The Grinnell Physics Department offers several different types of courses. Courses that are primarily for non-science majors and do not count toward a physics major:
- Physics in the Arts
- The Universe and Its Structure
- Physics: A Historical Approach
- Bridges, Towers, and Skyscrapers
Courses that are required for the physics major and are taken in approximately the following order:
- General Physics I
- General Physics II
- Modern Physics
- Mechanics
- Electromagnetic Theory
- Optics and Other Wave Phenomena
- Advanced Laboratory
Courses that are not required for the major but can be used for major credit:
- Electronics
- Computational Physics
- Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
- Astrophysics
- Solid State Physics
- Introduction to Quantum Theory
- Advanced Quantum Theory
- Independent Study (several forms)
Additional details of these courses are available in the Academic Catalog. Information is also available on when particular courses are offered and on typical schedules for completing these course. The General Physics courses are offered in two different styles: a traditional class-plus-lab format and a workshop format that is more inquiry-based and collaborative. The two formats are academically equivalent but address the learning styles of individual students in different ways.
