Central Washington University | Physics, Bachelor of Arts (BA)

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Physics, Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Physics, Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Program Description

Physicists study how the world works on a fundamental level, from the scale of subatomic particles to galaxies. The Physics BA program is for students wanting a broad liberal arts education with an emphasis in physics and is the appropriate major for students interested in teaching high school physics. It may be a suitable foundation for students who are planning a career that applies their physics skillset in another field, such as business, education, law, medicine, writing, environmental concerns, public safety, or computer programming.

Likely Career Paths

Physics Teacher (grades 5-12)
Engineering applications
Computer programming / software design
Science writing / journalism

Key Considerations

Cost: University-wide costs (Visit the CWU Financial Aid site for more information). Physics lab classes cost $15-20 per course. For Teaching Majors only: state-mandated testing and fingerprinting fees, which are not set by CWU but typically run $200-500 (at time of publication).

Location: Ellensburg

Primary contact: 509-963-2727| Physics@cwu.edu | CWU Physics

Course Planning

1st and 2nd Year Courses or Areas of Study

CWU Course #	Transfer Course #
*MATH 153	MATH& 141
*MATH 154	MATH& 142
MATH 172	MATH& 151
MATH 173	MATH& 152
CHEM 181 + CHEM 181 LAB	CHEM& 161
CHEM 182 + CHEM 182 LAB	CHEM& 162
PHYS 181	PHYS& 221
PHYS 182	Gen Physics II with Lab
PHYS 183	PHYS& 223

* MATH 153 and MATH 154 are not required courses in the Physics program. Because they are prerequisites for MATH 172, they are listed as part of the typical 1st and 2nd year course of study, depending on initial math placement.

The Transfer Equivalency Site (TES) provides CWU equivalencies for courses at other colleges and universities.

Advising Notes

Non-teaching Majors Only:
- It is recommended students pursue and earn an AA-DTA.
- Any Washington state DTA (Direct Transfer Agreement) degree will satisfy all general education requirements.
- Students transferring with an AS-T (Associate in Science-Transfer) will need to take additional coursework to fulfill CWU general education requirements.
- Students must have earned a grade of C- or higher in all prerequisites to be admitted to a course. To graduate, physics majors are required to achieve at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA and a 2.25 GPA in courses required for the major.
Teaching Majors Only:
- It is recommended students pursue and earn an AA-DTA.
- Any Washington state DTA (Direct Transfer Agreement) degree will satisfy all general education requirements.
- Students transferring with an AS-T (Associate in Science-Transfer) will need to take additional coursework to fulfill CWU general education requirements.
- Full admittance to Teacher Certification is required to enroll in STP 304 (Classroom Interactions II).
- This major partially satisfies the criteria for a teaching endorsement in Physics (5-12), qualifying students to teach physics at the high school, middle, or junior high levels. Students who successfully complete the Physics BA and STEM Teaching Program (an alternative to the Professional Education Program) are eligible to apply for Washington State teacher certification.
- To expand your employment options, you should add another teaching endorsement in a related science or mathematics area.
- Teacher certification candidates must receive a C grade or higher in all major and STEM Teaching Program courses, have a GPA of at least 3.0 for either the last 45 graded quarter credits or overall CWU/transfer cumulative, meet all Washington State teacher certification requirements, and successfully pass STP465 (Instructing and Assessing Inquiry Based STEM), and EFC 480 (Student Teaching Secondary Student Teaching).
- See the physics teaching advisor as soon as possible to develop a course of study.
Major requirements may change over time; students will be expected to meet the catalog requirements in place at the time they are admitted to the major.