B.Sc. Honors in Physics
Four-year B.Sc. Program in Physics
Jahangirnagar University’s four‐year BSc program is intended to provide a broad‐based education at undergraduate level to facilitate an early induction to global research scenario. The undergraduate curriculum in physics has been carefully designed to encompass theoretical, experimental and computational aspects of physics education, to provide a firm knowledge of the basic principles of physics, an appreciation of a wide range of physical problems of current interest, and the capacity to formulate and solve new problems. In addition to classwork and problem solving, the curriculum includes studying physical phenomena in the laboratory. Sufficient exposure is to be provided on mathematics, chemical and engineering sciences; moreover, elements of computer programming, statistical science and communication skills are added for an all-round intellectual development. The exposure to physics and interdisciplinary research is to be provided through a plethora of departmental and non‐departmental optional courses pitched at the appropriate level and also by involving students to undergraduate research programs through departmental projects. Physics students are strongly encouraged to go beyond the formal theoretical and experimental course work and become involved in research projects under the guidance of individual faculty members. These opportunities render the present program unique and attractive for the students motivated to make important contribution to research at the cutting edge not only in Physics but also in related science and engineering science disciplines.
The Physics Courses – Aims and Objectives
The BSc Physics degree forms the core of department’s teaching programme. Across the four years students will learn the fundamentals of modern physics, together with the mathematical, practical and computational skills that will need to fully appreciate the subject. The four-year undergraduate degree allows students to cover physics in more breadth and depth. Building on the core physics programme, students will study a range of specialized allied courses delivered by esteemed faculty members. On completion of BSc courses, students should have developed a thorough understanding and broad knowledge of the general theoretical and experimental scientific principles of physics, so that they have the resources to apply their knowledge to a wide range of physical phenomena. They should have learned the techniques required in a modern mathematically-based physics course, gained an understanding of the conceptual structure associated with the major physical theories, understood how to set up simple models of physical problems and learned a wide range of problem-solving skills, both analytical and computational, and how to apply them in contexts that may not be familiar. Students will also have learned the experimental techniques required by working physicists involving sound and safe procedures, how to record and analyze data and how to write accounts of laboratory work which can be clearly understood by other scientists, and will have investigated experimentally some of the most important physical phenomena. On completion of their course, BSc students will have gained some experience of working on an open-ended assignment and all students will have had the opportunity either to acquire some expertise in a more specialized area of physics of their choice. MS students, in addition, will have acquired in-depth knowledge in chosen specialization within physics, and – from their thesis/project work – they will have learned how to plan and execute an open-ended piece of work, and will have gained experience of a research environment.
Year One and Two
First years courses offer extensive student support to assist the transition into higher education and develop independent learning skills. Physics students will build up their knowledge of the subject through courses in the core elements of physics. In their freshman and sophomore year, physics students get to grips with the broad knowledge base on which physical science is built, including electricity and optics, mathematics, mechanics, thermodynamics and matter. They will also develop the mathematical skills needed to speak the language of advanced physics, and carry out laboratory work to provide the background they need in experimentation and computation. Students also develop their experimental, statistical and analytical skills.
Year Three (Junior Year)
The first and second-year courses lead into more advanced areas of the subject such as statistical physics and quantum mechanics. They will build on the core skills developed in the freshman and sophomore year to study aspects of physics including solid-state physics, nuclear physics and electrodynamics. Similarly, students will have the opportunity to develop the core practical skills learned in the freshman and sophomore year to undertake more advanced laboratory work, making frequent use of computer control in their experiments.
Year Four (Senior Year)
In the fourth year of the BSc, student will finish off the core physics syllabus. In addition to the coursework carried out during the senior year, the student is required to write a senior project based on their own research which will be supervised by a dedicated research faculty member. The topic might be chosen from one of the active experimental or theoretical research fields of the Physics Department, or might be suggested by a faculty member with some subsidiary interest. A student could also choose a topic relating physics and another field in an area that interests them, such as biophysics, geophysics, or engineering physics. The purpose of the project is to give students exposure to how physics research is actually performed by immersing them in journal, as opposed to textbook, literature and apply the theoretical, computational and experimental techniques they have learned to a problem at the cutting-edge of physics. During the project, BSc students will receive additional support to help them prepare for independent learning by continuously assessed activities such as the preparation of scientific reports and student presentations in their final year. Each project will be written in close consultation with a faculty adviser, who is typically performing research in the subject area of the paper. The combination of specialist courses and an attachment to one of department’s research teams opens avenues for even deeper exploration: for example, in electronics, medical physics, space physics, fiber optics, the atomic-scale structure of a new engineering material, or neutron scattering work.
The B. Sc. (Hons.) in Physics consists of the following theoretical and laboratory courses spread over four academic years: Part-I, Part-II, Part-III, Part-IV and carries a total of 140 credits and 3500 Marks. These courses develop transferable skills related to communication, computing, and problem solving. Their aim is to ensure that, on graduation, all students will be in a position to choose from many different careers, and have the skills, knowledge and understanding to make a rapid contribution to their chosen employment or research area, and that those with the aptitude are prepared for postgraduate study in physics, and thus contribute to the vitality of Bangladesh research.
