Apr 04, 2025  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Physics, Physics Teaching Concentration, B.S.

Department of Physics and Astronomy  
615-898-2130
Ron Henderson, program coordinator
Ron.Henderson@mtsu.edu

The Physics Teaching concentration offers preparation for careers as physics teachers, as well as serving as an appropriate degree path for other physics majors who do not plan to attend graduate school.

Students seeking a license to teach physics in secondary schools (grades 7-12) must complete (1) a major in physics with a concentration in Physics Teaching, and/or (2) a minor in Secondary Education through MTeach. A minimum of 12 upper-division semester hours in the physics major must be taken at MTSU.

Academic Map

Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses:

Physics, Physics Teaching, B.S., Academic Map   

Degree Requirements

True Blue Core (TBC) 41 hours
Major Requirements 33 hours*
     Major Core    25 hours
     Physics Teaching Concentration    8 hours
Supporting Courses 26 hours*
Electives 20-31 hours
TOTAL 120 hours

*This program requires courses that can also fulfill requirements of the True Blue Core curriculum. If program requirements are also used to fulfill True Blue Core requirements, the number of elective hours will increase. 

True Blue Core (41 hours)

True Blue Core (TBC)  requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in the Foundational Skills areas of Written Communication (WC), Information Literacy (Info Lit), Non-Written Communication (NWC), and Quantitative Literacy (Quant Lit). Knowledge Domains include Human Society and Social Relationships (HSSR), Scientific Literacy (Sci Lit), Creativity and Cultural Expression (CCE), and History and Civic Learning (HCL), which include Discovery and Explorations categories. Students must choose at least one course from each Discovery category.

The following courses required by the major meet True Blue Core requirements:

Major Requirements (33 hours)

Physics Core (25 hours)

Physics Teaching Concentration (8 hours)

Supporting Courses (26 hours)

Electives (20-31 hours)

  • 36 total credits must be earned at the 3000/4000 level

NOTE:

The minimum number of hours for graduation is 120; however, the number of hours required for this program may exceed this if students choose the Secondary Education Minor  in addition to the Physics Teaching concentration.

Curriculum: Physics, Physics Teaching

Freshman

 

Subtotal: 31 Hours

 

Sophomore

 

Subtotal: 32 Hours

 

Junior

 

Subtotal: 29 Hours

 

Senior

 

Subtotal: 28 Hours