Physics Minor

Everything around you is influenced or governed by physics — the study of matter, energy, and their interactions with one another. Physics seeks to understand the way the universe “works,” from the smallest neutrinos to the structure of the cosmos. It is the foundation of all other natural sciences, including chemistry, biology, oceanography, geography, and radiography.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers six B.A. and two B.S. degree tracks:

  • B.A. Tracks
    • Physics
    • Astronomy
    • Computational Physics
    • Energy
    • Medical and Biological Physics
    • Quantitative Finance
  • B.S. Tracks
    • Physics 
    • Astrophysics

Consider a B.A. degree if you’re interested in physics but want to apply your training toward a wider variety of career paths after graduation. Students who completed this program have launched careers as lab researchers, application engineers, data scientists, and financial analysts, among other occupations. Some have also pursued an advanced degree in physics, medical physics, business, law, or computer science.

Consider a B.S. degree if you intend to pursue graduate study in physics, astronomy, or a related field, or a career practicing physics.

Requirements

In addition to the program requirements listed below, students must:

  • take at least nine hours of their minor "core" requirements at UNC–Chapel Hill
  • earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the minor core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for minor or specific courses.

For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.

The minor in physics consists of five courses:

Core Requirements
PHYS 118IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introductory Calculus-based Mechanics and Relativity 1, H, F4
PHYS 119IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introductory Calculus-based Electromagnetism and Quanta 2, H, F4
Three additional courses chosen from ASTR 202, ASTR (numbered above 300), and PHYS (numbered above 200). Each course must be 3 credit hours or more.9
Total Hours17
H

Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply.

F

FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute.

1

Prerequisite, MATH 231; pre- or corequisite, MATH 232; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.

2

Prerequisites, MATH 232 and PHYS 118; pre- or corequisite, MATH 233; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.

Astronomy (ASTR) and Physics (PHYS) course descriptions.

See the program page here for special opportunities.

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Visit Program Website

Phillips Hall, CB# 3255

(919) 962-2078

Chair

Frank Tsui

ftsui@physics.unc.edu

Academic Affairs Coordinator

Jacob Hurst

hurstj@email.unc.edu

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Tamara Branca

rtbranca@unc.edu

Physics Advisor (Students with Last Names Beginning with A–M)

Lu-Chang Qin

lcqin@email.unc.edu

Physics Advisor (Astrophysics and Astronomy Majors and Minors with Last Names Beginning with A-L)

Andrew Mann

awmann@physics.unc.edu

Physics Advisor (Students with Last Names Beginning with N-R, and Astrophysics and Astronomy Majors and Minors with Last Names Beginning with M-Z)

Dan Reichart

reichart@physics.unc.edu

Physics Advisor (Quantitative Finance Majors)

Stefan Jeglinski

jeglin@physics.unc.edu

Physics Advisor and Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies (Students with Last Names Beginning with S-Z)

Jennifer Weinberg-Wolf

jweinber@physics.unc.edu