The guideposts in this booklet will help you work your way through the microelectronics and engineering degrees in an efficient manner. You will know just which courses have prerequisites; you will see why it is important to take PHYS 201-202 as early in your career as possible; and you will see how the mathematics requirements in the degrees are used in the professional courses.

This booklet is not, however, a substitute for a faculty advisor or the CNU catalog. Each student needs to establish a formal relationship with the faculty advisor assigned to him/her by the department. There is nothing more frustrating than to think that you are ready to graduate and find that some subtlety of the catalog has escaped you, and has blocked your exit.

Successful completion of an applied physics will make available to you a wide choice of exciting employment opportunities. The completion of their degrees require a great amount of effort on your part. It will seem at times to be too much work, especially when you compare your work load with that of some of your fellow students in other disciplines. But the payoff will come for you; you will have been educated in one of the disciplines that defined the rules for our technological world. And you will be ready yourself to contribute to the development of science and technology on which people of the 21st century will stand. Keep at it!

The B.S. in Applied Physics major provides a broad background of physics study with an applied orientation. The core courses (which are common to all areas also) provide a background in mathematics, mechanics, electromagnetism, circuit theory, modern physics and computer programming. Advanced courses in the basic degree program provide additional study in mechanics, thermodynamics and quantum mechanics, with additional electives to extend the students' knowledge in an area of his/her choice. Graduates will be prepared for further study in graduate school, or employment as researchers in various high technology laboratories.

The Applied Physics major can follow the general curriculum or choose from the following three areas: Instrumentation, Solid State/Optics, or Computation.

Instrumentation: This area prepares its graduates to design instrumentation and data acquisition systems. The core courses provide a background in mathematics, mechanics, electromagnetism, circuit theory, modern physics and computer programming. Advanced courses in this area emphasize the application of these fundamentals to problems of microelectronics and instrumentation for the control of processes and systems. The coupling by microprocessors of sensors and actuators and the use of digital analysis is central to these applications. Graduates will be prepared for employment as researchers in various high technology laboratories, as designers for firms which use microelectronic controls, and as designers and researchers in companies which produce control systems or their components. Important elective courses for this area: CPEN315/315L, 422; ENGR212/212L; PHYS421 (PHYS352 is also desirable).

Solid State/Optics: This area is oriented toward solid state and optical physics. The core courses provide a background in mathematics, mechanics, electromagnetism, circuit theory, modern physics and computer programming. Advanced courses in this area emphasize the physical properties of condensed matter and the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter, especially as these subjects are applied in the development of new sensors and new measurement techniques. They will understand the electronic and optical properties of matter and how material properties are characterized. Students may choose to concentrate on instrument development (experimental physics) or on computation and simulation of measurements (theoretical physics). Students in this area will be prepared to move into various positions which require precise measurements using electronic and photonic sensors, and development of optoelectronic data acquisition systems. Important elective courses for this area: PHYS352, 402, 431, 421 or 441 (ENGR211/211L is also desirable).

Computation (Modeling and Simulation): This area is oriented toward computational physics. The core courses provide a background in mathematics, mechanics, electromagnetism, circuit theory, modern physics and computer programming. Advanced courses in this area emphasize the integration of physics and software development. Students will learn how to implement software descriptions of physical systems including successful integration of applied numerical methods, graphical user interfaces, and data visualization. Graduates will be prepared for further study in graduate school, or employment as scientific programmers capable of contributing to the development of physical models and simulations. Important elective courses for this area: PHYS 401, 441 (PHYS 402 and MATH 380 are also desirable).

The Applied Physics prerequisite structure shows which classes must precede which, and which math classes are necessary for the core courses in physics and engineering. You will find this sheet particularly effective when you plan part-time schooling. Remember also when making up tentative schedules that the courses in physics and engineering are only available in the fall and spring, and many are available in the evening period between 5 and 10 p.m. at least every other year and most often every year. Currently, chemistry labs are offered only in the evening when taken "off-sequence". A longer-term listing of tentative offerings is available on the web at www.pcs.cnu.edu by clicking first on Schedules at the left and then on Undergraduate Course Master Schedule.

As an example assume you are a applied physics major and you are planning to take PHYS202/L. You would refer to the Applied Physics prerequisite structure and note that PHYS 202/L has two arrows pointing to it, one solid from PHYS210/L indicating it is a prerequisite (you must have passed PHYS201/L already) and one dashed from MATH240 indicating it is a corequisite (you must also sign up for MATH240 when you sign up for PHYS202/L if you don't already have credit for MATH240).

Figure 1 shows the entire B.S. in applied physics curriculum laid out for the four academic years with no specific area. The degree progress sheets for the applied physics general and major requirements will be an important part of your record. As you complete courses, mark the date and the grade received. All of the requirements listed must be completed before you may graduate. This sheet will be a great help as you and your advisor plan your course work each semester.

Note that on the degree progress sheet and on the curriculum outline appear both humanities and social sciences electives (Hum/SS). The latter must be chosen so that the general requirements for the university are satisfied. Only certain courses are eligible. They are listed in the CNU catalog. All students at CNU who want a bachelors of science degree must take a second science sequence and one year of a foreign language. Often students with three years of a language in high school can place out of these courses.

You are enrolled in an excellent academic program at a university that features small classes. Classes are taught by regular faculty members, all of whom have the Ph.D. degree, and by a select group of adjunct professors who are specialists in the fields in which they are teaching. You have available excellent equipment, much that is state-of-the-art, and opportunities for working on special projects. Get to know us and the work that we do; ask us questions about your courses or about some ideas that intrigue you. If you will work with us, we will provide for you an education of which both you and we will be proud.