Graduate Physics & Astronomy Courses
Physics and Astronomy graduate students should consult the following resources to determine which courses to take for specific tracks, and to plan a four-year curriculum:
Courses in Physics and Astronomy are listed below.
- Course IDs link to the catalog description on TOPNET.
- Course types are: Lec=Lecture, Lab=Laboratory, L+L=Lecture and Laboratory, Sem=Seminar, and Ind=Independent Study.
- Separate lecture and laboratory courses that must be taken together are listed together, even if the course numbers are not in order.
- Timings of regularly-offered courses are given as "no"=not offered in a given semester, "Yes"=offered every year, "Odd"=offered in odd-numbered years, or "Even"=offered in even-numbered years. Other courses are offered on a less regular schedule; please inquire if interested. In all cases, "offered" means opened for registration and taught if enrollment is sufficient.
- Co-requisite and pre-requisite courses are encoded with A=ASTR, B=BIOL, C=CHEM, G=GEOL, M=MATH, P=PHYS, "+"="and", and "/"="or".
| Course ID | Course Name | Credit | Course | Offered | Course Requirements ("+"="and", "/"="or") | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog Link | Hours | Type | Fall | Spring | Co-Requisites | Pre-Requisites | |
| ASTR 405G | Astronomy for Teachers | 3 | Lec | no | Yes | - | - |
| PHYS 410G | Physics for Teachers | 3 | Lec | Odd | no | - | - |
| PHYS 501 | Classical Developments in Physics | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 502 | Modern Developments in Physics | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 503 | Physics Demonstration | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 505 | Investigations in Physics | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 511 | Quant Modeling for Physics Instruc I: Mechanics | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | See catalog |
| PHYS 512 | Quant Modeling for Physics Instruc II: ELectromag | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | See catalog |
| PHYS 516 | Classroom Physics Teaching: Theory and Practice | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | P511/P512 |
| PHYS 518 | Classroom Apps of Physics and Science Ed Res | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | P511/P512 |
| PHYS 519 | Physical Science Education Research Methods | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | P518 |
Homeland Security Sciences Core
| Course ID | Course Name | Offered |
|---|---|---|
| PHYS 560 | Intro to Physics Applications in Homeland Security | Fall |
| CHEM 560 | Chemical Agents and Explosives | Fall |
| EMDS 560 | Emergency Management Disaster Science | Fall |
| CIT 550 | Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity | Spring |
Applied Physics Concentration Electives
| Course ID | Course Name | Offered |
|---|---|---|
| PHYS 599 | Thesis Research/Writing | Fall, Spring |
| PHYS 565 | Optical Detection Methods of Biological and Chemical Agents | Odd Fall |
| PHYS 590 | Physical Principles of CBE Detection and Remediation | Even Spring |
| PHYS 591 | Physical Principles of CBE Detection and Remediation Lab | Even Spring |
| PHYS 598 | Graduate Seminar | Fall, Spring |
| PHYS 570 | Nuclear / Radiological Detection and Remediation | Even Fall |
| PHYS 571 | Nuclear / Radiological Detection and Remediation Lab | Even Fall |
EMDS Concentration Electives
| Course ID | Course Name | Offered |
|---|---|---|
| EMDS 501 | Understanding Natural and Technological Disaster Risks | Spring, Fall |
| EMDS 502 | Terrorism, Violence, Resiliency, and Response | Spring, Fall |
| EMDS 503 | Advanced Disaster Planning, Management, and Preparedness | Spring |
| EMDS 504 | Trends in Disaster Preparedness and Management | Summer |
| EMDS 505 | Continuity of Operations Programs | Fall |
| EMDS 506 | Critical Infrastructure Assessment and Protection | Spring |
| EMDS 510 | Incident Meteorology for Safety Professionals | Summer |
| RSA 515 | Recreation and Sport Facility Development | Spring, Summer, Fall |
| RSA 538 | Facility and Event Security Management | Spring, Summer, fall, Winter |
| PH 581 | Applied Methods in Public Health Practice/Field Epidemiology | Spring, Fall |
Cybersecurity Concentration Electives
Please contact the HSS Graduate Program Coordinator, Dr. Ivan Novikov (ivan.novikov@wku.edu)
| Course ID | Course Name | Credit | Course | Offered | Course Requirements ("+"="and", "/"="or") | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog Link | Hours | Type | Fall | Spring | Co-Requisites | Pre-Requisites | |
| PHYS 431G | Radiation Biophysics | 4 | L+L | no | Odd | - | P201+P202/P231+P332 |
| PHYS 440G | ELectricity and Magnetism I | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 441G | Optics | 3 | Lec | Yes | no | P404G | See catalog |
| PHYS 404G | Optics Laboratory | 1 | Lab | Yes | no | P441G | - |
| PHYS 445G | ELectricity and Magnetism II | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | P440/P440G |
| PHYS 450G | Classical Mechanics II | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | P350G |
| PHYS 475G | SeLected Topics in Physics | 1-3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 480G | Quantum Mechanics | 3 | Lec | Yes | no | - | P320+P350+P450 |
| PHYS 510 | Methods in Mathematical Physics | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 520 | Atomic and MoLecular | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 530 | Statistical Physics | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 540 | ELectromagnetic Theory | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 550 | Classical Mechanics | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 580 | Quantum Theory | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 660 | Theory of Solids | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 670 | Theoretical Nuclear Physics | 3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 675 | Advanced Topics in Physics | 1-3 | Lec | - | - | - | - |
| PHYS 799 | Doctorate Research in Physics | 1-10 | Int | - | - | - | See catalog |
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