Honours in Physics and Chemistry

(80 credits)

Program Requirements

This is a specialized and demanding program intended primarily, although not exclusively, for students with a theoretical bias who are interested in working in fields of study at the crossroads of physical chemistry and physics. The program will prepare students for either theoretical or experimental graduate work in departments where there is an emphasis on such cross-disciplinary areas as condensed matter physics, chemical physics, or material science.

A student whose average in the required and complementary courses in any year falls below a GPA of 3.00, or whose grade in any individual required or complementary course falls below a C (unless the student improves the grade to a C or above by taking a supplemental exam or retaking the course), may not register in this Honours program the following year, or graduate with the Honours degree, except with permission of both departments.

The student will have two advisors, one from Chemistry and the other from Physics.

Joint Physics Chemistry Map

A program flowchart can be found here.

Required Courses (68 credits)

CHEM 212 (4) Introductory Organic Chemistry 1

CHEM 213 (3) Introductory Physical Chemistry 1: Thermodynamics

CHEM 273 (3) Introductory Physical Chemistry 2: Kinetics and Methods

CHEM 281 (3) Inorganic Chemistry 1

CHEM 355 (3) Applications of Quantum Chemistry

CHEM 365 (2) Statistical Thermodynamics

CHEM 493 (2) Advanced Physical Chemistry Laboratory

CHEM 556 (3) Advanced Quantum Mechanics

CHEM 574 (3) Introductory Polymer Chemistry

COMP 208 (3) Computer Programming for Physical Sciences and Engineering

MATH 247 (3) Honours Applied Linear Algebra

MATH 248 (3) Honours Vector Calculus

MATH 249 (3) Honours Complex Variables

MATH 325 (3) Honours Ordinary Differential Equations

PHYS 241 (3) Signal Processing

PHYS 251 (3) Honours Classical Mechanics 1

PHYS 257 (3) Experimental Methods 1

PHYS 258 (3) Experimental Methods 2

PHYS 350 (3) Honours Electricity and Magnetism

PHYS 352 (3) Honours Electromagnetic Waves

PHYS 357 (3) Honours Quantum Physics 1

PHYS 457 (3) Honours Quantum Physics 2

PHYS 558 (3) Solid State Physics

** PHYS 342 Majors Electromagnetic Waves may be substituted for PHYS 352 Honours Electromagnetic Waves with written permission of an advisor.

Complementary Courses (12 credits)

(with at least 3 credits in Chemistry and 3 credits in Physics)

3 credits selected from:

CHEM 593 (3) Statistical Mechanics

PHYS 559 (3) Advanced Statistical Mechanics

9 credits selected from the list below:

CHEM 480D1 (1.5) Undergraduate Research Project 2

CHEM 480D2 (1.5) Undergraduate Research Project 2

CHEM 505 (3) Computer Modeling of Molecules and Materials

CHEM 531 (3) Chemistry of Inorganic Materials

CHEM 575 (3) Chemical Kinetics

CHEM 585 (3) Colloid Chemistry

PHYS 351 (3) Honours Classical Mechanics 2

PHYS 404 (3) Climate Physics

PHYS 434 (3) Optics

PHYS 459D1 (3) Honours Research Thesis

and PHYS 459D2 (3) Honours Research Thesis

PHYS 469 (3) Honours Laboratory in Modern Physics 2

PHYS 479 (3) Physics Research Project

PHYS 512 (3) Computational Physics with Applications

PHYS 562 (3) Electromagnetic Theory