Note: 涩里番鈥檚 new Course Catalogue will replace the eCalendar. The Course Catalogue is expected to go live the week of April 22nd. When the new site is published, "mcgill.ca/study" will be redirected to the new Course Catalogue website.
Course information on this site is not reflective of offerings for the 2025鈥�2026 academic year. Some irregularities may occur as we move operations to the incoming Course Catalogue.
Physics is in many ways the parent of the other natural sciences and its discoveries and laws continually affect their development. Its range and scope extend in space and time from subnuclear particles to the universe itself. The subfields of physics鈥攕uch as mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, atomic physics, and quantum mechanics, to mention but a few鈥攑ermeate all other scientific disciplines. People trained in physics are employed in industry, government, and educational systems where they find many challenges as teachers, researchers, administrators, and in the rapidly developing area of scientific business.
The two main undergraduate programs in physics at 涩里番 are the Honours and the Major. The Honours program is highly specialized and the courses are very demanding. This program is appropriate for students who wish to make an in-depth study of the subject in preparation for graduate work and an academic or professional career in physics. The three multidisciplinary honours programs鈥攊n Mathematics and Physics, in Physics and Chemistry, and in Physics and Computer Science鈥攁re even more specialized and demanding. They are intended for students who wish to develop a strong basis in both physics and the other discipline and are intended as preparation for graduate work and a professional or academic career. Although these programs have a bias for theoretical work, they are broad enough and strong enough to prepare students for further study in either experimental physics or respectively mathematics, chemistry, or computer science.
The Major program, on the other hand, offers a broad training in classical and modern physics and yet leaves room for the student to take a meaningful sequence of courses in other areas. It is intended primarily for students who wish to pursue careers in fields for which physics provides a basis. However, this program also provides a preparation for graduate studies.
It is possible for students to transfer from the Major program to the Honours program after the first year of studies; see Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) - Major Physics (63 credits).
There are also a number of other Major programs offered jointly with other departments:
and Minor programs:
The Concentration program allows students a greater focus in biological physics. There is also a core Physics component of the Liberal Science program, for students less interested in a specialized education.
Students from outside of the Province of Quebec will ordinarily register in the Science Freshman program. Physics offers two sequences of courses for this program, described below.
The list of pre- and corequisites is not absolute. In many cases, permission of the Department may be sought to have a specific prerequisite waived. The procedure is to ask the professor in charge of the course to review the request for such a waiver. The prerequisites of the 100-level courses are described in the following section entitled Science Freshman program.
Students interested in any of the Physics programs should contact the for an advisor.
A Science Major Concentration in physics is available to students pursuing the B.A. & Sc. degree. This Major Concentration is described in Bachelor of Arts & Science > Undergraduate > Browse Academic Units & Programs > Physics.
IYS is a pregraduate work experience program available to eligible students and normally taken between their U2 and U3 years. For more information, see Science Internships and Field Studies.
The following programs are also available with an internship component:
Students entering 涩里番 with a Quebec CEGEP profile in Science will normally begin their programs in Physics with courses at the 200 level.
Students without this profile should normally take courses PHYS 131 and PHYS 142 if they have previously taken physics at the high school level and should be taking differential calculus concurrently with PHYS 131 and integral calculus concurrently with PHYS 142. Those students who have not previously taken physics at the high school level and who intend to do programs in the Biological Sciences may instead take courses PHYS 101 and PHYS 102. All students are expected to have reasonable fluency in algebra, geometry, and trigonometry at the high school level. If this is not the case, then MATH 112 should be taken concurrently with PHYS 101. Those for whom this is not necessary are advised to take MATH 139 concurrently with PHYS 101.
The 18-credit Minor permits no overlap with any other programs. It contains no Mathematics courses, although many of the courses in it have Math pre- or corequisites. It will, therefore, be particularly appropriate to students in Mathematics, but it is also available to any Science student with the appropriate mathematical background. ...
For more information, see Minor Physics (18 credits).
This Minor program is currently under review. Students are encouraged to contact Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering for detailed information. ...
For more information, see Minor Electrical Engineering (24 credits).
The B.Sc.; Liberal Program - Core Science Component in Physics offers an overview of key physics topics, focusing on fundamentals. Topics include dynamics, electricity and magnetism, quantum mechanics, experimental methods and more. This program allows students also pursue a minor or major concentration in another discipline.
For more information, see Liberal Program - Core Science Component Physics (45 credits).
The B.Sc.; Major in Physics program covers a range of fundamental physical concepts from classical physics to modern topics relevant to contemporary research. The program may be completed in 60-63 credits.
For more information, see Major Physics (63 credits).
This program may be completed in 81 or 82 credits. ...
For more information, see Major Physics: Biological Physics (82 credits).
The joint program in Physics and Geophysics focuses on geophysics and related fields.
For more information, see Major Physics and Geophysics (69 credits).
The Major Physics and Computer Science is designed to give motivated students the opportunity to combine the two fields in a way that will distinguish them from the graduates of either field by itself. The two disciplines complement each other, with physics providing an analytic problem-solving outlook and basic understanding of nature, while computer science...
For more information, see Major Physics and Computer Science (66 credits).
The B.Sc.; Honours in Physics provides a broad view of physics from classical to modern topics as well as a choice of specialized high level courses relevant for contemporary research. The students have the opportunity to participate in research. This is a demanding program. This program may be completed in 78 or 81 credits.
For more information, see Honours Physics (81 credits).
The B.Sc.; Honours in Physics; Biological Physics program contains a strong core of foundational physics and specializes in biology, mathematics, physiology, computer science, and chemistry. This Honours program offers a more rigorous preparation, with additional research experience, in biophysics. The program includes a research project within a biophysics lab...
For more information, see Honours Physics: Biological Physics (82 credits).
This is a specialized and demanding program intended for students who wish to develop a strong basis in both Mathematics and Physics in preparation for graduate work and a professional or academic career. Although the program is optimized for theoretical physics, it is broad enough and strong enough to prepare students for further study in either experimental...
For more information, see Honours Mathematics and Physics (81 credits).
This program provides a strong basis in both chemistry and physics. It contains a core of chemistry courses and a mix of honours-level courses in physics and mathematics. ...
For more information, see Honours Physics and Chemistry (80 credits).
This program provides essential background in physics and computer science at a level sufficient to pursue courses at the 400- and 500-level in either discipline. The program is intended to be flexible to allow students to take either more physics or more computer science courses at the advanced level. ...
For more information, see Honours Physics and Computer Science (81 credits).
See Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC). This program provides a firm basis for graduate work in atmospheric science and related fields as well as a sound preparation for those who wish to embark on a career directly after the B.Sc. Students should consult undergraduate advisors in both departments.
See Physiology (PHGY). This program provides a firm basis for graduate work in bio-physics and other interdisciplinary fields involving the physical and biological sciences.
