Undergraduate Program

General Description
The main objective of the Undergraduate Program of the Department of Physics is to provide the students with the education required to pursue graduate studies in Physics, or in related disciplines, offering at the same time the opportunities to aqquire the knowledge and develop the skills that would enable them to work in positions in the industry.

The Faculty of the Department is comprised of nineteen members who, apart from their regular teaching duties, are active in research in various areas of Physics. Theoretical Physics is carried out by various members working in projects related to Particle Physics, General Relativity, Statistical Mechanics, Oceanography and Condensed Matter. The Experimental Physics facilities include aboratories with projects in Spectroscopy, Thin Films, Liquid Crystals and Material Science, with a strong expermimental program in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. Various faculty members use the facilities of the Arecibo Observatory and other observatories of the world to carry their research in Astrophysics. Several of these projects are funded by federal agencies, as the U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The students of the Program have opportunities to register for the undergraduate research courses with faculty members during the academic year, and also to participate in Summer Research Programs in national laboratories such as the Arecibo Observatory (Puerto Rico), Los Alamos National (New Mexico), SLAC (California), and Fermilab (Illinois). The students are members of the Puerto Rico Chapter 5759 of the Society of Physics Students, which is an organization of the American Institute of Physics (Maryland) that strives to help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community;.

The Department is committed to contribute to the scientific knowledge of the students, and to develop their capabilities to help them become contributing competent professionals in their ultimate careers.

BA Curriculum

A Bachelor’s Degree in Physics consists of:

  • 43 credits in General Education. 
The student can refer to the Decanato de Asuntos Académicos for the latest listings of courses that the student may consider for this component of the Bachelor Degree ( http://daarrp.uprrp.edu/daa/cursos_educacion_general.html )


  • 12 credits from the Faculty of Natural Sciences
  • 41 credits of Physics Major courses
  • 15 credits of Elective courses in Physics
  • 18 credits of Elective courses

All students of Natural Sciences must approve MATE3151 (Calculus I).

General Education Courses total=43credits
INGL I 3cr
INGL II 3cr
ESPA I 3cr
ESPA II 3cr
HUMA I 3cr
HUMA II 3cr
CISO3121 3cr
CISO3122 3cr
CIFI4XXX or CIBI4XXX 3cr
CIFI4XXX or CIBI4XXX 3cr
LITE I 3cr
LITE II 3cr
ARTE 3cr
MATE3151 (Calculus I) 4cr


Required courses from the Faculty of Natural Sciences total=12credits
QUIM3001 4cr
QUIM3002 4cr
MATE3152 (Calculus II) 4cr


41 credits Physics Major
Physics major Course credits Pre Requisites Co Requisites
FISI3171 Phys I 4cr MATE3151(Calculus I), FISI3173
FISI3172 Phys II 4cr MATE3152(Calculus II), FISI3174
FISI3173 Lab Phys I 1cr MATE3151(Calculus I), FISI3171
FISI3174 Lab Phys II 1cr MATE3152(Calculus II), FISI3172
FISI4031 Phys Math I 3cr MATH3152 (Calculus II)
FISI4032 Phys Math II 3cr FISI4031 Phys Math I MATH3153 (Calculus III)
FISI3016 Modern Phys 3cr FISI3172-3174 (Phys II-Lab Phys II)
FISI4051 Int Mech I 3cr FISI3172-3174 (Phys II, Lab Phys II) FISI4031 (Phys Math I)
FISI4052 Int Mech II 3cr FISI4051 Int Mech I FISI4032(Phys Math II)
FISI4068 Electro I 3cr FISI3172-3174 (Phys II, Lab Phys II) FISI4031 (Phys Math I)
FISI4069 Electro II 3cr FISI4068 (Electro I) FISI4032(Phys Math II)
FISI4046 Quantum Mech 3cr FISI3016,FISI4032,FISI4052,FISI4069
FISI4057 Thermodynamics 3cr FISI3016,FISI4032,FISI4052,FISI4069
FISI4076 Intermed Lab I 2cr FISI3016,FISI4032,FISI4052,FISI4069
FISI4077 Intermed Lab II 2cr FISI4076



15 credits of Physics Elective courses
Physics Elective Courses credits Pre Requisites Co Requisites
ASTR3005 (Descriptive Astronomy) 3cr
FISI4047 (Solid State Physics*) 3cr FISI4046 (Quantum Mechanics)
FISI4048 (Nuclear Physics*) 3cr FISI4046 (Quantum Mechanics)
ASTRO4006 (Astrophysics*) 3cr FISI3172 (Phys II)
FISI4058 (Undergraduate Research**) 3cr FISI4032 (Phys Mat II),FISI3016 (Mod Phys),FISI4052 (Mech II),FISI4069 (Electro II)
FISI4056 (Modern Optics) 3cr FISI4069 (Electro II)
FISI4055 (X Ray Crystallography) 3cr FISI3016 (Mod Phys) or FISI3025 (Elem Mod Phys)
METE4006 (Meteorology) 3cr
FISI5005 (Biophysics) 3cr FISI4032 (Phys Mat II), FISI3016 (Mod Phys), FISI4052 (Mech II), FISI4069 (Electro II)
FISI4041 (Special Topics in Physics) 3cr
FISI4042 (Special Topics in Physics) 3cr
ASTR3055 (Evolución Cósmica) 3cr 24 approved credits
METE3901 (Microsatélites I) 3cr Permission Professor
METE3902 (Microsatélites II) 3cr Permission Professor

* Must select at least one of the following: Solid State Physics, Nuclear Physics or Astrophysics.
** Undergraduate Research can be repeated to a maximum of 6cr.


18 credits of Elective courses
Elective Courses offered by Physics Department credits Pre Requisites Co Requisites
ASTR3005 (Descriptive Astronomy) 3cr
CNEI3005 (Ciencia y Pseudociencia) 3cr
FISI3025 (Elem Mod Physics) 3cr FISI3012 (Univ Phys II)
FISI3125 (Hist Rev Científica) 3cr
CINA5990 (Física Aplicada Arquelogía y el Arte) 3cr
FISI3036 (Física para Biología y Medicina) 3cr FISI3012 (Univ Phys II)



Undergraduate Courses Syllabi
You can find the undergraduate courses syllabi at http://fisi.mobi.

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Revision date: July 28, 2018