Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Contact: Cynthia S. Galovich, Ph.D., Department Chair
Location: Ross Hall 0232
Telephone: 970.351.2961
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/physics-astronomy
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
This concentration gives graduates excellent preparation for graduate school in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Physics, and for employment in industry and research laboratories.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Program Requirements:
- A research project, completed in PHYS 470, is required for all concentrations except secondary teaching. HON 451 may be substituted for PHYS 470.
- A 2.0 GPA or better is required in PHYS prefix courses for graduation.
- In accordance with University Policies, coursework earned more than 10 years prior to the date of matriculation to UNC may not be used to satisfy any major or minor requirements. Any exception to this policy is at the discretion of the academic program.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the 87 required major credits.
Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
SCI 291 (3) is recommended to fulfill the Intermediate Writing Course requirement.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
MATH 131 (4) and MATH 132 (4) are recommended to fulfill the Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
CHEM 111 (4), CHEM 111L (1), and PHYS 240 (5) are recommended to fulfill the Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 87-91 credits
Take all of the following courses:
3. University-Wide Credits — 0-2 credits*
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for this degree at UNC; for this degree, that will typically be 0-2 credits.
*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.