The program is designed to give students a solid foundation in physics to prepare them for work in the field or a physics graduate program.
Welcome to Physics @ Berkeley! We look forward to connecting with you to discuss the major. We recommend looking over the information on this page and check out this physics major map for an overview of the physics major. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Undergraduate Major Advisors: Kathleen Cooney at kathleen.cooney@berkeley.edu and Nitin Srivastava at nitin.srivastava@berkeley.edu
Physics 5 and 7 series are designed to give a potential physics major a solid foundation in physics for upper division coursework.
Completing Advanced Placement courses or exams in physics is not considered sufficient preparation for upper division work in physics; therefore, the Department does not waive the Physics 5 or 7 series requirement. The Physics 5 Series (5A, 5B/BL, 5C/5CL) is considered the honors series, and is recommended for students who have completed the Math 1A and Math 1B requirement and have high school Physics experience. The Physics 7 Series (7A, 7B, 7C) sequence also prepares students for upper division coursework, and is recommended for students who did not have calculus and physics exposure during high school.
The Physics Major lower division requirements are as follows:
Intended majors must complete each course for a letter grade, with a C- or higher. Physics prerequisites must be completed with a 2.0 grade point average in the prerequisites and a 2.0 grade point average in all University courses.
*Specific scores on AP Calculus, IB, and A-level exam(s) can be used to replace Math 1A and/or Math 1B according to the Math Department's "High School Exam Credits" guidelines found here
**Please note that Math N53 will not be accepted.
***Math 54 can count toward the Physics 89 for Math Double Majors only.
The Physics 5 series does not directly align with the Physics 7 series. It is possible to switch from the 5 series to the 7 and vice versa but doing so will require mapping assistance with a Physics Advisor, and possibly a number of additional courses to close topic gaps. Consult with Physics Advisors for assistance.
Physics 89 is required for Physics majors. The only exceptions are students who are planning a double major with Math and Physics may use Math 54 in lieu of Physics 89. All other double majors and minors are required to complete Physics 89. Transfer students may satisfy the requirement with a Math 54 equivalent at their transferring institution, though Physics 89 is still recommended (even if taken P/NP) to provide sufficient math preparation for upper division physics courses. Transfer students admitted prior to completion of a Math 54 equivalent will be required to complete Physics 89 at UCB.
Physics 77 is strongly recommended because it covers Python and other programming skills that are useful (and even necessary) for physics research. Python in particular shows up in Physics 105, Physics 111B, and Physics 112 (required courses), and also in Physics 129 and Physics 188 (optional electives). Therefore, if you don't end up taking Physics 77, we recommend that you learn Python via the Astro 98 Python DeCal, occasional SPS coding bootcamps, online resources (e.g., here), and/or by seeking support from our designated Python tutor each semester. Codings skills are also valuable to learn if you are considering industry after graduating since coding is an in-demand skill.
The Physics Major has eight upper division required courses:
Physics students may take the upper division physics courses in a variety of sequences, as long as course prerequisites are observed.
The following list is one possible four year sequence of required courses in the physics major; keep in mind that all University and L&S requirements must also fit within this program. We strongly suggest that most, if not all University and L&S requirements be completed prior to declaring. Consult the L&S requirements page or meet with an L&S advisor for more details regarding the University and L&S requirements.
First Semester, Freshman: Math 1A*
Second Semester, Freshman: Math 1B, Physics 5A or 7A
First Semester, Sophomore: Math 53**, Physics 5B & 5BL or 7B, Physics 77
Second Semester, Sophomore: Physics 89, Physics 5C & 5CL or 7C
First Semester, Junior: Physics 137A, 110A
Second Semester, Junior: Physics 137B, 105
First Semester, Senior: Physics 111A, 112 or Elective
Second Semester, Senior: Physics 111B, 112 or Elective
*Specific scores on AP Calculus exam(s) can be used to replace Math 1A and/or Math 1B according to the Math Department's "High School Exam Credits" guidelines found here.
**Please note that Math N53 will not be accepted.
The physics major is a challenging program. It is important for students to request assistance and discuss major plans with an advisor. Assistance and resources are available!
All grades for courses used for the major must be passing grades (C- or better). An overall minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in courses applied to the major program.
The Physics Department does not permit time conflicts for any undergraduate students and will not approve override requests.
The Physics Department will not perform manual discussion section switches for students; we do not have the resources to accommodate these requests. Students must use CalCentral to perform the switch on their own.
If a student wants to change their discussion section for a course that has a waitlist we recommend they proceed with extreme caution, as their original enrollment does not guarantee them a spot in a different discussion section that is already full. If they try to switch to a full discussion section, the system will move them from enrolled to waitlisted; staff are not able to manually fix this for them. If the new discussion section is open, the switch will not impact their enrollment, but it’s difficult for students to tell if there is truly space in a discussion section based on how CalCentral currently shows open seats.
Students may declare a physics major when all of the prerequisites (lower division requirements) for the major have been completed. The Department will consider applications to declare a physics major throughout the academic year. Please submit your request to declare the physics major here . Please read all instructions on the form carefully. You can use this form to submit requests to declare the physics major, add the physics major to an existing major, add another major to the physics major, or to change your major to the physics major. Requests take up to three weeks to process. Your major advisor will email you with any questions and with additional information after your paperwork has been reviewed.
Undergraduate advisors are available to help students with related questions and concerns:
Please feel free to email Kathleen Cooney at kathleen.cooney@berkeley.edu and Nitin Srivastava at nitin.srivastava@berkeley.edu
Please note: L&S students with 75 or more semester units must declare a major or run the risk of having their registration for the following semester blocked by the College.
The undergraduate major program in physics is under the jurisdiction of the College of Letters and Science (L&S) and is subject to the rules and regulations of the College in addition to the University. Each academic year L&S publishes an announcement covering topics from A.B. requirements, grading regulations to withdrawing (and applying for readmission). The ultimate responsibility of completing requirements to graduating within the parameters set by the University, College and Department rests with the student. Consult L&S Advisors or the L&S Double Majors and Simultaneous Degrees page for any questions or additional information.
The Department also offers a minor program in physics. Students may petition for the minor in physics only after they have completed all lower division required courses for the minor program. Please read the section on the Minor for more information.
Students may petition for the minor in physics only after they have completed all lower-division required courses for the physics minor. Students must declare the minor no later than the last day of classes (i.e. Friday of RRR week) in the semester before their expected graduation term. To petition, you must complete this minor declaration form and send it to their major advisor. S tudents with last names A-L can send their form to Nitin Srivastava (nitin.srivastava@berkeley.edu), and students with last names M-Z can email Kathleen Cooney (kathleen.cooney@berkeley.edu).
The Physics lower division requirements are as follows:
Intended minors must complete each course for a letter grade, with a C- or higher. Physics prerequisites must be completed with a 2.0 grade point average in the prerequisites and a 2.0 grade point average in all University courses.
*Specific scores on AP Calculus, IB, and A-level exam(s) can be used to replace Math 1A and/or Math 1B according to the Math Department's "High School Exam Credits" guidelines found here.
**Please note that Math N53 will not be accepted.
***Math 54 can count toward the Physics 89 for Math Double Majors only.
Note: Transfer students may satisfy the Physics 89 requirement with a Math 54 equivalent at their transferring institution, though Physics 89 is still strongly recommended (even if taken P/NP) to provide sufficient math preparation for upper-division physics courses. Transfer students admitted prior to completion of a Math 54 equivalent will be required to complete Physics 89 at UCB.
All upper-division physics courses must be taken for a letter grade (thus Physics 100, H190, 198 and 199 will not count toward the minor program). A minimum of three upper-division courses must be completed at Berkeley. All grades for courses used for the minor must be passing grades (C- or better). An overall minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in upper-division courses applied to the minor program.
