Physics - BA

This worksheet is a planning tool and enrollment guide for use when you enroll in classes for your first semester.

The purple area identifies the required major related courses and Cluster One GenEd courses to select from for your first semester. Enroll in your required courses first and build the rest of your schedule around them.

Use the GenEd section to identify additional classes to add to your schedule to create a full schedule.

Departmental Recommendations:

  1. Enroll in 14-16 credit hours your first semester.
  2. All Physics majors should enroll in PHYS 105 (any section).
  3. Your ALEKS math assessment score determines which, if any, PHYS course you enroll in for the fall semester. Enroll in the mathematics course, and PHYS course if indicated, based upon your ALEKS score.
    4. ALEKS Score => 81
    ALEKS Score below 81
    		Already have credit for MATH 235?

    Enroll in both courses:

    MATH 235 AND
    PHYS 240 (Section 0004)
    PHYS 240 L (Section 0003 OR 0006)

    These courses are corequisites and must be enrolled in together.

    Enroll in the Math course based upon your ALEKS score. If your ALEKS score is < 56 you will take PHYS in a future semester.

    ALEKS Score Course
    66 - 80 MATH 231
    56 - 65 MATH 231+199**
    < 56 MATH 155

    If you have AP, IB, CIE, or dual enrollment credit, use the table below to determine your math course.

    MATH Credit: Enroll In:
    MATH 235 MATH 236
    MATH 236 MATH 237

    AND PHYS 240 (Section 0004) AND PHYS 240L (Section 0003 OR 0006)
  4. Enrollment in CHEM for the first semester is dependent on your ALEKS score. Enroll in CHEM 131 and CHEM 131L IF your ALEKS score is 75 or higher. If you do not meet these score requirements, enroll in additonal GenEd courses to create a schedule of 14-16 credit hours.
  5. Enroll in a Cluster One Human Communications OR Critical Thinking course.
  6. The BA degree has a foreign language requirement. Consider enrolling in a foreign language for your first semester.
  7. Enroll in General Education courses to create a 14-16 credit hour schedule.

Placement Exams:

Your placement exam scores identify the appropriate course level based upon your current skills.

ALEKS Math Assessment Score: You need to know your ALEKS math assessment score to determine your math placement for the 1st-semester or a future semester. After completion of the math assessment, enter your score in the field below so you have this information available if you are required to take a math course your 1st-semester. If a math course is required the 1st-semester, it will be identified in the purple section below. If math is not listed, you will take math in a future semester. The MyMadison system will not allow you to enroll in a course other than your placement recommendation.


ALEKS                  Tutorial on locating your JMU assessment scores

 

Major Requirement(s) for the 1st Semester
  Course Subject Code / Course Number / Course Name Fulfills

Physics:

All students need to enroll in PHYS 105 (any section).

 

PHYS 105 Foundations of Physics

Major & Cluster 3 requirement

Major Math Requirement: ALEKS Score => 81

ALEKS Score Course
>= 81 MATH 235

If your ALEKS score is 81 or higher, enroll in MATH 235, PHYS 240 and PHYS 240L.

Major & Cluster 3 requirement

Major Math Requirement: ALEKS Score 56 - 80

ALEKS Score Course
66 - 80 MATH 231
56 - 65 MATH 231 + MATH 199

If your ALEKS score is between 56-80, enroll in MATH 231 OR MATH 231+199.

**MATH 199 is a gateway co-requisite designed to assist students who want to start calculus but need to review fundamental mathematics to be successful in MATH 231. Students will be registered for a total of 4 credit hours.  The course is self-study-based and the only required meetings are drop-in proctored test-taking on Friday evenings. Grades are completely determined by the number of semester weeks that pass before the student successfully completes all of the exams. Once the exams are passed the student is no longer required to attend on Friday evenings.  

Major & Cluster 3 requirement

Major Math Requirement: CALC Score < 56

ALEKS Score Course
< 56 MATH 155

MATH 155 College Algebra* - 3 credit hours    Waitlist Available

*MATH 155 is a prep course for calculus. This class does not fulfill your GenEd or major math requirement.

MATH 155 is a prep course for higher level calculus.

Do you have credit for MATH 235?

If you have AP, IB, CIE, or dual enrollment credit, use the table below to determine your math course.

Math Credit: Enroll In:
MATH 235 MATH 236
MATH 236 MATH 237

Chemistry:

ALEKS score dependent:

IF your ALEKS score is 75 or higher, enroll in both CHEM 131 and CHEM 131L.
 

Major & Cluster 3 requirement

Cluster One Requirement:

Select ONE course from EITHER the Human Communications section OR the Critical Thinking courses for your 1st-semester. You will take a course from the other area in your second semester. The MyMadison system will not allow you to enroll in both a critical thinking and a human communications course in the 1st-semester.           

Click here for a list of GenEd course descriptions

 

Human Communications course options:

Critical Thinking course options:

 

Cluster One requirement

1st-Semester Course Options

Below are optional courses for the 1st-semester. If these courses are not available and/or you do not meet the requirements, you will take these classes in a future semester.

 

  Course Subject Code / Course Number / Course Name Fulfills

Foreign Language Requirement:

 

How to find your JMUFL score

Placement matrix for Spanish, Russian, French, and German

The BA degree has a foreign language requirement. To enroll in a new language you have never studied, enroll in the 101 level of the course. To continue studying in French, German, Russian, or Spanish, enroll based on your JMUFL score. To continue studying in all other languages, enroll in the 231 level of the language. You will confirm or adjust your course level in August when you meet with the coordinator for the language. To determine your placement course for French, German, Russian, or Spanish, see the Placement Matrix. The MyMadison system will not allow you to enroll in a course in which you did not place. - 3 credit hours

BA requirement

General Education Courses

Complete the schedule planning process by using the General Education Planner below to identify courses to add to your schedule to create a full schedule of 14 - 16 credit hours. The number of GenEd courses you need to add from the list below is major dependent. Based on the required courses above, some majors will only need to add one GenEd course from the list below while others may need to add three GenEd courses to create a full schedule.

Notes:

Cluster One - Writing: If you do not have AP,IB,CIE or dual enrollment credit for WRTC 103, we encourage you enroll your 1st-semester. If a WRTC 103 course is not available, you will enroll in the following semester.

Cluster 3 - Quantitative Reasoning: Math courses are restricted to students in majors that require a math class in the 1st-semester. If your major requires math in the 1st-semester, it will be indicated above in the purple Required area of this worksheet. If a math course is not identified in the purple Required section above, your advisor will discuss your math placement score and math recommendation for your major when you meet in the summer.

Cluster 4 - American Experience: This is an area where many students have earned credit through AP, IB, CIE or dual enrollment courses taken in high school. If you are waiting on test or grade results, we recommend you enroll in a GenEd course from a different cluster or cluster area until you receive your results.

Cluster 5 - Sociocultural Domain: If you are waiting on test or grade results for Psychology through AP, IB, CIE or dual enrollment courses taken in high school. If you are waiting on test or grade results, we recommend you enroll in a GenEd course from different cluster or cluster area until you receive your results.

Modified GenEd Planner for 1st-Semester Use

Click here for a list of GenEd course descriptions

Cluster One - Skills for the 21st Century

Cluster Four – Social and Cultural Processes

Critical Thinking

See the required section of this worksheet.

Human Communication

See the required section of this worksheet.


You will enroll in either a critical thinking OR human communications course for your 1st-semester.

The American Experience 4 credit hours

If you are waiting for AP, IB, CIE or dual enrollment credit for history or government, do not enroll until you have received your results. 4 credit hours.

  • HIST 225: U.S. History
  • JUST 225: Justice and American Society
  • POSC 225: U.S. Government

The Global Experience 3 credit hours

You may enroll in one of these classes, if available. Do NOT enroll in POSC 220 if you have credit for POSC 225 or are planning to take POSC 225.

  • AAAD 200: Introduction to African, African American and Diaspora Studies
  • ANTH 195: Cultural Anthropology
  • GEOG 200: Geography: The Global Dimension
  • POSC 200: Global Politics
  • SOCI 110: Social Issues in a Global Context

Writing 3 credit hours

If you are waiting for test or grade results for writing through AP, IB, CIE or dual enrollment, wait for your results.

  • WRTC 103: Rhetorical Reading and Writing

Cluster Two – Arts and Humanities

Cluster Five – Individuals in the Human Community

Human Questions and Contexts 3 credit hours

You may enroll in one of these classes, if available.

  • AMST 200: Introduction to American Studies
  • ANTH 205: Buried Cities and Lost Tribes
  • HIST 101: World History to 1500
  • HIST 102: World History since 1500
  • HUM 250: Foundations of Western Culture
  • HUM 251: Modern Perspectives
  • HUM 252: Global Cultures
  • PHIL 101: Intro to Philosophy
  • REL 101: Religions of the World
  • REL 102: God, Meaning and Morality

Visual and Performing Arts 3 credit hours

You may enroll in one of these classes, if available.

  • ART 200: Art in General Culture
  • ARTH 205: Survey of World Art I: Prehistoric to Renaissance
  • ARTH 206: Survey of World Art II: Renaissance to Modern
  • MUS: 200: Music in General Culture
  • MUS 203: Music in America
  • MUS 206: Introduction to Global Music
  • THEA 210: Introduction to Theatre

Wellness Domain 3 credit hours

You may enroll in one of these classes, if available.

  • HTH 100: Personal Wellness

  • 15-hour physical activity requirement of your choice for the semester.

  • KIN 100: Lifetime Fitness and Wellness

  • Lecture and a specific physical activity per course section. Read the TOPIC section of the class when enrolling to identify the fitness activity. Swim conditioning assumes students can already swim.


Sociocultural Domain 3 credit hours

You may enroll in one of these classes, if available.

  • PSYC 101: General Psychology
  • PSYC 160: Life Span Human Development
  • SOCI 140: Microsociology: The Individual in Society
  • WGSS 200: Introduction to Women and Gender Studies

Cluster Three – The Natural World

Quantitative Reasoning

If a math course is required for your 1st-semester, it will be indicated above in purple required section. Otherwise, math is not required for your major the 1st-semester.  You will enroll in a math class in a later semester based on your ALEKS score. Talk with your advisor about your ALEKS score during your Summer Springboard visit.

 

Physical Principles 3 credit hours

This cluster area fulfilled by a major requirement.

Natural System 3 credit hours unless indicated

This cluster area fulfilled by a major requirement.

Save and/or print this worksheet to use as a guide when you enroll in classes in June.