Course Catalog
The Lehigh University Catalog lists degree requirements, rules for graduation, and other policies and procedures affecting students at Lehigh University. The University normally updates the Catalog on an annual basis, to reflect changes in course descriptions, degree programs, and academic guidelines. Most policies and procedures, aside from degree requirements, are governed by the language in the current Catalog.
Please refer to the catalog entries for physics and astronomy for detailed information about each course offering before you go browsing for classes.
Course Syllabi
We provide an archive of all recent physics syllabi where you can find provide more information and details about each of the courses offered by the department.
Overview of undergraduate course offerings
Basic physics courses such as PHY 10, 11, 13, and 21 give a quantitative introduction to physical laws and concepts that are essential when working in many areas, from chemistry, to biology, to numerous engineering fields.
PHY 31 and multiple 100-level courses then provide introductions to quantum mechanics, relativity (PHY 142), and examples of applications (PHY 120, 122) of the physics learned in lower-level courses. PHY 151 give students important mathematical, computational, and research skills useful for higher level courses and independent research projects.
Further courses at the 200 level and above go deeper into the same physics that was introduced in lower-level courses (PHY 215, Classical Mechanics, or PHY 340, Thermal Physics; PHY 212-213, Electricity and Magnetism), and then cover important new material (PHY 362 and 369, Quantum Mechanics), or other more advanced topics. Students with sufficient preparation may be able to take graduate-level courses (numbered 400 and above).
Some of these more advanced courses can be taken by students majoring in other fields to augment their expertise in specific topics or to develop the skills needed for a position in a particular area, for example, by taking PHY 362 and/or 369 (Quantum Mechanics) when interested in a career in quantum information science.
Physics majors who follow the whole program may go on to graduate school in physics, often earning the Ph.D. degree. These graduates take university or college faculty positions, or work on research in a variety of university, government, or industrial laboratories. Other physics majors find employment immediately after the bachelor’s degree, in many different fields that value the problem-solving abilities and background of physics students.
Students may also use the physics major as an excellent preparation for graduate study in many other scientific areas, such as optical engineering, biophysics, astrophysics, geophysics, materials science, or engineering areas such as nuclear engineering, electronics, mechanical engineering, and quantum information sciences.
Lehigh offers three undergraduate degrees in physics and two undergraduate degrees in astronomy or astrophysics. The Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Physics and the Bachelor of Science in Physics are offered through the College of Arts and Sciences. The B.A. allows for more free electives and requires fewer credit hours for graduation, while the B.S. requires more credit hours in physics and mathematics. The third physics degree, the Bachelor of Engineering Physics, is offered through the P. C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. The Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Astronomy and the Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics are offered through the College of Arts and Sciences and are described in the Astronomy and Astrophysics section of the catalog.
There are also several five-year, dual-degree programs involving physics: The Arts-Engineering program (see the Arts-Engineering section of the catalog), a combination of the bachelor of science program in the College of Arts and Sciences with electrical engineering, and a combination of electrical engineering and engineering physics (see the Electrical Engineering and Engineering Physics section of the catalog). This Bachelor of Science in engineering physics in the College of Engineering and Applied Science requires an engineering concentration in either solid state electronics or optical sciences, in addition to regular physics and mathematics courses.