Complete the Math Preparation and placement process. You can review your math skills for free to prepare you for placement or your next course. It takes up to three business days for ALEKS PPL placement to be posted in your student record. Completing the assessment by August 1 will ensure your placement is posted before enrollment begins for fall.
Review the General Catalog, especially the sample academic plans and major qualification policy.
Because of the broad based nature of the major, with introductory courses in physics, chemistry and mathematics, there is considerable flexibility in what courses are taken in the first two years, as long as enough courses required for the major are completed. However, it is simplest to follow the appropriate major planner in the General Catalog. Students should consult with the physics undergraduate advisor if they want to do something different.Â
Students should complete at least two courses in the calculus sequence (MATH 11A and MATH 11B or MATH 19A and MATH 19B) in the first year; MATH 19A and MATH 19B are required for students who choose physics as one of their specializations.
Additional considerations when developing your first quarter enrollment plan can be found in the First Quarter Enrollment Advising Guide 2025-26.
Physics Advising
(831) 459-1347 or physicsadvising@ucsc.edu
211A Interdisciplinary Sciences Bldg.