Incoming Students
Welcome!
We're excited that you're interested in pursuing a degree in physics and/or astronomy, and even more excited that you're interested in pursuing it at Western!
Whether you are a first year or a transfer student - transitioning into college or a new school can be stressful.
The sections below have information to help you plan out your studies in physics & astronomy, depending on your interests and the path you've taken to starting your studies at Western. We also have dedicated pages that can help you plan your studies, such as the sample plan of study for physics majors, schedule of physics and astronomy electives planned for the next few years, and information about how to declare the physics major and/or astronomy minor.
We are also available to meet virtually or in-person throughout the summer and would love to hear from you! Prospective majors and their families are welcome to contact us at physics@wwu.edu with questions or to schedule an appointment.
Math Placement
Math, and calculus in particular, is a fundamental tool for studying Physics & Astronomy.
Prospective physics or astronomy majors & minors should aim to take Calculus I as early as possible in their time at Western, or to submit transfer credits or qualifying AP scores so they can register for further math classes.
To register for a math class, most incoming students need to take the ALEKS math placement assessment. To place into Calculus I (MATH 124), students must earn a proctored ALEKS score of 80; students can register for Precalculus I (MATH 114) or II (MATH 115) with scores of 55 or 65, respectively. For more, see the full list of ALEKS scores and course placements.
The ALEKS assessment takes 2-3 hours, and students must take a practice ALEKS assessment before completing their proctored assessment. To give time for that, and for WWU system to receive the students' final score, we recommend incoming students take their practice ALEKS assessment several weeks before they are scheduled to register for classes, and complete their proctored assessment at least a week prior to their registration date.
There are exceptions for students who have earned college credit for Calculus or Pre-Calculus courses, or received a 2 or higher on an AP Calculus, AP Pre-calculus, or International Baccalaureate (IB) exam. If this applies to you, read more on the exemptions to ALEKS page and be sure to submit your documentation as early as possible!
What to take your first quarter
Which classes make the most sense to take will depend a lot on your prior work in math and physics.
We've listed below some common scenarios for incoming students: click through to see recommendations for each case.
And if your situation doesn't seem to map cleanly onto these examples, that is ok - just reach out to physics@wwu.edu to ask for advice for your specific situation!
For students who are working towards MATH 124, staying on that track is the highest priority.
We recommend these students register for:
- the highest-level math class in the core STEM sequence they are eligible for:
- MATH 099;
- MATH 112;
- MATH 114;
- MATH 115;
- or MATH 118;
- at least one non-STEM General University Requirement (GUR) course, from areas like:
- Humanities (HUM)
- Social Sciences (SSC)
- Communication (ACOM, BCOM or CCOM)
- Comparative, Gender, and Multicultural Studies (ACGM or BCGM)
- either English 101, or a class in an area they are interested in exploring: another GUR could work, but so could other science electives (astronomy, geology, energy studies) or theater, or music, or....
Students who are ready to take MATH 124 are also ready to start the Physics with Calculus sequence!
We recommend these students register for:
- Calculus I (MATH 124);
- Physics with Calculus I (PHYS 161)
- either English 101, or a non-STEM General University Requirement (GUR) course in one of the following areas:
- Humanities (HUM)
- Social Sciences (SSC)
- Communication (ACOM, BCOM or CCOM)
- Comparative, Gender, and Multicultural Studies (ACGM or BCGM)
Students who are ready to take MATH 125 are also ready to start the Physics with Calculus sequence, if they haven't already!
We recommend these students register for:
- Calculus II (MATH 125);
- Physics with Calculus I (PHYS 161)
- either English 101, or a non-STEM General University Requirement (GUR) course in one of the following areas:
- Humanities (HUM)
- Social Sciences (SSC)
- Communication (ACOM, BCOM or CCOM)
- Comparative, Gender, and Multicultural Studies (ACGM or BCGM)
Students who have taken Calculus I and II elsewhere are ready for 200-level math classes at WWU. If students intend to major in Physics & Astronomy, we recommend they continue on to higher level math courses, and complete the Physics with Calculus sequence if they haven't already.
We recommend these students register for:
- The next math class in this sequence they are eligible for:
- Multivariable Calculus & Geometry I (MATH 224);
- Elementary Linear Algebra (MATH 204);
- Ordinary Differential Equations (MATH 331)
- Any remaining classes in the Physics with Calculus sequence:
- Physics with Calculus I (PHYS 161);
- Physics with Calculus II (PHYS 162);
- Physics with Calculus III (PHYS 163);
- Any remaining General University Requirement (GUR) courses, or a fun elective!
Students who have taken three quarters (or two semesters) of Physics with Calculus before entering Western are well on their way to a Physics & Astronomy minor or major: well done!
For these students, we recommend registering for:
- Physics with Calculus IV (PHYS 220 - only offered fall quarter);
- Any remaining classes in the Math sequence required for the Physics major:
- Multivariable Calculus & Geometry I (MATH 224);
- Elementary Linear Algebra (MATH 204);
- Ordinary Differential Equations (MATH 331)
- Computer Programming I (CSCI 141; if not already satisfied via transfer credits); and/or
- Any remaining General University Requirement (GUR) courses, or a fun elective!
Planning out your major / minor
Building a course schedule for future quarters is important for making timely progress through any major or minor, including the physics and astronomy programs.
Developing your course plan will help you identify what electives will make the most sense for you, given the goals and interests that led you to your major. It will also help ensure you are ready to take the classes you want, when they are offered: physics & astronomy classes at the 200-level and above are generally only offered once a year, so you'll want to build your schedule with an eye towards completing each course's pre-requisites by the time it is offered each year.
Building your course plan will take some time and thought, but we have resources to help!
This worksheet provides a template for building out your own, personalized plan of study for the Physics major. Required classes, and eligible electives, are listed on the right side of the page, along with the initial of the quarter the class is typically taught: F = Fall, W = Winter, and S = Spring.
Our sample plan of study page gives a starting point for envisioning a baseline plan for moving through the Physics BS degree.
You can modify and customize this plan to meet your situation: for instance, if you took a year-long Physics with Calculus sequence elsewhere before transferring to western, you'll probably want to start in the 'year 2' row!
Importantly, this plan also shows which quarter each required 200/300/400 level physics class is offered, so take that schedule into account as you build your personal plan.
Elective courses are scheduled more flexibly - they are not always offered in the same quarters each year, and some electives are offered on an every other year schedule.
To help you plan out the electives you'll build into your plan of study, we've also published our schedule of electives for the next three academic years. Once you've developed a schedule that includes all the required courses for your degree, use this page (or this one page version, with both the electives and required classes) to add in the elective courses that your major or minor requires!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes!
If you can share documentation of the transfer classes / test scores that show you are ready to register for Physics 161 (or another physics class), we can issue a pre-requisite override that will allow you to register for the class.
To share that documentation, please send physics@wwu.edu an email with your name, W#, the class you are aiming to register for, and a PDF or screengrab of the documentation showing your test scores or transfer classes. For transfer classes, an unofficial transcript from the institution you are transferring the credits from (or that shows you are enrolled in the class now) works great.
Please send the email as soon as you can, ideally the day before you register: reviewing the documentation, asking any follow-up questions, and then issuing the override if possible all takes time, so we may need up to 24 hours to respond.
It might!
WWU generally grants credit for scores of 3 or above on Advanced Placement (AP) Physics exams.
Currently, the courses Western grants credit for earning a 3+ on the following Physics AP exams are:
| Subject | Score | Course Credit | GURs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics 1 and 2: Algebra-Based | 3+ |
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| Physics 1: Algebra-Based | 3+ |
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| Physics 2: Algebra-Based | 3+ |
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| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 3+ |
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| Physics C: Mechanics | 3+ |
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For all the details, see WWU's page listing the scores required and course equivalencies offerred for different AP and IB (International Baccalaureate) tests.
Yes!
It will require more planning, but many students double major in physics and another subject. Double-majoring in Physics & Math or Computer Science is quite common, but just within recent memory students have double-majored in a wide range of fields: Biology, Theater, Philosophy, Political Science.
If you are thinking of double-majoring, we are happy to support you by reviewing your plan for completing the requirements for both programs! Reach out to the front office or your faculty advisor, and we'll be happy to review your plan of study to see how the physics requirements will work in your combined courseload.