws (7B) 
  updated 4-06		 Electricity & Magnetism (7D)
  updated 4-06
Calculus (Math 2A) Calculus (Math 2B) Multivariable Calculus (Math 2D)
Sophomore    
Waves (7E)
    updated 4-06		 Quantum & Relativity (61A)
    updated 2-2007
 Atoms & Nuclei (61B)
    updated 2-2007
Optics Lab (52A) Circuits Lab (52B) Data Analysis (52C)
Series, Complex Numbers, Linear Algebra (Math 2J) Differential Equations (Math 3D) Math Methods (50)*
Vector Calculus (Math 2E)    
Junior    
Classical Mechanics (111A) Classical Mechanics (111B) Electricity & Magnetism (112B)
Relativity (116)
 Electricity & Magnetism (112A) Quantum (113A)
    Programming (53)
Senior    
Quantum (113B) Quantum (113C) Thermal (115B)
Thermal (115A) Math/Computer (125A) Math/Computer (125B)

Advanced Lab (121) Senior Project (197 or 196c)
  (see note below)
*Community college transfer students normally satisfy this requirement by taking Physics 100 in
  Fall of their junior year.
Computational problems using Mathematica are assigned in upper division courses. If you are a transfer student who is unfamiliar with Mathematica click here for a crash course.

Senior Project: Please be aware that 197 is a requirement for graduation and ONLY OFFERED in the SPRING. Therefore, it is imperative that you plan to take it at the correct time.


updated 4.29.09 K.Lodgard

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Department of Physics & Astronomy
4129 Frederick Reines Hall
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA 92697-4575
telephone:  949.824.6911
fax:  949.824.2174
email:  physics@uci.edu