BS in Physics

Physics is a way of seeing the world—of asking deep questions about nature and building the tools to answer them.

Our redesigned Bachelor of Science in Physics program invites you into this process from your very first semester. Through small classes and close faculty mentorship, you’ll join a supportive, professional community where theory, computation, and experimentation meet.

A Flexible, Focused Curriculum
Beyond the core foundations, our program offers the flexibility to follow your passions. Choose from expanded upper-level electives or optional tracks in:

• Astrophysics
• Atmospheric Physics
• Materials Physics
• Quantum Information

Prepare for What’s Next
Whether you’re aiming for graduate school, industry, a national lab, or interdisciplinary innovation, you’ll graduate with not only a strong command of physics, but the skills of a modern scientist – ready to tackle unfamiliar problems with confidence.

The Program
The physics major program consists of 13 required physics courses (40 credits), 4 upper-level elective courses in physics (12 credits) and 6 required courses (22 credits) in math and computer science.

All courses required as prerequisites for other required physics courses must be passed with a grade “C” or above. In addition, physics majors must complete all upper-level physics courses with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.

In consultation with their advisor, each student will devise an appropriate plan. A typical course progression is as follows:

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

YEAR 4

Students may elect to complete a track. Each track specifies 9 credits of upper-level electives, which apply to the required 12 credits of upper-level electives. (The Astrophysics track specifies an additional 3-4 credits of other courses.)

Astrophysics track
PHYS 415 Astroparticle Physics (3 credits)
PHYS 416 Cosmology (3 credits)
PHYS 425 Relativistic Physics (3 credits)
In addition, one course selected from the following list must be completed:
STAT 355 Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Scientists and Engineers (4 credits)
MATH 404 Introduction to Partial Differential Equations I (3 credits)

Atmospheric Physics track
PHYS 351 Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere (3 credits)
Two courses selected from:
PHYS 435 Computational Physics II (3 credits)
PHYS 451 Atmospheric Physics I (3 credits)
PHYS 452 Atmospheric Physics II (3 credits)
PHYS 453 Introduction to Atmospheric Radiation (3 credits)

Materials Physics track
PHYS 434 Advanced Quantum Mechanics (3 credits)
PHYS 471 Solid State Physics I (3 credits)
One course selected from:
PHYS 472 Solid State Physics II (3 credits)
PHYS 473 Computational and AI Methods in Materials Science (3 credits)

Quantum Information track
PHYS 361 Introduction to Quantum Computing (3 credits)
PHYS 434 Advanced Quantum Mechanics (3 credits)
PHYS 461 Quantum Information Physics (3 credits)

For further details, see the UMBC Undergraduate Catalog: Physics BS.

Contact Information:

Questions may be directed to Dr. Eric Anderson, Undergraduate Program Director, at andersoe@umbc.edu or 410-455-5823

Declaring or changing to the Physics major:

Students interested in declaring a major or minor should complete the Registrar’s Office Declaration/Change of Major Form.