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Physics Concentration Applied Physics Bachelor of Science

Total Credit Hours: 128
Major Credit Hours: 73 
 

In the Applied Physics Concentration, students have three options.  In option one they take a core set of Physics courses and labs;  after consulting with an advisor and getting the approval of the chair, they choose electives from any technical area at Lewis (for example, Aviation, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics). The flexibility in this curriculum is advantageous to students who wish to work out individual programs of study to suit their interests and career goals with approval of their advisors.  The Applied Physics Concentration is also an excellent option for students who want to pursue careers in interdisciplinary fields like computational physics or medical physics or who intend to enter graduate programs in Applied Physics or related fields.

Students in the dual program administered jointly by Lewis University and The Illinois Institute of Technology may choose option two or three in Applied Physics, pursuing a second B.S. degree in either Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering at IIT while earning a B.S. in Physics (Applied Physics Concentration) at the same time.

Degree Requirements

Students in the IIT dual program complete those requirements listed for Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering. See the individual catalog entries for these dual programs.

The degree requirements for the B.S. in Physics (Applied Physics Concentration) may be satisfied by completing the set of courses below.   

A grade of "C-" or better must be earned in a prerequisite course in order to advance to the next course in the sequence. An overall GPA of 2.0 must be earned in the major in order for a student to graduate with a B.S. in Physics (Applied Physics Concentration).

Physics majors and minors may take a Physics class only two times. If a student has not achieved a minimum of a "C-" after the second attempt, the student may not repeat the class.

Physics majors may not double major in Chemical Physics. Students in the Applied Physics concentration may not use their technical electives to fulfill the requirements for both this concentration and the requirements for a minor or major in another technical field.

I. Core Courses (48)

03-110General Chemistry I

4
03-111General Chemistry I Lab

1
13-200Calculus I

4
13-201Calculus II

4
13-250Calculus III

4
13-300Differential Equations

3
17-210General Physics I

3
17-211General Physics I Lab

1
17-215General Physics II

3
17-216General Physics II Lab

1
17-218General Physics III

3
17-219General Physics III Lab

1
17-296Research Methods Seminar

1
17-300Mechanics

4
17-341Modern Physics

3
17-365Intermediate Physics Laboratory

3
17-465Capstone Project

1
17-496Physics Seminar

1
70-315Scientific Computing

3

II. Select one of the following courses: (4)

17-310Electricity and Magnetism

4
17-311Analog and Digital Electronics

4

III. Technical Electives (21)

The student chooses 21 credit hours of approved electives from Aviation, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Mathematics, and/or Physics. At least 6 elective credit hours must be at the 300-400 level. All course prerequisites must be satisfied. Students interested in a particular applied area (for example, Computational Physics) can obtain a list of recommended courses from the Physics Department and take electives from that list. Or students may create an individualized set of technical electives approved by the student’s advisor and the Physics Department chair.

IV. The advanced writing requirement is satisfied for Physics majors by successful completion of 17-296 Research Methods Seminar, 17-365 Intermediate Physics Lab, and 17-465 Capstone Project.