1st Year Physics Student Guidelines

Entering 1st year Physics Majors: Courses

Physics 9HA and MAT Placement

MAT 21A - PHY 9HA recommended if student has previous experience with calculus in High School and is comfortable using calculus on this level in PHY 9HA. Student must take MAT 21D over the following summer as MAT 21D is a firm prerequisite for PHY 9HD! Otherwise, a student should take the PHY 9 series, starting with PHY 9A in the Spring Term, as MAT 21D is a prerequisite for PHY 9C.

MAT 21B - PHY 9HA recommended.

MAT 21C – PHY 9HA recommended. A student may AP into this class with a Calculus BC score of 5. Best to talk to a math adviser to see if you would be comfortable doing this.

MAT 21M – PHY 9HA recommended; MAT 21M briefly reviews MAT 21A material and covers MAT 21B material in an accelerated format.

Additional Notes

A student can change from PHY 9HA to the regular PHY 9 series only after taking PHY 9HA (not later in the series), and vice versa.

A student who takes 9HA but decides to continue with 9B may need to delay proceeding with physics until taking additional mathematics classes. MAT 21D is a firm prerequisite for PHY 9C.