UG Advisor: Thomas Gredig

This page is helpful in planning the course schedules for an undergraduate physics B.S. degree; CSULB offers the following degrees:

If you are Physics B.S. major, use the following schedule:

Advising Appointment

You can schedule an appointment through CSULB BeachConnect after reading this useful and updated information in the following list:

  1. Upper-division (UD) physics courses are highly hierarchal; make sure to take PHYS 310 first, then in Spring: PHYS 350 and PHYS 340A
  2. Take 6 units of PHYS UD electives: PHYS 390, PHYS 415, PHYS 422, PHYS 434, PHYS 470, PHYS 465, PHYS 491A. After discussion, one elective could be: PHYS 495 colloquium (1 unit) + 2x PHYS 496 (1 unit) of independent research with a faculty. This elective provides flexibility with your weekly schedule and is available in any semester. The form for PHYS 496 needs to be filled out with your research advisor.
  3. Add CSULB Physics Group on LinkedIn
  4. Add [CSULB Physics on X](https://x.com/CSULBPhysics
  5. Join CSULB Physics Society of Physics Students (SPS)
  6. Join CSULB Women in Physics Organization
  7. Join the CSULB AstroClub
  8. Meet your peers in the Physics Study Lounge on the second floor of HSCI
  9. Join the Physics Colloquium on Monday at 11am (first meeting has important information on scholarships, etc)
  10. Apply to any of the major scholarships available to physics majors, some are aimed at juniors and seniors: CalBridge, METRIC, Physics Scholarships, apply early Spring through Beach Scholarship.
  11. Apply for an REU Summer Program at the end of your sophomore year, applications are due in Dec through Mar.
  12. Write your Personal Statement of Purpose, include who you are, what you are interested in, what skills, preparation you have, explain your goals.
  13. Apply for a Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI)
  14. Check out the CNSM Summer Research Experience Page
  15. Apply to CalTech Amgen Scholarship
  16. APS Women in Physics Group Grants and APS Conference for Undergraduates or participate in the APS FWS conference on the APS Calendar
  17. For any physics-related (conference, workshop) travel, please submit the Travel Forms at least 4 weeks before your trip; make sure to discuss travel with your research advisor well before your planned trip.

Transfer Credits

If you have taken a course at a community college or elsewhere, then use assist.org to check the equivalency to transfer the units. Once your transfer credits have been added to your CSULB account, you can request an equivalency from me via email.

Please provide the undergraduate physics advisor the following information with your request:

  • Transfer Course: PHYS A285
  • College: Orange Coast College
  • Semester: Spring 2021
  • CSULB Course Equivalence: PHYS 254

UD PHYS Laboratory

For the Physics, B.S., you take one upper-division 400-level laboratory course, see B.S. degree. The following courses are offered, I added the tentative semester:

  • PHYS 445 (Fall 2024)
  • PHYS 448 (Spring 2025)
  • PHYS 446 (Fall 2025)
  • PHYS 447 (Spring 2026)

Graduation

Read the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) Information

Check your course requirements for graduation by selecting “Academic Requirements Report” (ARR), see how to use your Academic Requirement Report.

You can transfer up to 70 units from CC and for the B.S. degree, the minimum will be 120 units with additional graduation requirements.

GE Approved Courses:

To search for courses that meet the General Education areas, use the “Search” functionality, see Search Course Functionality.

UD Electives

Switching Major

See the University Limitations on Switching Majors

Double Major

You can double major in physics and broaden your future job opportunities. This is particularly viable for students majoring Mathematics, Chemistry, or Engineering as these fields have many common interests. For timely graduation, you would generally add a Physics B.A. degree by adding at least 4 UD physics courses (PHYS 310, PHYS 320, PHYS 350, and PHYS 340A) and using 4 more physics-related UD courses (as discussed with the physics undergraduate advisor) to complete the second program degree.

If you would like to add a Physics, B.A., please email the phundergraduate physics advisor and request a “double major”, or second major addition. It is important to add the program as early as possible, so that a plan compatible with the timely graduation policy can be made.

GE electives

If you need to fulfill a specific GE requirement, such as “U.S. History”, you can find available GE courses by going to the “Student Center” -> “Search” -> “Additional Search Criteria” -> select “General Education Requirement” from Course Attribute, then select “GE AREA: U.S. History”, or whatever you need to fulfill. A list of courses are presented, you can narrow the search to specific days, etc.

Prepare for Ph.D. and M.S. programs

Check whether a Ph.D. is the right pathway by exploring career options for physics Ph.D.

Physics PhD Programs with Waived Application Fee:

Internships

Workshops

Readings

Careers and Jobs

Salaries

You can find typical CSU graduate’s salaries at CalState Pays.