In addition to the core coursework requirements, students must select one of the five sub-plans detailed below and complete the respective requirements.

This sub-plan is ideal for those students who want the strongest possible grounding in physics. It is designed to suit the needs of students who are interested in fundamental physics or astrophysics, applying physics to the workplace, or who are planning on continuing their physics education in graduate school.

Students who are interested in the practical application of physics to the engineering fields, but who would like a less specialized education that they would find in an engineering department, will find that this degree track provides them with a solid education. In addition to the strong physics core curriculum, students can either focus on one area of engineering or explore a broad range of interests across a number of engineering fields. Students who are interested in moving directly into industry as well as those who want to pursue a graduate degree in either engineering or physics will find this program valuable.

Note that CHEM 1061 and 1065, which are required for several of the engineering majors, are strongly recommended.

Students who are interested in entering the biological sciences or medicine will find this degree an attractive option. Physics applies to biology at all levels, from the basics of biosystems to biomedical engineering. This degree can be very useful to students who want to pursue a career in biomedical industry. It also provides a strong foundation for students interested in pursuing an advanced degree in biophysics, molecular biology, physiology, medical physics, biomedical engineering, or medical school. Combined with physics core curriculum this biological emphasis gives students powerful tools to achieve their goals.

When choosing the appropriate courses for the biology requirement students should consult with faculty who have expertise in these areas. PHYS 5401 and PHYS 5402 “Physics for Biology and Medicine” might be of particular interest to students interested in the direct application of physics to biology.

It is strongly recommended that the technical electives include PHYS 4911 “Introduction to Biopolymer Physics”. These are in addition to the courses listed above.

For students who are interested in teaching secondary school physics, this program offers a versatile broad-based education. It is particularly useful to students who are planning on teaching in Minnesota, as it has be optimized to fit well with the new state licensure procedures. And, should a student's needs or plans change, this program combined with the physics core curriculum also prepares him or her for a variety of other career tracks, including graduate study in physics.

A technical elective is any course in CSE or CBS at the 3XXX-level and above. Students who follow this degree track with the intent of continuing in physics graduate school are also strongly encouraged to take all four of the upper-division core courses: Phys 4001, 4002, 4101, and 4201. Up to 8 credits will be counted for completion of the introductory chemistry or biology requirements for the general science teaching license and one computer programming course at the CSCI 1xxx level will be counted. Note that courses used to satisfy liberal education requirements cannot be counted as technical electives.

Students following this option in preparation for secondary school teaching are strongly advised to participate in a program of voluntary secondary school teaching. Such experience (100 hours) is required for students wishing to enter the University of Minnesota College of Education Secondary School Graduate Program leading certification to teach. (See the Education Advising Office, Wulling Hall for information on how to meet this requirement). Early admission into this program is possible in the Junior year.

Students wishing to, in addition, obtain a 5-8 general science license will need:

• One year sequence in chemistry, with labs (8-10 credits): CHEM 1021-1022
• One year sequence in life sciences, with labs (8-10 credits): BIOL 1009 + any BIOL 2XXX, 3XXX, or 4XXX or BIOL 2002-2003 (meets CLE requirement of Biological Sciences)
• Two courses in earth sciences, with lab (8-10 credits): AST 1001, ESCI 1001 (meets CLE requirement of Environment)

This emphasis is ideal for students who seek a strong grounding in physics and the computational techniques used in physics research. Computational physics connects physics, computer science and applied mathematics to provide scientific solutions to realistic and often complex problems. Students who are interested in moving directly into industry as well as those who want to pursue a graduate degree in physics will find this program valuable.

A technical elective is any course in CSE or CBS at the 3XXX-level and above. The 1XXX-level CSCI programming courses in java and C++ are also accepted. AST 4101 / PHYS 4041 (Computational Methods), is strongly recommended. At least one of the electives must be a course emphasizing the application of computational methods, for example CHEM 4021 or AEM 5251.