Mar 29, 2024  
2020/2021 University Catalog 
    
2020/2021 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Physics


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Undergraduate Information

Natural Science

OFFICE: Physics 131
TELEPHONE: 619-594-6240
WEBSITE: http://physics.sdsu.edu

Faculty

Emeritus: Dowler, Feher, Fisher, Goldberg, May, Roeder, P., Wallace
Professor: Kimbrough (Geological Sciences)

The Major

The physical science major is offered as an interdisciplinary approach to the study of science. It stresses the interrelationship of physics with chemistry, geology, astronomy, biology, and mathematics. The major is designed primarily for students who intend to become single subject teachers of both interdisciplinary science and physics.

One of the requirements for acceptance into the College of Education’s post-baccalaureate credential program is to pass the appropriate California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET). Completion of the physical science major provides excellent academic training for students who plan to teach integrated science at the middle or high school level and physics at the high school level. It provides the breadth and depth required to pass the general science and physics CSET.

In addition to completing the major and passing the CSET, all candidates for a Single Subject Teaching credential at San Diego State University must complete the requirements outlined in the catalog under Teacher Education or Dual Language and English Learner Education. Contact the School of Teacher Education or the Dual Language and English Learner Education department for up-to-date information on prerequisites.

Impacted Program

The physical science major is an impacted program. To be admitted to the physical science major, students must meet the following criteria:

  1. Complete preparation for the major;
  2. Complete a minimum of 60 transferable semester units;
  3. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

To complete the major, students must fulfill the degree requirements for the major described in the catalog in effect at the time they are accepted into the premajor at SDSU (assuming continuous enrollment).

Major Academic Plans (MAPs)

Visit http://www.sdsu.edu/mymap for the recommended courses needed to fulfill your major requirements. The MAPs website was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and to identify which General Education course will also fulfill a major preparation course requirement.

Physics

OFFICE: Physics 131
TELEPHONE: 619-594-6240 / FAX: 619-594-5485
E-MAIL: physicsinfo@sdsu.edu
WEBSITE: http://www.physics.sdsu.edu

Faculty

Emeritus: Burnett, Cottrell, Day, Feher, Goldberg, Lilly, Oseroff, Papin, Piserchio, Roeder, S., Shackelford, Shore, Sweedler, Wallace, Wolter
Chair: Sinha
Professors: Davis, Johnson, Sinha, Torikachvili, Weber
Associate Professors: Anderson, Baljon, Tambasco
Assistant Professors: Kuznetsova, Navarro Perez, Nollett, Sundqvist
Lecturers: Chalmers, Leduc, Mardirossian

The Major

The study of physics is considered the foundation of modern science. It has fascinated the finest minds of every age - from Newton to Maxwell, Einstein, Bohr, Schroedinger, Oppenheimer and Schwinger. The study of this diverse field encompasses such areas as optics, electricity, magnetism, the properties of the solid state, atomic structure, nuclear structure, motion, relativity, space and time. Physics also plays a significant role in chemistry, biology, astronomy, and geology, and in the applied sciences of engineering and technology.

Students who become physics majors will be selecting a rewarding and vital career. The great burst of activity during the last 20 years has instilled a new excitement in physics. For example, the invention of the laser in the late 1950s revolutionized the field of optics. These advances stimulated whole new areas in physics applications. Superconductivity has led to the search for a high-temperature superconductor so that electrical power might be transmitted without loss; quantum mechanical tunneling has led to the tunnel diode; and solid state physics brought about the transistor and its successors.

The career opportunities for physics graduates are as diverse as the field itself. They include research and development; management or administration in industrial laboratories or government agencies; technical sales; electronic design; laser instrument research; and secondary teaching.

Impacted Program

The majors in the Department of Physics are impacted. To be admitted to one of the majors in the department, students must meet the following criteria:

  1. Complete preparation for the major;
  2. Complete a minimum of 60 transferable semester units;
  3. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

To complete the major, students must fulfill the degree requirements for the major described in the catalog in effect at the time they are accepted into the premajor at SDSU (assuming continuous enrollment).

Major Academic Plans (MAPs)

Visit http://www.sdsu.edu/mymap for the recommended courses needed to fulfill your major requirements. The MAPs website was created to help students navigate the course requirements for their majors and to identify which General Education course will also fulfill a major preparation course requirement.


Graduate Information

OFFICE: Physics 131
TELEPHONE: 619-594-6240
WEBSITE: http://physics.sdsu.edu

General Information

The natural science program offers advanced coursework in natural science and science education. Graduate courses in natural science and science education may be used to fulfill requirements for advanced degrees in other departments with the approval of the student’s graduate adviser. For information on master’s and doctoral programs see Mathematics and Science Education.

OFFICE: Physics 131
TELEPHONE: 619-594-6240 / FAX: 619-594-5485
E-MAIL: physicsinfo@sdsu.edu
WEBSITE: http://www.physics.sdsu.edu

Faculty

Usha S. Sinha, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, Chair of Department (Director of Medical Physics)
Fridolin Weber, Ph.D., Albert W. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Physics, Associate Chair of Department (Graduate Adviser)
Jeffrey A. Davis, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, Director of Electro-Optics Program
Calvin W. Johnson, Ph.D., Professor of Physics
Milton S. Torikachvili, Ph.D., Professor of Physics
Matthew E. Anderson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics [Senate Distinguished Professor]
Arlette R.C. Baljon, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics
Mauro Tambasco, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics
Lyuba P. Kuznetsova, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics
Rodrigo Navarro Perez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics
Kenneth M. Nollett, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics
Kyle Sundqvist, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics

Associateships

Graduate teaching associateships in physics are available to a limited number of qualified students. Application blanks and additional information may be secured from the chair of the department.

General Information

The Department of Physics offers graduate study leading to the Master of Arts degree in physics, the Master of Science degree in physics, and the Master of Science degree in medical physics.

The Master of Arts degree emphasizes broad training and intensive coursework. This is a non-thesis program designed to lead the student to a comprehensive final examination. Specific courses, in both pure and applied physics, are chosen to complement the background of the individual student and achieve the desired educational goals. The program is designed to provide students with university-level teaching experience and access to community college teaching positions.

The Master of Science degree emphasizes research experience in a chosen specialty. It is designed to augment the student’s undergraduate training with a core curriculum of advanced courses, then followed by a period of research and preparation of a thesis. Thesis topics are encouraged in both pure and applied areas of physics. The program is designed to provide students with university-level teaching experience and access to community college teaching positions.

Modern experimental laboratories are available for student and faculty research in the areas of modern optics, holography, optical properties of solids, laser physics, solid-state physics, nuclear magnetic resonance, electron paramagnetic resonance, atomic physics, solar energy, nuclear, medical and health physics, and image processing. Theoretical programs are available in condensed matter physics, electricity and magnetism, laser physics, nuclear and  astrophysics.

The Master of Science degree in medical physics is designed to train physicists in the use of radioactive materials and radiation- producing devices such as those used in hospitals and related medical facilities, colleges and universities, industry, public health services, nuclear power installations, the military, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The program emphasizes techniques of radiation dosimetry, and instrumentation in addition to the fundamental physics of radiation production and protection.

Admission to Graduate Study

Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee.

All applicants must submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to the Department of Physics.

Graduate Admissions

The following materials should be submitted as a complete package directly to:

Graduate Admissions
Enrollment Services
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7416

  1. Official transcripts (in sealed envelopes) from all postsecondary institutions attended;

    NOTE:
  • Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
  • Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree. If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
  1. GRE scores (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682);
  2. English language score, if medium of instruction was in a language other than English (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682).
Department of Physics
Master of Arts Degree in Physics
Master of Science Degrees in Physics
Master of Science Degree in Medical Physics

The following materials should be mailed or delivered to:

Department of Physics
(Attention: Graduate Adviser)
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-1233

  1. Letters of reference (two or three);
  2. Application for teaching associate position or graduate assistantship (if desired).

Master of Arts Degree and Master of Science Degree in Physics

Admission to the Degree Curriculum

All students must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the university with classified graduate standing, as described in Admission and Registration . In addition, the undergraduate preparation in physics must have substantially satisfied the undergraduate requirements for the bachelor’s degree in physics. (Refer to the General Catalog for a description of these majors.) If the student’s undergraduate preparation is deficient, he/she will be required to take courses for the removal of the deficiency. These courses are in addition to the minimum of 30 units for the master’s degree.

Advancement to Candidacy

All students must satisfy the general requirements for advancement to candidacy, as stated in Requirements for Master’s Degrees , and satisfactory completion of PHYS 604 , PHYS 606 , PHYS 608 , and PHYS 610A .


Imperial Valley

Faculty

Emeritus: Roeder

Programs

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