Apr 01, 2025  
2022-2023 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 
    
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2022-2023 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Professional Physics, M.S.

On April 25, 2022, the CSU Chancellor’s Office issued a memo that GWAR will no longer apply to new and continuing graduate students (regardless of catalog year) at CSULB. Catalog copy has been updated on 07/21/2022 to account for this change.

This is a terminal physics master’s degree intended for students pursuing industrial professional careers.

Prerequisites

  1. A bachelor’s degree with a major in physics; or
  2. A bachelor’s degree with at least 24 units of upper division physics. Students deficient in upper division undergraduate preparation must take courses to remove these deficiencies without credit toward the degree at the discretion of the graduate advisor.

Requirements

Take all of the following:

Take three of the following:

Take 4 units of the following:

Culminating Experience:

The program culminates with a professional project. The professional project is a significant undertaking that aims to apply fundamental physics methods and business professional skills to situations relevant to the industry environment. Students are to demonstrate professional attributes expected in industry and to communicate the findings to a diverse audience. The project plan must be prepared by the student before advancing to candidacy. The project plan includes a specific set of advanced skills to be demonstrated and a specific timeline for the activities that must be completed. Students will engage the equivalent of 4-units of work on the professional project. The project report must demonstrate core competencies developed through the curriculum and reflect how the student integrates this knowledge into a project in industry. The completed project will include a written project report and oral defense.

Advancement to Candidacy

  1. Attainment of classified status as a student in a graduate program at CSULB;
  2. Approval of the Program of Study by the Graduate Advisor, the Department Chair, and the Associate Dean in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics or designee
  3. Completion with a minimum GPA of 3.0 of at least six units of courses required on the student’s Program of Study;
  4. A cumulative, graduate, grade-point average of at least 3.0 calculated on all upper-division and graduate-level coursework attempted by the student at CSULB after completion of a baccalaureate degree.

Single Subject Teaching Credential in Physics

For information, refer to the undergraduate section  in this department.