Contents
Catalog Links

Major in Physics with Discipline-Specific Honors

Degree Requirements

Students who are pursuing a major in physics have the option of completing an honors program in the discipline. Students who are interested in this Honors program should refer to the general requirements for Discipline-Specific Honors (DSH) as well as the requirements for the program in physics below:

  • To apply for admission to the Physics DSH program students must
    • have at least a sophomore standing,
    • have a cumulative 3.5 GPA on 15 or more credit hours,
    • be enrolled in or have completed PHY 311, and
    • have at least three, and preferably four, semesters remaining in their undergraduate career.
  • Application should be made to the Chair of the Department of Physics and must be approved by the Department of Physics. Upon departmental approval, the application will be sent to the Honors Community leadership for final approval.
  • Physics DSH Students must complete all requirements for the major in physics. In addition, the student must complete DSH requirements established by the Honors Community.
  • Physics DSH students must complete 12 credit hours of honors-contract courses in physics: Physics Research (PHY 424 and PHY 425) plus three additional upper-division courses:
    • Three credit hours total must be obtained under an honors contract in the physics research courses (PHY 424 and/or PHY 425). The research must be done within an ongoing research project either at Union or at an off-campus research site. Research Experience for Undergraduates (REUs) are ideal for this requirement. Students must present a paper and a talk which will be evaluated by departmental faculty and must meet high standards of excellence. The department maintains a rubric for evaluating these. The research must be presented at the Union University Scholarship Symposium or its successor. The student must make a good faith effort to present the research at a regional or national meeting.
    • The remaining nine credit hours of upper-division honors contract must be above PHY 311 and have a minimum prerequisite of PHY 232.
    • Honors contract work will consist of writing a review article on a relevant topic, preparing and giving one or more presentations on relevant topics, completing additional homework of a particularly advanced and challenging nature, designing a physical or computational experiment for a course that does not include a lab component, or a similarly demanding project approved by the department.
    • PHY 498 (Seminar) may be taken for 3 hours of honors contact. Only honors students may take this course for more than 1 credit hour.
  • Physics DSH students must attend at least four regularly scheduled honors colloquia during each of the student’s junior and senior years. Students who are only in Physics DSH for three semesters must attend two colloquia per semester for an overall total of at least six colloquia. Within one week of attending a colloquium, the student will submit a short written summary and reflection paper to the student’s honors advisor.
  • A grade of C or below in any honors contract course will result in a student’s re-evaluation by the department. In the absence of extenuating circumstances, the department will typically dismiss the student from the program. If a student receives more than one B for honors contract classes, the department will assess whether the student should be allowed to continue the program.
  • To graduate with Discipline-Specific Honors in Physics, the student must have both a 3.5 cumulative GPA and a 3.5 Physics GPA.