The Materials
Physics program is designed to enhance the academic and professional
possibilities of USF students, furthering the University's mission of
educating leaders who will make a societal difference. It seeks to
prepare USF students for positions in the high-technology sector of the
global economy. As the modern world escalates its dependence on
technology, and as the commercial world continues to make inroads into
university settings, a proper response from the University of San
Francisco is to prepare students of Ignatian values to enter and
positively affect the realm of high technology.
This Physics track is nearly unique in American academia,
with its emphasis on modern advanced commercial materials, and drawing
from several scientific areas, include Computer Science and Chemistry.
This program includes real-life training in industry settings and is
supported locally at USF by a heavy infrastructure made possible by a
grant from the prestigious Fletcher-Jones Foundation.
Program Objectives
In addition to the general goals of the Physics Major, the
Bachelor of Science in Materials Physics is designed to provide USF
students with a comprehensive education in the Natural Sciences that
will meet the following specific goals:
- Prepare students for careers in high technology by
providing relevant training and coursework.
- Prepare students with a strong scientific foundation
so that they will be able to follow the technological advances to come.
- Prepare interested students for graduate-level work
in Materials Science, Condensed Matter Physics, or Physical Chemistry.
Requirements
Physics Courses
- PHYS - 110 General Physics I
- PHYS - 210 General Physics II
- PHYS - 240 Modern Physics
- PHYS - 215 Electronics
- PHYS - 371 Methods of Mathematical Physics
- PHYS - 340 Optics
- PHYS - 320 Electromagnetism
- PHYS - 330 Quantum Mechanics
- PHYS - 341 Upper-Division Laboratory I
- PHYS - 342 Upper-Division Laboratory II
- PHYS - 299 Directed Research for Advanced
Undergraduates (2 credits required) or
- PHYS - 399 Directed Research for Advanced
Undergraduates (2 credits required)
- PHYS - 350 Physics Colloquium (1 credit required)
- PHYS - 333 Solid State Physics
- PHYS - 450 Advanced Materials
Note: In addition to the required courses, students on this
track will be required to do an industry internship in the summer
following their junior year.
Required Math Support Courses (MSC) - 12 credits
- Three (3) courses in Calculus and Analytical Geometry
Other Support Courses (8 credits)
- CHEM - 111 General Chemistry I
- CS - 110 Introduction to Computer Science I
Outside of Major Required Courses (OMRC)
College Requirements (for Science Students) -
- Foreign Language I and II
Recommended Elective Courses for Materials
Physics:
- PHYS - 301 Computational Physics
- PHYS - 310 Analytical Mechanics
- PHYS - 312 Statistical and Thermal Physics
Comparison of Materials Physics Track to Typical
Physics Major
The Materials Physics track differs from the typical Physics
track in several ways. Materials Physics students are required to take
the following courses that standard Physics students do not have to
take: Solid State Physics, Electronics, Advanced materials, General
Chemistry I, and Computer Science I. On the other hand, the students in
this track are not required to take the following courses that are
typically required in the Physics major: Statistical and Thermal
Physics, Computational Physics, and Analytical Mechanics.
Another important difference in this track is the appearance
of an internship for the Materials Physics students in the summer
following their junior year.
