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Department of Physics and Astronomy

Undergraduate Students

This page contains useful resources for undergraduate students regarding coursework, research, and career options.

Program information

The physics Major Map provides a layout of required courses in the Physics B.S. program, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation. Be advised, this major map is only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework, course selection, and planning for each semester.
Here are the Major Maps for the different emphases:

Research opportunities 

We highly recommend and encourage our undergraduate students to get involve in research at any stage in their undergraduate program. Please explore the research currently in our Department organized by fields of study.  The faculty members conducting the relevant research are listed under each field along with a link to their webpage with contact information.  Interested students can reach out to express interest by email or in person. 

The Undergraduate Research page provides additional information on how to find a project and/or faculty mentor to work with as well as internal funding and award opportunities. Furthermore, students are encouraged to check out and apply to the National Fellowships and Scholar Programs.

Above and beyond

The USC chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) exists to help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community, as well as aid in students navigating the physics curriculum. Every week SPS hosts Power Hour, where students can come together to work on their physics assignments and get and give help between each other, and Tea Times, where students can take a break from their heavy course loads and decompress with game nights, movie nights, and physics experiments. Please check out the SPS page for more information on how to join.

The following two links provide information on career options for a Physics B.S. degree and how it can be relevant beyond graduation: 


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