Learn to think like a physicist
With support from the National Science Foundation, the OSU Department of Physics restructured its junior and senior curriculum in 1997, creating a program that departs from the traditional model. Rather than separating topics into parallel tracks, the new design emphasizes how physicists actually think – through unifying ideas such as energy, symmetry, wave motion, and rotations. The result is a more integrated, concept-driven way to learn upper-division physics.
A major structural change in the junior year combines two traditional, parallel course sequences into a single intensive series designed to promote deeper conceptual mastery as students progress. These “Paradigms” courses, typically taken in the junior year, are followed by senior-year “Capstone” courses in each of the major subdisciplines of physics.
Students majoring in related fields such as mathematics, engineering, or other sciences are also encouraged to take one or more of these courses. (Such students should consult a departmental advisor about possible alternatives to the posted prerequisites.)
