Academic Support
Advisors in the Department of Physics provide academic advising to students majoring or minoring in physics. If you have questions about academic deadlines, course selection, degree requirements, or need general major advice, we are here for you!
Quick Links
Meet your academic advisor
Advising Appointments
Is this your first year at ASU?
First-year students (not including online students) receive advising support in Armstrong Hall.
Current sophomore to senior Tempe students and ALL ASU Online physics majors
Schedule an advising appointment by logging into My ASU and navigating to Academic Support Team > Academic Advising.
In-person appointments will take place at Bateman Physical Science F-wing, Room 470.
*First semester ASU Online students must complete a pre-advising course before scheduling an appointment. If you have not received a link to enroll, email physics.undergrad@asu.edu. Students may be asked to reschedule if the pre-advising course is not completed.
Prospective students
If you are not yet admitted to ASU or have questions regarding our degrees, please email our department to schedule an appointment. Contact us at physics.undergrad@asu.edu
Academic Forms
Physics Course Override
Students that need an override to register for a physics course offered by The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Department of Physics does not provide overrides for physics courses at Polytechnic or West.
Additional override resources:
Physics Course or Instructor Grievance
Please complete this form if you are experiencing issues or have a concern regarding a physics course or instructor.
Enrollment Change Request
This form is used when adding, dropping, swapping, or withdrawing from a course after the add/drop deadline. Please send completed form and instructor permission to physics.undergrad@asu.edu. Instructor permission/signature may be obtained by email and forwarded to our office.
Credit Overload Request
To be considered for an overload(19+), you must meet the following requirements:
- Complete a full term at ASU before the overload term
- Be in good academic standing and meet GPA requirements (see form)
- Not repeating a course in overload term
Submit completed petition to physics.undergrad@asu.edu. Your request will be reviewed within 5 business days. Requests for 25+ credits will have their petition sent to The College for review.
Comprehensive Examination
Students wanting to test out of PHY 121 or PHY 131 need to complete the Comprehensive Examination request. PHY 122 and PHY 132 (labs) must be taken and are not included in the comprehensive exam.
Third Time Repeat Petition
For majors within The College that need to retake a course for a 3rd time. Third-time repeats are not guaranteed to be approved, the unit expects students to complete their major requirements in a timely manner. Fourth-time repeats will not be considered.
Incomplete Grade Request
Students requesting a grade of "Incomplete" may initiate the process by submitting this form to their instructor. Students should speak with their instructor before submitting form to determine if they are eligible.
Honors Thesis Registration
The Department of Physics offers PHY 492 (thesis prep) and PHY 493 (thesis defense) for physics majors conducting their honors thesis with a physics faculty member.
Faculty Honors Advisor: Ralph Chamberlin, ralph.chamberlin@asu.edu
Resources to help guide you
Academic advisors are here to help you every step of the way, but we encourage students to take ownership of their academic journey. Use these resources to help understand the ins and outs of being on course for graduation and beyond.
Graduation Audit and Major Map
Understanding your Graduation Audit and Major Map is essential! Students should review their Degree Audit Report at least once a semester and before each advising appointment.
University and College Requirements
Credits
- 120 hours - Students must complete at least 120 credit hours. Please be aware that even though you may be done with your major course requirements you may still need additional elective credits. Be sure to check your degree audit to see how many credits you have remaining.
- 45 upper division hours - Upper division are the 300-499 level classes. You will complete most of the 45 upper division hour requirement with your general studies and major requirements. The remaining upper division hours will be fulfilled by elective credits.
General Studies
- SQ and SG: Natural Sciences - completed by major requirement (PHY 150 and PHY 151 OR PHY 121/PHY 122 and PHY 131/PHY 132)
- Mathematics - completed by major requirement (MAT 270 or MAT 265)
- Literacy and Critical Inquiry (L), 6 credits required
- 1 lower division (100-299)
- 1 upper division (300-499).
- Note: if your degree requires PHY 334 Advanced Laboratory 1, your upper division L will be met by this major requirement.
- Humanities, Arts and Design (HU) and Social and Behavioral Sciences (SB), 15 credits required
- 3 credits of upper division HU OR SB
- 6 credits of HU
- 6 credits of SB
- Awareness Areas - these courses can be paired with Literacy and Critical Inquiry(L), Humanities, Arts and Design (HU), Social Behavioral Sciences (SB), and Science and Society
- Cultural Diversity in the United States (C)
- Global Awareness (G)
- Historical Awareness (H)
College Requirements
GPA - All The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students must have at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) in order to graduate with their degree.
Science and Society - The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students in pursuit of a BS degree need to earn 6 credits of science and society with a C or better. These can be shared with any General Studies course.
- 1 upper division (300-499)
- 1 upper OR lower division (100-499)
Second language - The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences students in pursuit of a BA degree must complete the second language requirement.
4+1
Students obtaining a physics BS may be eligible for an accelerated program in Materials Science and Engineering. Click the link below to learn more about the 4+1 Physics BS to Materials Science and Engineering MS pathway. Students should plan to submit their application in April for a fall start. Interested students may email physics.undergrad@asu.edu to determine their eligibility and for the application link.
4+1 in Materials Science and Engineering
To be eligible students must meet the following criteria:
- Are in the process or have completed PHY 311
- Have earned or are in the process of earning 90 credits
- Have a 3.5 ASU Cumulative GPA