Physics
The physics curriculum is designed to develop a strong foundation in classical and modern physics, which will serve as a basis for future specialization, for additional study at the graduate level, and for design and development work in industrial laboratories. The curriculum emphasizes basic physical concepts, and includes extensive work in mathematics and related areas. Laboratory facilities are available for work in optics, acoustics, X-ray diffraction, nuclear physics, and solid-state physics. Course topics included in the curriculum are Many Particle Physics, Physical Optics, Biophysics, Biomedical Optics, Theoretical Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Celestial Mechanics, Acoustics, Microsensors, Semiconductor Materials and Devices, X-rays and Crystalline Materials, Electro-Optics, and Laser Physics.
The Physics program places an emphasis on laboratory courses with a hands-on approach. The students have the opportunity to take a variety of courses in disciplines such as math and chemistry allowing them to tailor their education. The Physics curriculum is flexible enough that one can double major in computer science, mathematics, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. National interest in our program has been generated by our basic physics courses that use new methodologies of teaching such as studio format lectures.
We have a wide range of research programs accessible to undergraduates including areas such as: Astronomy, Solid State Devices, Electro-optics, Non-linear Optics, X-ray absorption, Semiconductor Materials and Devices, Magnetics, Chaos, Lasers, Fiber Optics, Holography, Microsensors. In addition, we are very successful in placing our students in summer internship positions with various research facilities such as NASA, Argonne National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, and CSPAAR.
PHYSICS
SUMMARY OF GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS FOR PHYSICS MAJORS
- All the courses listed above by the number.
- The program must be approved by the advisor.
- Twelve credits of physics courses, besides those listed by number. At least two of these credits must be directed research (PH290 or PH490) with at least one credit of PH490.
- Twenty credits of technical electives of which at least eight must be in courses other than physics courses (cannot include ECE340).
- Cross reference for the following courses:
ECE340 and ECE341 for PH316 and PH317
ES202 and ES204 for PH235 - Sixteen credits of free electives (cannot include ECE340).
- Thirty-six credits of humanities or social sciences courses. The distribution of these courses must meet the requirements of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.
- A technical elective is any RHIT course in biology, biomathematics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, or physics.
- A free elective is any course offered at RHIT.
| Course by Subjects | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Physics Course work Physics Electives* Chemistry and Mathematics Course work** Mathematics Electives*** Humanities and Social Science (Standard requirement) Technical Electives† Free Electives†† Miscellaneous and OE450††† Total |
56 12 35 8 36 20 16 9 192 |
|
| *Listed below are the PH elective courses, from which a physics major is required to take 12 hours. | ||
| Course | Course Title | Hours |
| PH 215 PH 231 PH 241 PH 250 PH 265 PH 270 PH 290 PH 302 PH 310 PH 315 PH 322 PH 402 PH 404 PH 407 PH 410 PH 440 PH 460 PH 470 PH 480 PH 490 PH 497+ PH 498+ PH 499+ PH 512 PH 514 PH 530 PH 537 PH 538 |
Introduction to Chaos Intro to Astronomy and Astrophysics Physics of Stars Planets and Galaxies Fundamentals of Nuclear Physics Special Topics in Physics Directed Research Biophysics Intro to Relativity Theoretical Mechanics II Celestial Mechanics and Solar Introduction to Atomic Physics Acoustics Solid State Physics General Relativity X-rays and Crystalline Materials Directed Study Directed Research Seminar Directed Research Senior Thesis Senior Thesis Senior Thesis Methods of Mathematical Physics Quantum Mechanics Advanced Acoustics Advanced Image Processing Introduction to Neural Networks |
2 4 4 4 4 Arranged Arranged 4 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Arranged Arranged Arranged Arranged Arranged Arranged Arranged 4 4 4 4 4 |
| +Students wanting to pursue the Senior Thesis option must find a faculty advisor (from the Physics and Optical Engineering Faculty) by the Fall Term of their Senior Year. At that time, the thesis topic should be decided and the research plan developed. Students in the thesis option should enroll in Senior Thesis courses for each of the three terms of their Senior Year for a total number of 8 credit hours over the three quarter sequence. Students working on a Senior Thesis will present their thesis near the end of the Spring Term of their Senior Year. | ||
**Math and Chemistry Courses: |
||
| Course | Course Title | Hours |
| MA 111 MA 112 MA 113 MA 211 MA 212 MA 371 CHEM 111 CHEM 113 Total |
Calculus I Calculus II Calculus III Differential Equations Matrix Algebra and Systems of Differential Equations Linear Algebra General Chemistry I General Chemistry II |
5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 35 |
| ***Listed below are the mathematics elective courses, of which a physics major must choose two, or have the consent of the advisor to take any other mathematics courses. | ||
| Course | Course Title | Hours |
| MA 336 MA 330 MA 367 MA 433 |
Boundary Value Problems Vector Calculus Functions of a Complex Variable Numerical Analysis |
4 4 4 4 |
| †Twenty credits of technical electives are required for a physics major, of which at least eight must be in courses other than physics courses (cannot include ECE340). | ||
| ††A physics major may take sixteen credit hours of free electives, which may include any of the electives mentioned above or any other course offered at RHIT. | ||
| †††Miscellaneous Courses | ||
| Course | Course Title | Hours |
| CLSK 100 EM 104 OE 450 Total |
College and Life Skills Graph Comm. Laser System and Applications Computing Elective |
1 2 4 2 9 |
The course requirements and advisors for Minors in Physics, Astronomy, Solid State Physics/Materials Science, and Optical Engineering are listed below. Successful completion of an minor is indicated on the student’s grade transcript. A student interested in pursuing an minor should consult with the appropriate advisor.
Minor in Physics
Eligibility: Students in any major degree program except for Physics and Engineering Physics
Advisors: all Physics and Optical Engineering faculty members.
| Required courses: | ||
| Course | Course Title | Hours |
| PH 314 PH 325 |
Theoretical Mechanics I Advanced Laboratory I |
4 4 |
| Plus 12 credit hours from the following courses: | ||
| Course | Course Title | Hours |
| PH 270/470 PH 290/490 PH 292* PH 310 PH 315 PH 316** PH 327 PH 401 PH 410 PH 460 |
Special Topics in Physics † Directed Research † Physical Optics Introduction to Relativity Theoretical Mechanics II Electric and Magnetic Fields Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics Quantum Mechanics General Relativity Directed Study † |
ARR ARR 4 2 4 4 4 4 4 ARR |
|
† A maximum of 4 credit hours total from PH270/470, PH290/490, and PH460 may be counted towards the area minor. *Students majoring in Optical Engineering may not count PH292 for the minor requirements. Such students may substitute here any PH course numbered 300 or greater which is not a named requirement for the OE major. **ECE340 may be substituted here for students who take it as part of their major degree requirements. |
||
A Minor Completion Form must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office in order for the Area Minor to be posted on your official transcript. The forms are available in the Physics and Optical Engineering Departmental Office, CL106.
Minor in Astronomy
Eligibility: Students in any major degree program
Advisors: Drs. Ditteon, Duree, Kirkpatrick, McInerney and Syed
Required Courses
| Course | Course Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PH 231 | Observational Astronomy | 2 |
| PH 241 | Physics of Stars | 4 |
| PH 250 | Planets and Galaxies | 4 |
|
It is recommended, but not required, that the required courses be taken in the order listed above. Plus eight hours of: |
||
| PH 270 | Special Topics in Physics | 2 |
| PH 310 | Introduction to Special Relativity | 2 |
|
PH 322 PH 410 |
Celestial Mechanics General Relativity |
4 4 |
| PH 460 | Directed Study | 1 |
| PH 470 | Special Topics in Physics | 2 |
| PH 290/490 | Directed Research | 1 |
The optional courses must be on a topic approved by one of the astronomy advisors.
Normally, only one credit of directed research or directed study is taken each quarter. Directed study and directed research may be repeated (4 hours maximum) and must be on a topic approved by one of the astronomy advisors.
In order to have the area minor posted to your transcript you must submit an area minor completion form to the registrar. Forms are available in the Physics and Optical Engineering office.
Minor in Solid State Physics/Materials Science
Eligibility: Students in any degree program, except students who are working for the Semiconductor Materials and Devices Certificate.
Advisors: Dr. Bunch, Dr. McInerney, Dr. Moloney, Dr. Siahmakoun, Dr. Syed, Dr. Wagner
| Required courses: | ||
| Course | Description | Hours |
| PH 405 | Semiconductor Materials and Applications | 4 |
| EP 406 | Semiconductor Devices and Fabrication | 4 |
| ME 328/CHE 315 | Materials Engineering/Material Science & Engineering | 4 |
| Plus at least two of: | ||
| Course | Description | Hours |
| OE 360 | Opto-mechanics and Optical Materials | 4 |
| EP 330 | Material Failure | 4 |
| PH 407 | Solid State Physics | 4 |
| EP 408 | Microsensors | 4 |
| PH 440 | X-Rays and Crystalline Materials | 4 |
| PH 490/ME 490 | Directed Research | 4 |
| ME 408 | Heat Transfer | 4 |
| ME 417 | Advanced Materials Engineering | 4 |
A Minor Completion Form must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office in order for the Area Minor to be posted on your official transcript. The forms are available in the Physics and Optical Engineering Departmental Office, CL106.
Minor in Optical Engineering
Eligibility: Students in any degree program, except Optical Engineering.
Advisors: Drs. Bunch, Ditteon, Duree, Granieri, Joenathan, Lepkowicz, Siahmakoun, Wagner, F. Berry, and Black.
| Required courses: | ||
| Course | Description | Hours |
| OE 280 PH 292 OE 295 |
Paraxial Optics Physical Optics Optical Systems |
4 4 4 |
| Plus at least two* courses from one of the areas listed below: | ||
| Lens Design Area | ||
| OE 360 OE 415 OE 480 OE 490 |
Optical Materials and Opto-mechanics Optical Engineering Design I Lens Design and Aberrations Directed Research (4 Credits Only) |
4 4 4 4 |
| Photonics/Electro-optics Area | ||
| Course | Description | Hours |
| OE 360 OE 415 OE 450 OE 485 OE 490 OE 493 |
Optical Materials and Opto-mechanics Optical Engineering Design I Laser Systems and Applications Electro-optics and Applications Directed Research (4 Credits Only) Fundamentals of Optical Fiber Communications |
4 4 4 4 4 4 |
| Image Processing Area | ||
| Course | Description | Hours |
| OE 360 | Optical Materials and Opto-mechanics | |
| OE 415 OE 490 |
Optical Engineering Design I Directed Research (4 Credits Only) |
4 4 |
| OE 437/ECE 480 Introduction to Image Processing PH 537/ECE 582 Advanced Image Processing |
4 4 |
|
A Area Minor Completion Form must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office in order for the Area Minor to be posted on your official transcript. The forms are available in the Physics and Optical Engineering Departmental Office, CL106.
Minor in ECE
Eligibility: Only students in Physics and Optical Engineering
Advisors: Physics and Optical Engineering faculty and Electrical and Computer Engineering faculty
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 203 Required ECE 204 Required |
DC Circuits AC Circuits |
4 4 |
| ECE 205 ECE 300 ECE 310 ECE 380 |
Dynamical Systems Continuous-Time Signals and Systems Communication Systems Discrete-Time Signals and Systems |
4 4 4 4 |
To see the complete list of optional courses available for this minor, please see the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Minor Listing. Taking courses other than the ones listed here may require the student to take additional courses to fulfill the prerequisites for the other courses.
A Minor Completion Form must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office in order for the Area Minor to be posted on your official transcript. The forms are available in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Departmental Office.
Also, see Certificate Program in Semiconductor Materials and Devices.
You may view all information regarding Physics and Optical Engineering at our website: https://www.rose-hulman.edu/academics/academic-departments/physics-and-optical-engineering/index.html
Plan of Study
NOTES:
* Computing elective: 2 or 4 credit course on computing from the following course: BIO 100, CHE 110, CSSE 120, and ME 123. CSSE 120 is required for physics majors who are planning to double major with CSSE, CPE, EE, MA, and ME
†Free, Math and technical electives are only suggestions and can change subject to offering. Electives must be approved by PHOE advisor.