Physics (Minor)

Program Summary

The mission of the physics faculty is to ensure academic excellence while demanding integrity and building self-esteem in our students. Our mission is met through the following:

• The Learning Environment - to provide students with quality, current, comprehensive, rigorous courses of study; to develop successful students by stimulating curiosity and instilling a lifelong love of learning. To develop within the students: communication, creative, analytic information gathering, and processing skills.
• The Faculty - to develop excellence in teaching by fostering the pedagogical development of our faculty, and to promote excellence within the faculty through involvement in scholarly activities, discovery in our respective fields, and service to the university and the communities of southern Utah.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Understanding the nature of science, nature of physics, and physics concepts.
• Mathematical, modeling, problem solving, laboratory, computational, and informational skills.
• Scientific communication and research ability.

Program Information

• All courses must be passed with a “C” (2.0) or better to be counted in the minor.
• All prerequisite courses must be passed with “C” (2.0) or better.
• Courses greater than 10 years old will not be accepted in the minor.
• Some courses are taught every other year or as needed. Consult your Student Success Advisor for scheduling help.

Program Prerequisites

The Department of Physical Science strongly recommends that students complete the following courses as part of their General Education  requirements, as they are prerequisites for required major courses. Students who do not complete these courses as part of General Education can potentially add additional credits and time to their degree.

• MATH 1210 - Calculus I * (can be used to fulfill General Education Quantitative Literacy)

* Note: Students who are not prepared for this math course may need additional math credits/preparation. Please consult your Student Success Advisor for more information.

Additional Prerequisites

The following courses are not General Education, but may be required by the program in order to enroll in more advanced courses:

• MATH 1220 - Calculus II  (prerequisite for MATH 2250)
• MATH 2250 - Linear Algebra and Differential Equations  (prerequisite for EE 2250  & EE 2255 )