Academics at MBC
Major/Minor Course Requirements
Students desiring to major or minor in physics will take one or more physics
courses at our consortium school,
Washington and Lee. Students wishing to apply to the consortium
must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3.
Please contact Dr. Ankney (Perozzo) for
more information about the major. To apply to the consortium, see Nancy
Keaton in the registrar's office.
For MBC physics course descriptions, click here.
For W&L course descriptions, click here for physics and math.
Requirements for a Physics Major*
| Course # (sh) | Course Title | Location | Prerequisites |
| Required of all majors: | |||
| PHYS 201 (4) | General Physics I | MBC | MATH 211 (or co-req) |
| PHYS 202 (4) | General Physics II | MBC | MATH 212 (or co-req) |
| PHYS 209, 210 (4) | Modern Physics & Lab | MBC, W&L | PHYS 202 |
| PHYS 321 (4) or Phys 240 |
Physical Chemistry I Thermodynamics |
MBC W&L |
PHYS 202, CHEM 111 |
| Physics 215 (4) | Optics | W&L | PHYS 202, W&L Phys 225 |
| Physics 220 (3) | Electricity and Magnetism | W&L | PHYS 202, W&L Phys 225 |
| Physics 230 (3) | Newtonian Mechanics | W&L | PHYS 201 |
| Physics 340 (3) | Quantum Mechanics | W&L | PHYS 210, W&L Math 332 |
| 400,401 (6) | Senior Research | MBC | Senior standing |
| MATH 211 | Intro to Calc I | MBC | |
| MATH 212 | Intro to Calc II | MBC | MATH 211 |
| MATH 301 | Multivariable Calc I | MBC | MATH 212 |
| MATH 302 | Multivariable Calc II | MBC | MATH 212 |
| MATH 306 | Ordinary Differential Equations | MBC | MATH 212 |
| Plus TWO of the following: | |||
| CHEM 111 (4) | Chemical Principles | MBC | |
| CHEM 112 (4) | Organic Chemistry ! | MBC | CHEM 111 |
| CS 200+ (3-4) | Any 200+ level Computer Science | MBC | |
| Plus ONE of the following: | |||
| PHYS 207 (4) | Electric Circuits | MBC, W&L | PHYS 202, W&L Phys 225 |
| Physics 208 (3) | Electronics | W&L | PHYS 207 |
| Physics 315 (3) | Nuclear Physics | W&L | PHYS 210, MATH 212 |
*Note that a MATH minor requires 18 credits at the 200 level
or higher, including 211, 212, 231, 252 (excluding 213).
The math requirements for a physics major (211, 212, 301, 302, and 306) add
to 17 credits, 14 of which can be applied
to the Math Minor, which means only two additional math courses are required
(231 Discrete Math Structures and 252
Problem Solving Seminar).
You CAN complete a minor on-campus. Requirements for a Physics Minor: 22-24 credit hours:
| Course # (sh) | Course Title | Location | Prerequisites | Year you should take it |
| Required of all minors: | ||||
| PHYS 201 (4) | General Physics I | MBC | MATH 211 (or co-req) | F or Soph |
| PHYS 202 (4) | General Physics II | MBC | MATH 212 (or co-req) | F or Soph |
| PHYS 207 (4) | Electric Circuits | MBC | PHYS 202 | Soph or later |
| PHYS 210 (3) | Modern Physics (no lab requirement) | MBC, W&L | PHYS 202 | Soph or later |
| PHYS 395 (1) | Physics Seminar | MBC | PHYS 202 | J or Sr |
| Plus any TWO of the following: | ||||
| PHYS 321 (4) | Physical Chemistry I | MBC | CHEM 111, PHYS 202 | Soph or later |
| PHYS 277 (number TBD*) | Materials Science | MBC | PHYS 202 and CHEM 112 | Soph or later |
| Physics 215 (4) | Optics | W&L | PHYS 202 | Jr or Sr |
| Physics 220 (3) | Electricity and Magnetism | W&L | PHYS 202 | Jr or Sr |
| Physics 230 (3) | Newtonian Mechanics | W&L | PHYS201 | Jr or Sr |
| Physics 315 (3) | Nuclear Physics | W&L | PHYS 210, MATH 212 | Jr or Sr |
| Physics 340 (3) | Quantum Mechanics | W&L | PHYS 210 | Jr or Sr |
Note that no more than 7 hours (8 if there are only two courses) may be applied
to both a major and a minor. For example,
a Math major can apply PHYS 201/202 towards both a major in math and a minor
in physics. A chemistry major can apply
PHYS 201/202 but NOT PHYS 321 (cross-listed as CHEM 321) to a physics minor.
*Materials Science was offered as a colloquium (PHYS 277) during the Spring
2006. It is still under development,
but will be taught as needed.
