Honours Program in Physics

(78 credits)

Students entering this program for the first time should have high standing in mathematics and physics. In addition, a student who has not completed the equivalent of MATH 222 must take it in the first term without receiving credits toward the 78 credits required in the Honours program. Adding MATH 222 will change your course sequencing, see the Program Flowchart.

To graduate with an Honours degree, a student must have, at time of graduation, a CGPA of at least 3.0 in the required and complementary courses of the program, as well as an overall CGPA of at least 3.0.

Do not hesitate to consult with the Undergraduate Advisor for program advising.

See the Foundation Physics requirements and the specific program requirements and regulations on the eCalendar.

Honours Program Map

Entering Honours without MATH 222 Calculus 3

Transition from Major to Honours after U1

U1 Required Courses (27 credits)

MATH 247 (3) Honours Applied Linear Algebra

MATH 248 (3) Honours Advanced Calculus

MATH 249 (3) Honours Complex Variables

MATH 325 (3) Ordinary Differential Equations

PHYS 241 (3) Signal Processing

PHYS 251 (3) Honours Classical Mechanics 1

PHYS 257 (3) Experimental Methods 1

PHYS 258 (3) Experimental Methods 2

PHYS 260 (3) Modern Physics and Relativity

U2 Required Courses (21 credits)

MATH 475 (3) Honours Partial Differential Equations

PHYS 253 (3) Thermal Physics

PHYS 350 (3) Honours Electricity and Magnetism

PHYS 351 (3) Honours Classical Mechanics 2

PHYS 357 (3) Honours Quantum Physics 1

PHYS 362 (3) Statistical Mechanics

PHYS 457 (3) Honours Quantum Physics 2

U3 Required Courses (3 credits)

PHYS 352 (3) Honours Electromagnetic Waves *

* PHYS 342 Majors Electromagnetic Waves may be substituted for PHYS 352 Honours Electromagnetic Waves with written permission of an advisor.

Complementary Courses (27 credits)

3 credits selected from:

PHYS 359 (3) Honours Laboratory in Modern Physics 1

or PHYS 469 (3) Honours Laboratory in Modern Physics 2

6 credits selected from:

PHYS 359 (3) Honours Laboratory in Modern Physics 1**

PHYS 459D1 (3) Honours Research Thesis

and PHYS 459D2 (3) Honours Research Thesis

PHYS 469 (3) Honours Laboratory in Modern Physics 2**

PHYS 479 (3) Honours Research Project

** Students cannot take both PHYS 359 and PHYS 469 to meet this requirement as one of them is needed to meet the previous requirement above.

18 credits selected from:

PHYS 404 (3) Climate Physics

PHYS 432 (3) Physics of Fluids

PHYS 434 (3) Optics

PHYS 479 (3) Honours Research Project

PHYS 512 (3) Computational Physics with Applications

PHYS 514 (3) General Relativity

PHYS 519 (3) Advanced Biophysics

PHYS 521 (3) Astrophysics

PHYS 534 (3) Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

PHYS 551 (3) Quantum Theory

PHYS 557 (3) Nuclear Physics

PHYS 558 (3) Solid State Physics

PHYS 559 (3) Advanced Statistical Mechanics

PHYS 562 (3) Electromagnetic Theory

PHYS 567 (3) Particle Physics

or other 3-credit course approved by the Department of Physics

Physics Major students may enter the Honours program after their first year if they have passed all of the following courses with a C or better, and obtained a GPA of 3.5 or better in these courses:

MATH 222 (3) Calculus 3

MATH 223 (3) Linear Algebra

MATH 314 (3) Advanced Calculus

MATH 315 (3) Ordinary Differential Equations

PHYS 230 (3) Dynamics of Simple Systems

PHYS 232 (3) Heat and Waves

PHYS 241 (3) Signal Processing

PHYS 257 (3) Experimental Methods 1

PHYS 258 (3) Experimental Methods 2

The written permission of an adviser is required for this change of program.