Academic
Catalog August 2009 - August 2010 Undergraduate
and Graduate
Some courses may not be offered every year. Check with the college or department office for current information about when specific courses are offered.
For course syllabi, see the departmental website.
PHY 520 APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL PHYSICS (3)
Application of classical mechanics, electricity, and magnetism. Includes central force fields, boundary value problems, and electrostatics in the presence of matter. Prerequisites: satisfactory completion of undergraduate classical mechanics, electricity, and magnetism.
PHY 530 APPLICATIONS OF MODERN PHYSICS (3)
Covers fundamentals of atoms and molecules in a radiation field and techniques in spectroscopy. Prerequisite: satisfactory completion of undergraduate quantum mechanics or instructor's consent.
PHY 540 MODERN ELECTRONICS AND INSTRUMENTATION (3)
Analysis of electronics found in modern instrument systems and experience in using electronic instruments. 2 hrs. lecture, 1 hr. lab. Prerequisite: satisfactory completion of undergraduate electronics or instructor's consent.
PHY 550 COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS (3)
Computational methods in physics: proprietary software (such as Maple); numerical differentiation and integration in physics; differential equations in electromagnetism, chaos, and quantum mechanics; Monte Carlo methods in scattering. Pass-fail or letter grade. Course fee required. Prerequisite: CS 123 and MAT 239 or higher
PHY 560 APPLIED OPTICS (3)
Design and analysis of optical systems, including imagers, spectrometers, and detectors. Prerequisite: satisfactory completion of undergraduate optics or instructor's consent.
PHY 570 TECHNIQUES IN MATERIALS ANALYSIS (3)
Physics of and techniques used to study the physical and chemical properties of materials. Describes technological applications. Instructor's consent required.
PHY 575 APPLICATIONS IN FUNDAMENTAL ASTROPHYSICS (3)
Fundamentals of modern astrophysics, current techniques and applications. Prerequisites: Undergraduate courses in classical mechanics and modern physics, AST 280 or equivalent, or instructor's consent.
PHY 580 TECHNIQUES IN OBSERVATIONAL ASTRONOMY (3)
Acquisition and reduction of modern astronomical data, emphasizing imaging, photometry, and spectroscopy. 1 hr. lecture, 6 hrs. lab. Prerequisites: satisfactory completion of undergraduate modern physics and appropriate undergraduate observational astronomy course, or instructor's consent.
PHY 585 MODERN ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTATION AND TECHNIQUES (3)
Principles of optics, statistics, semiconductor physics, and electronics as applied to the detection of light. Topics include: radiant energy; signals and noise; detectors; techniques for imaging, photometry, polarimetry and spectroscopy. Prerequisite: Bachelor's degree in physics, astronomy or related field. Undergraduate curriculum must have included the full physics sequence, calculus sequence, and electricity and magnetism. Letter grade only.
PHY 589 CONTENT ENHANCEMENT FOR TEACHERS (1-6)
This course acts as a mechanism for teachers to enhance their content knowledge by taking needed undergraduate courses by arranging for an individually negotiated form of an independent study and completing an additional teaching application assignment equaling 30% of the final course grade. Department consent required. Letter grade only.
PHY 590 PHYSICS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM (3)
Focuses on the physics that structures the solar system-its formation and evolution. Instructor's consent required.
PHY 593 PUBLIC SCHOOL IN-SERVICE WORKSHOP (1-3)
Topical instruction involving exchange of ideas, practical methods, skills, and principles. Normally you may count up to 6 hours of 593 toward your graduate program. Pass-fail only.
PHY 599 CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENTS (1-3)
Examines recent trends and investigations in a selected area of a particular field of study. May be offered no more than three times before being submitted for a permanent course number. May be repeated for credit. Letter grade only.
PHY 600 ADVANCED TOPICS IN PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY (1-3)
May be repeated for up to 12 hours of credit. Instructor's consent required.
PHY 608 FIELDWORK EXPERIENCE (1-12)
Supervised field experience in an appropriate agency, organization, or situation. May not exceed 12 hours of credit. Pass-fail only. Department consent required.
PHY 685 GRADUATE RESEARCH (1-6)
Letter grade or pass-fail. Department consent required.
PHY 697 INDEPENDENT STUDY (1-3)
Letter grade or pass-fail. Department consent required.
PHY 698 GRADUATE SEMINAR (1-3)
Letter grade or pass-fail. Department consent required.
PHY 699 THESIS (1-9)
Individualized directed research, writing, and oral defense of selected thesis topic. May be repeated as needed. Instructor's consent required. Prerequisite: Admission to master's program.