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	Physics Undergrad Program • Admission & Graduation • B.A. Requirements     • B.A. Typical Program • B.S. Requirements     • B.S. Typical Program • B.S./Sec. Ed. Cert. Reqmts     • B.S./S.E.C. Typical Prgm • Physics Honors Program • Minor Requirements • Physics Course Descriptions SIUE Undergraduate Catalog

Undergraduate Admission
and Requirements

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Entering the Physics Program

High-school students who plan to major in Physics should complete at least three years of college preparatory mathematics (two years of algebra and one year of geometry) before entering the University.  A fourth year of college preparatory mathematics (to include trigonometry) and one year of physics and chemistry are strongly recommended.

Admission to a degree program in Physics requires an application for a major and acceptance by the department.  To be admitted, students already enrolled in the University must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in science and mathematics courses completed as well as a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher in all courses taken at SIUE.  Transfer students should have a 2.0 grade point average in science and mathematics courses as well as a 2.0 average in courses taken at other colleges and universities.

A student who has not yet declared a major and wishes to enter the a Physics degree program must initiate paperwork with Academic Advising.  A student who is changing his/her declared major from another area to Physics must initiate the paperwork with the Physics Department.  In either case, it would be advantageous for students who are thinking about going into Physics to contact the Physics Department early on, to make sure that all of the courses can be taken without unnecessary delays in graduation.

Once admitted, students are formally affiliated with the department and assigned a faculty adviser.  Advisement is mandatory; major are permitted to register each term only after their Course Request Forms have been approved by a departmental adviser.  Because the study of science is progressive, students are encouraged to select their major field of study early in their academic careers to ensure orderly progress toward meeting the degree requirements.

Academic Standards

Students should show satisfactory academic progress to be retained in a degree program.  Students may be dropped from the program for any of the following circumstances:

1. A grade point average of 1.0 or below in any term;
2. A cumulative grade point average below 2.0 in Physics at any time;
3. Withdrawals, incompletes, and a combination of failing grades in 50% or more of the courses for which the student is registered during two successive terms;
4. Any combination of three withdrawals, incompletes, or failing grades in any single required course in the Physics program.

For readmission after being dropped, a student must meet the same admission requirements as when entering the program for the first time.

Graduation Requirements

The following requirements must be met in order to obtain a degree in physics:

1. Earn a minimum of 124 hours of acceptable credit with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher;
2. Complete the minimum number of credit hours required for a particular degree;
3. Complete at least 12 hours of SIUE credit in Physics courses numbered above 299 with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above;
4. Earn a GPA of 2.0 or above in all Physics courses numbered above 299;
5. Complete at least 6 hours of credit in Physics courses numbered above 299 earned at SIUE within 2 years preceding graduation.

Duplicate credits of several types are not applicable toward graduation requirements: credit hours earned (through proficiency, transfer, CLEP, or from a course) after credit has been received for similar or more advanced course work in the same subject at SIUE or elsewhere.