• To become a physics major

CSE Students: Go to 105 Lind Hall. You will be given an application form to fill out. You can become an IT physics major after you have completed Physics 2503 or 2403H and a semester of Math beyond one of the introductory mathematics sequences (Math 1271-1272 or Math 1371-1372 or Math 1571H-1572H). Your GPA must be 2.0 or higher. All grades, including D's, F's and repeated course grades are included in the GPA calculation. Once accepted, you should see the Physics DUS for an advising appointment.

CLA Students: Go to 148 Physics and make an appointment to see the DUS. He or she will help you fill out a one-year plan, which you take to the Natural Sciences Student Community Office in B18 Johnston Hall. You can become a CLA physics major after you have completed either of the introductory physics sequences (Physics 1301W, 1302W or Physics 1401V, 1402V) and one of the introductory mathematics sequences (Math 1271-1272 or Math 1371-1372 or Math 1571H-1572H).

The normal time for application to become a physics major is the Spring Semester of the Sophomore year. After your application is accepted, you are considered to be an Upper Division student. You are then allowed to take 4000-level courses.

The normal time for application to become a physics major is the Spring Semester of the Sophomore year. After your application is accepted, you are considered to be an Upper Division student. You are then allowed to take 4000-level courses.

• To combine a physics major with a major in another field

To become a “double-major”, you first go through the usual procedure of becoming a major in one field, and then fill out a Petition to your College to be allowed to add the major in the other field.

• Advisors

When you first become a physics major, you will meet with the Department Director of Undergraduate Studies for an initial advising session. You will then be assigned an advisor from the physics faculty for the remainder of your college career. If you choose to follow the Engineering, Biological, Teaching or Computational Emphases (see below), you will be given an advisor who specializes in academic programs in these fields. You may choose an advisor other than the one assigned to you, if you have established a close working connection with another Physics faculty member. In any case, it is important that the DUS be notified if another faculty member becomes your adviser.

• The yearly registration process

You will register for Fall Semester courses during the previous Spring Semester. Before you can do this, you must fill out a One-Year Plan for the next academic year. Pick up the sheet in 148 Physics, and, at the same time, schedule a meeting with your advisor (who may be the DUS). At that meeting, he or she will check that your plan is consistent with your accomplishments so far, and with your plans for the future. After he or she has signed your One Year Plan, give it to the secretary in the outer office of 148 Physics, who will give you one copy and will retain the other two. Then you can proceed to register for classes for the next Fall Semester.

If you become a physics major during the Fall Semester, you should meet with the DUS to discuss your choice of classes for the coming Spring Semester.

If you are a double-major, you should discuss your One-Year Plan with the Directors of Undergraduate Studies in both your major fields.

• Writing Intensive Requirement

Students are required to take four writing intensive courses. These courses are in addition to freshman writing as currently required by various units. At least two of the four required writing intensive courses must be taken with the student’s major or program area. A list of writing intensive courses is given in the Class Schedule.

Satisfying the writing intensive requirement is relatively easy for Physics majors. The introductory physics sequences (Physics 1301W-1302W or Physics 1401V-1402V) are writing intensive, and so all students who take either sequence satisfy the lower-division part of the requirement. Physics 4052W is also writing intensive, and counts as the course taken within the student’s major. Thus, only one more writing intensive course is required, which must be at the 3000-level or above.

An exception is made for IT students who began their studies before Fall, 1999. They are exempt from the lower-division part of the writing intensive requirement. They only need the two courses at 3000-level or above, one of which is within the student’s major or program area. In other words, Physics 4052W plus one other upper-division writing intensive course is sufficient. Note that this exception is not available to CLA students.

• The graduation process

You can check your progress towards meeting all the graduation requirements by processing a copy of your APAS (Academic Progress Audit System) on line. A good description of this report, and the way to use it, is given in the Class Schedule. The APAS will give the professional physics emphasis by default, but the “what if” button will allow you to view requirements for other emphases. To actually have the emphasis show on your diploma, the student must register with 105 Lind Hall.

Before the beginning of the academic year in which you plan to graduate, schedule a meeting with your advisor. Bring your APAS report to the meeting. This will give you and your advisor an opportunity to review your current status, and to determine what you will need to do in the coming academic year to guarantee that all the graduation requirements will be met.

All graduating students must fill out and submit an Application for Degree form. You can get one at 200 Fraser Hall, 130 Coffey Hall, 130 West Bank Skyway, or from the One Stop web site, Academics link. Application deadlines for each graduation are published in the Class Schedule, the University Calendar and on the One Stop web site.

• CLA Students: Submit your application to 49 Johnston Hall. If everything is satisfactory, you will receive a congratulatory postcard. Otherwise, you will be notified that there is a problem. In this case, consult the DUS. Commencement ceremonies are held in December and May. Commencement information may be found on line at: www1.umn.edu/twincities/commencement/index.php

• IT Students: Submit your Application for Degree to the Registrar’s office, 200 Fraser Hall. The Office of the Registrar will notify IT of your intent to graduate. IT will send a letter advising you to check your APAS report to make sure that you have completed (or have in progress) all courses needed for your degree. Your APAS report may indicate that you have not satisfied one or more of the requirements for a degree even though you have. If you are choosing an emphasis other than “professional physics”, you will need to register this fact with 105 Lind Hall so that the official APAS reflects the appropriate requirements. If there is still a problem bring the APAS to your faculty advisor. If the APAS is incorrectly interpreting course or transfer credit, or the requirements for graduation, he or she will write a note detailing the mistake and giving departmental approval for graduation. Bring the notated APAS to 148 Physics so that a copy can be made for Department records. You then take the report back to 105 Lind Hall to obtain final IT approval. An IT graduation ceremony is held once a year, in the spring. If you plan to attend the ceremony, fill out the Commencement Ceremony Form, that will be mailed to you in April, and return it to 105 Lind Hall.

• Undergraduate research opportunities

One of the advantages of attending a major research university such as the University of Minnesota is that many of the faculty are conducting interesting and important research programs, in which undergraduate students have the opportunity to participate. You can get information about these programs by talking to students that you know who are already involved in them, or by referring to the Physics Department web site (www.physics.umn.edu). Once you have identified a program in which you would like to work, you should talk to the faculty member who directs it to find out about current openings for student help. There are several possibilities for financial aid associated with undergraduate research participation:

1. The research program may have funds that can be used to pay undergraduate helpers.
2. UROP. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program offers a stipend (up to $1400) and/or an expense allowance (up to $300) to undergraduates for research, scholarly, or creative projects undertaken in partnership with a faculty member. These awards are made on the basis of proposals submitted by students, usually prepared in consultation with the research supervisor. Further information is available from the UROP office, 325 Johnston Hall.
3. REU. Research Experiences for Undergraduates is a summer program under joint sponsorship of the University of Minnesota and the National Science Foundation. Students apply by submitting a proposal prepared in conjunction with, and endorsed by, a potential faculty summer-mentor, to Professor Serge Rudaz.

• Combining Quarter-based and Semester-based courses

The University Senate has passed the following declaration:

The Senate confirms that in general each degree-seeking student enrolled at the University prior to September 1999 shall neither be disadvantaged nor advantaged due to the change from a Quarter system to a Semester system.

If you began your study while the Quarter system was in effect, you will probably want to combine Quarter-based and Semester-based courses on your degree program. If your Quarter-based courses are nearly sufficient to satisfy the degree requirements, you will probably choose to submit a Quarter-based program, and to include Semester-based courses by listing their Quarter-based equivalents. On the other hand, if you have taken relatively few Quarter-based courses, then you will probably prefer to submit a Semester-based program, and include your Quarter-based courses by listing their Semester-based equivalents. In either case, you can find the necessary Quarter-Semester equivalencies in the Semester Transition Course Catalog and its Supplement, referred to below.

• Sources of information

Almost any information you need concerning University of Minnesota academic policies can be obtained from the following documents:

The Undergraduate Catalog contains information about general university policies, and descriptions of the degree requirements of the various IT and CLA programs. Individual course offerings are listed, together with their prerequisites and summaries of their contents.

CSE publishes a document called CSE Student Undergraduate Program Information. It presents, in a very concise format, information that will enable you to get the most benefit out of your student experience.

• The Fall and Spring Class Schedules. These contain the times and places of the actual course offerings, and the schedules of final examinations. They also contain other valuable information. For example, the Class Schedule gives a very full account of the use of the APAS report of your academic progress, and a complete listing of the Liberal Education requirements. You can also find information on registration requirements, tuition and fees, and building locations.
• Fall and Spring Course Guides. These contain descriptions of individual courses that are usually more detailed than those given in the University Bulletin.

• Web sites:

The Physics website contains much information about the Undergraduate and Graduate programs of our Department, and about its faculty. The Class Pages are used extensively by instructors to disseminate information to their students (syllabus, homework assignments, solutions, etc.).

CSE Advising has information about Academic Advising for the College of Science and Engineering.

If none of the above sources has the answer to your question, your next step might be to make an appointment to talk to the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS). Fill out a request sheet in Room 148, stating the kind of information or service you require, and the times when you would be able to meet with the DUGS. For information more directly related to College policies, you could go directly to the College offices (105 Lind Hall for IT or 114 Johnston Hall for CLA).