Hello, and welcome to USF! My name is Brandon Brown, and I am a professor and the chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. We are a relatively small department, with a tight-knit community of students, faculty and staff that support each other. We look forward to having you join our community! Our program offers a cutting-edge physics and astronomy curriculum, with faculty who are active in many different areas of research. In addition to the physics major, we offer a variety of minors, with some emphasizing astrophysics and others with emphases in engineering and computational techniques. Physics aims at understanding Nature at its most basic levels, serving as foundational knowledge for all STEM fields. It provides the basis for life-altering discoveries, from sustainable energy to advanced medical equipment. The physics curriculum opens multiple paths for real-world careers in fields like engineering, digital tech, biotech, nanotechnology, data analysis, operations research, and many others. It also prepares you, for those who are interested, for graduate studies in all STEM field, as well as Medicine and Law. ---------- The major in physics consists of a basic core of physics and mathematics courses, combined with flexibility to suit additional interests. Now, I want to help you select the courses as you register for your first semester at USF. I want to emphasize that registering for the correct courses in your first year is crucial for finishing your program within 4 years. Your advisor and your success coach will work with you to make sure that you can achieve that. Any full-time student at USF typically registers for 16 to 18 credits per semester, which typically means four 4-credit courses, and, occasionally, an extra 1-to-2 unit course or activity. We will want you to sign up for exactly 17 in your first semester. Before you select your classes, you should take the online USF Math Diagnostic Test. Please Ð and I cannot emphasize this enough Ð take this test seriously. You do not need to study, but the test is thorough is assessing what youÕve learned so far. Set aside at least two hours in a quiet place, with good wifi, and have plenty of pencil and paper on hand. The score you get on this placement test will determine what Math course you can take. You will register for Math 108, Precalculus if you score between 61 and 75. If you score 76 or above, you should register for Math 109, Calculus I. Alternatively, if you took a standardized test, you can register for Pre-calculus if you have a Math SAT score of at least 500 OR a Math ACT score of at least 19. Now, if you passed Calculus I in your previous school, or if you have received an AP score of 4 or 5, you do not need to take that USF Math Diagnostic Test. In this case, you can register for Math 110, Calculus II, or consider simply taking Math 109 to solidify your Calculus skills. If you have Physics or Math transfer credits from another school that you attended prior to coming to USF, you will need to get those assessed by our transfer office. After that, it is important that you review your degree evaluation, which will tell you which courses you need to complete. Please bear in mind that, even if you believe that the degree evaluation is clear and you know what to do, it is always a very good idea have a conversation with your advisor. In the following, IÕm going to assume a fairly standard case for an incoming student: IÕll assume you earn over 60, maybe over 75, which will be great, and IÕll assume that you do not have any Physics or Math transfer credits. If thatÕs the case, for your Fall semester, your will register for MATH 108 Ð Precalculus, or, if with a high enough placement score, or MATH 109 - Calculus I. Either way, you will also sign up for PHYS 350 Ð a low-stress, 1-unit Physics course that will welcome you to our department, introduce you to our faculty members, and to an array of excellent physics and astronomy topics. You will take your first 4-unit Physics course in your second semester, in the spring. If you are seeing this not in the summer and you plan to start in the Spring, please discuss with your advisor what Physics and Math courses are available for you to take. There are several options for your remaining three classes. You can register for a writing course through the rhetoric department. Developing good writing and speaking skills is essential to your success in all the classes you will take at USF. Please review the Core Curriculum for details regarding your core A2 requirement, and the Rhetoric programÕs Directed Self-Placement. A language course is also a good option. As a science major, you will satisfy your language requirement with a level 2 competency in any non-English language. If you know a non-English language already, either because you studied it or grew up speaking and reading it, you should take a language placement test to determine your level of competency. It is a good idea to complete the language requirement early, so that you can focus on your courses in the major. You could also take a class to fulfill one of the various Core areas at USF such as Literature, History, Philosophy, Theology & Religious Studies, Ethics, or Visual and Performing Arts. Just make sure the course you find in one of these other programs notes that it counts for a Core area. Once you have selected your classes, your Fall schedule should resemble something like this: Freshmen Schedule 1. PHYS 350 Physics Colloquium (1 unit) 2. MATH 108, Precalculus, (or MATH 109 Calculus and Analytic Geometry I) 3. Rhetoric and Composition Class (depending on your self placement, it could be RHET 110, 120, or 206) 4. Language course 5. Core course selection or this, if you are a transfer student: 1. PHYS course (depending on your transfer credit) 2. MATH course (depending on your transfer credit) 3. Rhetoric and Composition Class (depending on your placement) 4. CS 110 Introduction to Computer Science I, Core, or Language course Spend some time navigating the Schedule of Classes to familiarize yourself with the layout of the website. Look for courses that you would like to register for. Spend some time doing this to find a schedule that works for you. ---------- Hello again. WeÕre wrapping up our video intro for new students here. If you have any questions, please contact our office. physicsandastronomy@usfca.edu 415.422.6155 We look forward to welcoming you during our on-site Orientation, where you will meet our department faculty, staff, and other students in your incoming cohort. That will give us a chance to more properly introduce you to who we are and what we do, and weÕll set you on a great path of learning. Again, welcome to USF, and to Physics and Astronomy!