2025-2026 Tentative Offerings

Physics majors should click here to see exceptions to the major requirements.

Core offerings repeat annually as listed (i.e. courses in the PHYS 4, 100, 105, 110, 120, 130, and 140 series).

Not every course is offered annually or even bi-annually.

Summer offerings of PHYS 4A-B are not guaranteed beyond 2025. 

Unless otherwise noted, all courses are offered in-person.

In summer, we typically offer PHYS 1ABC with Labs, PHYS 2ABC, 2BL, and 2CL. Summer offerings of other courses are not guaranteed (check the Online Schedule when it goes live). We do not offer any UD or GRAD physics courses over summer.

Instructors can be selected or changed ight up until the first day of instruction. If "STAFF" is listed that means the instructor has not yet been selected. Regularly check the Online Schedule for updates.

Course Title Fall Winter Spring
1AL-BL-CL

Mechanics Lab; E&M Lab; Waves, Optics, and Modern Physics Lab

Bal, Frano Shotwell, Yang Meyertholen, Ni
1A Mechanics Groisman (A00, B00) STAFF Arlett

1B

Electricity and Magnetism STAFF Smith (A00, B00, C00) STAFF
1C Waves, Optics, and Modern Physics Tsai Tsai Popmintchev (A00, B00, C00)

2A

Physics—Mechanics Shotwell Dudko (A00); Shotwell (B00) Bal
2B Physics—Electricity and Magnetism Barreiro Ni Tan
2BL Physics Laboratory—Mechanics     Bal
2C Physics—Fluids, Waves, Thermodynamics, and Optics 

Tan (A00, B00)

Keres Duarte
2CL Physics Laboratory—Electricity and Magnetism Ni Arlett Frano
2D Physics—Relativity and Quantum Physics Sharma STAFF Branson
2DL Physics Laboratory—Modern Physics Butov    
4A Physics for Physics Majors–Mechanics  

Averitt

 
4B Physics for Physics Majors—Fluids, Waves, Statistical and Thermal Physics     Hirsch
4C Physics for Physics Majors—Electricity and Magnetism Chivukula    
4D Physics for Physics Majors—Electromagnetic Waves, Special Relativity and Optics   Intriligator  
4E Physics for Physics Majors—Quantum Physics     Intriligator
8 Physics of Everyday Life      
10 Concepts in Physics      
11 Survey of Physics      
12 Energy and the Environment Branson Sharma  
30 Poetry for Physicists      
39 Physics Introductory Special Topics (see details)   Arlett  Frano
39L Physics Introductory Special Topics Lab (see details)   Kleinfeld  
41 Scientific Computing with Python   Li  
87 First-year Seminar Grinstein    
100A Electromagnetism I Green    
100B Electromagnetism II   Barreiro  
100C Electromagnetism III     Barreiro
105A Mathematical and Computational Physics I   Duarte  
105B Mathematical and Computational Physics II     Green
110A Mechanics I Dudko    
110B  Mechanics II   Serra  
113/213 Quantum Information is Physical       
116/216 Fluid Dynamics for Physicists Diamond, Vergassola    
120 Circuits and Electronics

 

 

Yang

122 Experimental Techniques

 

 

 

124 Laboratory Projects

 

Arnold

 

130A Quantum Physics I 

 

Parker

Lin

130B Quantum Physics II Keating   You
130C Quantum Physics III   Branson  
133/219 Condensed Matter/Materials Science Laboratory Allen    
136 Nuclear Physics Grinstein    
137 String Theory      
139 Physics Special Topics (see details) Hirsch (A00); Duarte (B00) Di Ventra, Schuller (A00)  
140A Statistical and Thermal Physics I  Parker   Serra
140B Statistical and Thermal Physics II   Arovas  
141/241 Computational Physics I: Probabilistic Models and Simulations     Zhao
142/242 Computational Physics II: PDE and Matrix Models      
151 Elementary Plasma Physics      
152A Condensed Matter Physics   Butov  
152B/232 Electronic Materials     Di Ventra
154 Elementary Particle Physics      
160 Stars and Compact Objects   Fuller  
161 Black Holes Fuller    
162 Modern Cosmology     Keating
170 Medical Instruments: Principles and Practice      
173 Modern Physics Laboratory: Biological and Quantum Physics      
175/275 Biological Physics Koslover    
176/276 Quantitative Microbiology     Hwa
177/277 Physics of the Cell     Dudko
178/278 Biophysics of Neurons and Networks   Sharpee  
191 Undergraduate Seminar on Physics Yang    
192 Senior Seminar in Physics      
200A Theoretical Mechanics I Di Ventra    
200B Dynamics: Deterministic, Stochastic, Statistical      
201 Mathematical Methods for Physics Vergassola    
202 Estimation and Scaling in Physics      
203A Advanced Classical Electrodynamics I   Fogler  
203B Advanced Classical Electrodynamics II     Fogler
210A Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics     Goldenfeld
210B Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics McGreevy    
211A Solid-State Physics I Butov    
211B Solid-State Physics II   Grover  
212A Quantum Mechanics I Fogler    
212B Quantum Mechanics II   Chivukula  
212C Quantum Mechanics III     Grover
214 Physics of Elementary Particles      
215A Quantum Fields I Shotwell    
215B Quantum Fields II   McGreevy  
215C Quantum Fields III     McGreevy
215D Selected Topics in Quantum Fields      
217 Field Theory and the Renormalization Group      
218A Plasma Physics I      
218B Plasma Physics II      
218C Plasma Physics III      
220 Group Theoretical Methods in Physics      
221A Nonlinear and Nonequilibrium Dynamics of Physical Systems      
222A Experimental Methods for Particle Physics      
225A General Relativity Flauger    
225B General Relativity      
225C General Relativity      
227 Cosmology     Fuller
228 High-Energy Astrophysics and Compact Objects      
230 Advanced Solid-State Physics      
233 Collider Physics      
235 Nonlinear Plasma Theory      
237 Introduction to the Standard Model and Beyond      
239 Special Topics Hirsch (A00); Duarte (B00); Intriligator (C00) Goldenfeld  
243 Stochastic Methods      
244 Parallel Computing in Science and Engineering      
250 Condensed Matter Physics Seminar Hirsch Hirsch Hirsch
251 High-Energy Physics Seminar Grinstein Grinstein Grinstein
252 Plasma Physics Seminar Diamond Diamond Diamond
253 Astrophysics and Space Physics Seminar Fuller Fuller Fuller
254 Biophysics Seminar Serra Serra Serra
255 Biophysics Research Talks Hwa   Hwa
257 High-Energy Physics Special Topics Seminar      
258 Astrophysics and Space Physics Special Topics Seminar      
259A Methods in Quantitative Biology     Hwa
259B Concepts and Methods in Quantitative Physiology      
260 Physics Colloquium Shpyrko    
261 Seminar on Physics Research at UC San Diego      
264 Scientific Method Seminar      
270A Experimental Techniques for Quantitative Biology      
270B Quantitative Biology Laboratory      
273 Information Theory and Pattern Formation in Biological Systems      
274 Stochastic Processes in Population Genetics      
279 Neurodynamics Silva    
281 Extensions in Physics      
282 Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Biological Systems Hwa    
500 Instruction in Physics Teaching  Bal, Shotwell    
Course Title Fall Winter Spring