PHYS/APPH/ASPY Notes

I am a math educator turned statistical consultant turned academic advisor, not a physicist. So I made this collection of notes to help my students (and myself) with the intricacies of the physics plans of study.

These are (mostly) personal notes, not the official Purdue catalog nor an official advising appointment with me. The Purdue catalog is the gold standard for requirements, etc.
Using only the information on this page carries a non-zero risk of problems.

General Notes

• The first two years of PHYS/APPH are identical in nature. No need to rush to make a decision on which one you want.

• ASPY is identical to PHYS/APPH in years 1 and 2 with the exceptions that (a) PHYS 340 is not required and (b) ASTR 363/364 are taken in fall/spring of year 2.

• Putting off chemistry until after year 1 is a bad idea (the 3 hour lab can conflict with second-year and beyond physics courses).

  • The chemistry labs (11520 and 11620) are NOT able to be brought in via CLEP credit, only the lectures (11510 and 11610).

• PHYS courses are generally only offered once per year with the exception of labs (PHYS 340 and PHYS 450).

• The physics department guarantees that the courses in your cohort for your admissions year will not conflict with each other.

• If you reach ahead/behind in time to "grab" a physics course that is not in your cohort and this causes conflicts, prioritize the courses in your cohort.

• Students with Fall 2024 or later catalog terms should follow the outline in the 2025-2026 DPGs for PHYS , APPH and ASPY. Honors versions are PHHO and APHO.

• Double majors within the physics disciplines are NOT allowed (e.g. can't dual major in PHYS/ASPY). There is too much overlap between the majors to consider them distinct.

Differentiating Between PHYS, APPH, ASPY, PHHO, and APHO

After year 2, the majors diverge (although hypothetically APPH and APHO students can begin chipping away at their major selectives earlier). What are the differences?

Minors within PHYS/ASTR

PHYS and APPH students can get the astronomy minor. ASPY students cannot.

PHYS, APPH, and ASPY students cannot get either the physics minor or the quantum science minor.

Other Popular Minors

• 25-26 Catalog: MATH minor STAT minor 

• 24-25 Catalog: MATH minor STAT minor 

Math Substitutions

The Physics Department has approved the use of math course substitutions for PHYS 306 and 307.

PHYS 306 = MA 362 (topics in vector calculus) + MA 425 (complex analysis) w/C- or better in both

PHYS 307 = MA 265 (linear algebra) + MA 266 (differential equations) w/B- or better in both

PHYS 307 = MA 351 (elementary linear algebra) + MA 366 (ordinary differential equations) w/C- or better in both

NOTES: If you choose to pursue these substitutions, please keep the following in mind:

•  Course Availability: Enrollment in the math courses is determined entirely by the math department. Since these substitutions are not required by the physics curriculum, students do not have guaranteed access to space in these courses. (MA 425 is extremly difficult to get into)

•  Timing Requirements: Ensure that you meet the substitution requirements by the end of your sophomore year. Faculty expect students to take PHYS 306 in the fall and PHYS 307 in the spring of their sophomore year.

• Any permutation of MA 265/351 and MA 266/366 with a B- or better in the 200-level course(s) and C- or better in the 300-level course(s) will also work.

• If you are dual majoring in math, you will need to take MA 351 and MA 366 for your math major regardless of whether you've already finished PHYS 307.
  
  

Selective Areas and Options

PHYS Science/Engineering Selective Areas: AAE, ABE, ASTR, BIOL, BME, CE, CEM, CHE, CHM, CS, CS, EAPS, ECE, IE, MA, ME, MSE, NUCL, PHYS, STAT

• Must be upper-division (300-level or higher)

• No chance of getting engineering classes if not a dual major or declared minor (in the engineering areas where minors are possible and space is available)

• Much easier to just use your CoS STAT requirement and a 300-level EAPS Great Issues class

APPH Major Selective Areas: 

• Any ASTR upper-division (300-500 level) courses: these are relatively EASY to get into as a physics major!

• Any of PHYS 323, 324, 390, 490, or 590: these are relatively EASY to get into as a physics major!

• Upper-division (300-500 level) courses in AAE, BIOL, CE, CHE, CHM, CS, EAPS, ECE, HSCI, ME, MSE, NUCL

  • Can use any lower-division (100-200 level) courses in disciplines in bullet point above if you complete a minor in that subject by graduation.

  • For a realistic outlook at which non-physics/astronomy major selectives are possible, see section immediately below this.

ASPY Major Selective Areas

Area 1: 3 credits of ASTR 500+ or EAPS 395 or PHYS 323, 324, 390, 490, 560, 561, 562, 563, 567

Area 2: 6 credits of ASTR 300+ or EAPS 395 or PHYS 323, 324, 390, 490, 560, 561, 562, 563, 567

Area 3 (Lab): PHYS 340, 450, 536, or 580

If you are a dual major with any of the engineering disciplines, you can ignore the notes in the table about course accessibility, however, graduating in 4 years with physics and engineering may be tricky since the physics courses are only offered once per year.

Common CODOs and Dual Major Requirements

If you are malcontent in physics or are thinking of dual majoring with something else, the links below will take you to CODO requirements for common CODO/duals.

If you are thinking of a CODO/dual with a mathematics or statistics major, the CODO requirements for those majors are on this page of the website.

If you CODO/dual to an engineering/CS/DS/AI discipline, you'll get a new advisor. If you CODO/dual with math or statistics, you'll stay with me since I advise those majors, too.

To be a dual major in the College of Science, you need at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Cohort Classes

The classes in the blocks below should not conflict with each other. As explained above, reaching ahead or behind in time can create problems.

Remember that the labs (340/450) are offered both semesters.

Legend: Red courses are required for ASPY but not necessarily PHYS or APPH. Blue courses are required for PHYS/PHHO but not APPH/APHO.

Everything else (plain, black text) is required by all three majors (with the exception that ASPY only requires one lab: 340, 450, or 536/580).

Graduate-Level Classes

Sometimes students are interested in taking 500 or 600-level coursework. While I do not recommend this for the vast majority of undergraduate students, highly qualified and motivated students should follow the instructions below.

500-Level

All 500-level courses are dual-enrollment for undergraduate and graduate students. To take the class as an undergrad, students must:

• Need junior/senior classification by credit hours.

• Meet any/all pre-requisites for the class.

600-Level

600-level classes are intended for graduate students only. Undergraduate students wanting to take these classes must:

• Meet the rules of the Graduate School for enrollment (3.4 GPA or higher OR you are admitted to a grad program in the upcoming semester; no more than 16 credits; 600-level credits are no more than 33% of your semester course load).

• Discuss enrollment with the instructor of the course before enrollment

Be advised that 600-level classes don't have official pre-requisites, however, there may be "unwritten" expectations about your background and preparation. If you do not meet the conditions for taking a 600-level class but feel you should, contact me. I will refer you to the appropriate contact in the physics department.