Academic Catalog - Virginia Military Institute Admissions

physics CURRICULUM
Physics is the study of the basic laws that describe all natural
phenomena, and it is often instrumental to the development of
new technologies. At VMI dedicated faculty mentors help cadets
develop strong analytical reasoning, laboratory, computational,
and technical communication skills. They also provide our
majors with the opportunity to combine skills developed in their
coursework with the creativity needed to solve real-world problems
in independent research projects in pure and applied physics.
Mathematics is an integral part of the study of physics, and
it is essential for students to come with strong mathematics skills
to successfully pursue the physics major. While the physics
curriculum is rich in applied mathematics, it is also a wellbalanced
program with many opportunities to develop hands-on
laboratory and computer programming skills and to probe the
relationship between experiment and mathematical theory that
is the hallmark of physics.
The physics curriculum is a flexible curriculum that provides
an excellent opportunity for the development of intellectual
breadth while also building strong scientific and technical skills.
Our degree programs offer a generous complement of electives,
allowing cadets to obtain one or more minors or even to double
major in select cases. This flexibility allows each cadet to point the
degree along the career path that they wish to pursue. Historically,
physics has been a very marketable degree that graduates use
to follow a wide range of career paths in the military, industry,
and in education.
Our B.S. physics degree program offers solid training for many
technical career paths or for graduate study in physics and other
closely allied technical fields. In addition to the core curriculum
requirements, it includes 15 credit hours of free electives, 6 credit
hours of humanities and social science electives, and 12 hours
of technical electives.
Our B.S. in physics with a concentration in nuclear energy is
specifically designed to prepare students for work in the nuclear
power industry, the Navy’s NUPOC program, or for graduate
study in Nuclear Engineering. It includes 12 credit hours of
free electives, 6 credit hours of humanities and social science
electives, 6 credit hours of technical electives, and 6 credit hours
of physics electives (at the 300 or 400 level).
Our B.A. physics degree program is well suited to the
student who wants to major in physics but who also has strong
interests in the humanities or social sciences. The B.A. degree
program is also designed to allow those cadets interested in
teaching physics at the high school level to work toward teacher
certification while they complete their physics degree. With 21
credit hours of free electives, the B.A. option allows a cadet to
pursue a second area of study in depth, and it is expected that
some of the free elective hours will be used to obtain a minor or
to pursue a double major. There are also 9 hours of technical
electives and 9 hours of physics electives (at the 200, 300, or
400 level). Finally, cadets pursuing the B.A. are required to meet
a four semester foreign language requirement or demonstrate
equivalent proficiency.
The department houses a generous complement of wellequipped
classrooms, teaching laboratories and faculty research
laboratories. The teaching laboratories include two general
physics laboratories, an electronics and interfacing laboratory,
an optics laboratory, and a modern physics laboratory. The
department has a small accelerator and nuclear physics laboratory
in the basement of Mallory Hall, and the VMI Observatory, a short
drive from Post, has a 20-inch reflecting telescope and an array
of smaller telescopes that are used in our astronomy courses
and for faculty and cadet research projects.
Faculty conduct research with cadets in laboratories devoted
to organic thin film device fabrication and characterization,
laser physics and fiber optics, solid state and gas phase laser
spectroscopy, and astronomy. Every cadet who completes the
degree program will work one-on-one or in a small group with a
faculty mentor on a research project.
Cadets majoring in physics and the fulltime physics faculty
form a close-knit academic community in which cadets can
pursue a deeper understanding of the physical world while also
preparing for a broad array of career paths.
MINOR IN PHYSICS
A minor in physics is offered to cadets who desire to
complement their major area of study with additional work in
the field of physics. The requirements that must be satisfied are
as follows:
1. General Physics Sequence
PY 160, PY 161, PY 155, and PY 156
2. Modern Physics
PY 335 Modern Physics I
3. At least 9 additional hours of courses are required. Those
courses must be selected from the following: AT 306, PY
253W, PY 254, PY 308, PY 333W, PY 334, PY 341, PY
342, PY 344, PY 336, PY 441, PY 446, PY 453, PY 257,
PY 459, PY 460.
4. A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in all courses required
for the minor.
A cadet who wishes to apply for the physics minor must do
so prior to the spring semester of the Second Class (junior) year.
Contact the head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy
for details.
MINOR IN ASTRONOMY
A minor in astronomy is offered to cadets who desire to
complement their major area of study with additional work in
the field of astronomy. The student must complete the following
courses:
PY 160-161 and PY 155-156
AT 201 - The Solar System
AT 204 - Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe
AT 301 - Observational Techniques
AT 306 - Introductory Astrophysics
A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in all courses required
for the minor.
68