Physical Science

3 Credit Hours

This course provides a general survey of the distinguishing geographic characteristics of the major regions of the world. Emphasis is placed on the physical, cultural, historic, and economic aspects of each region. The course is designed to meet the needs of students majoring in education, social science, or geography, as well as students interested in attaining a global perspective.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for GEO 212

5 Credit Hours

Prerequisite: MAT100 (or placement)

This course provides an introduction to the major concepts in modern science. The course will focus on physics, chemistry, meteorology, astronomy, energy, and the environment. The course will include laboratory experiments and work with lab equipment and techniques.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for PS 101

4 Credit Hours

Prerequisite: MAT100 (or placement)

This course provides a qualitative introduction to the science of physics. The course will cover principles from classical, relativity, and quantum theories, including motion, forces, energy, thermodynamics, waves, electromagnetism, atomic physics, and special and general relativity. The course is intended as a broad-based introduction to physics for students who are not majoring in science.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for PS 102

4 Credit Hours

This course provides an introduction to the basic principles of geology. The course covers geological measuring techniques, minerals and rocks, internal processes such as plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes, and surface processes such as streams, coasts, mass movements, and glaciers. The course is intended as a broad-based introduction to geology for students who are not majoring in science.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for PS 104

4 Credit Hours

Prerequisite: MAT100 or assessment

Provides a qualitative introduction to the nature of the solar system and beyond. The topics include: the celestial sphere, astronomical observation techniques, the planets and moons, asteroids and comets, the Sun, the lives and evolutions of starts, pulsars, black holes, galaxies and dark matter. This course is intended as a broad-based introduction to astronomy for students who are not majoring in science. Three hours of lecture and one and a half hours of lab per week.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for PS 108

5 Credit Hours

Prerequisite: MAT104 (or MAT 106 placement)

This course provides a study of units, physical quantities and vectors, motion, forces and equilibrium, oscillations and waves, gravitation, work, energy, and thermodynamics. This is the introductory course for those who require algebra-based physics.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for PS 203

5 Credit Hours

Prerequisite: PS 203

This course includes the study of electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic induction, electromagnetic waves, optics, and atomic and nuclear physics. This is a second semester course for students who require algebra-based physics.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for PS 204

5 Credit Hours

Prerequisite/Corequisite: MAT110

This course covers the analysis of units, physical quantities and vectors, motion, forces and equilibrium, oscillations and waves, gravitation, work, energy, and thermodynamics. This is an introductory course for students who require calculus-based physics.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for PS 215

5 Credit Hours

Prerequisite: PS 215

This course includes the study of electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic induction, electromagnetic waves, optics, and atomic and nuclear physics. This is a second semester course for students who require calculus-based physics.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for PS 216

5 Credit Hours

This course provides a basic introduction to chemistry, with special emphasis on solution chemistry, acid-base chemistry, organic and biochemistry. The course is recommended for students pursuing non-science and allied health degrees. Students pursuing degrees which require more than one semester in Chemistry should take CHM (PS) 111.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for CHM 107

5 Credit Hours

Prerequisite: MAT103 or instructor permission

This course provides a college-level introduction to chemistry and is intended for students going into technological, scientific, or medical fields.  The course will focus on chemical compounds, their properties and reactions, and the scientific laws that determine their behavior.  Course topics will include basic chemical concepts, calculations with chemical formulas and equations, chemical reactions, thermochemistry, modern theories of the atom and electronic structure, chemical periodicity, and chemical bonds.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for CHM 111

5 Credit Hours

Prerequisite: CHM (PS) 111

This course continues the study begun in CHM (PS) 111 and is intended for students going into technological, scientific, engineering, or medical fields. The course is required in certain pre-professional programs, such as pre-medicine, pre-veterinary medicine, pre-dentistry, etc. Course topics will include crystals and solids, reaction kinetics, chemical equilibrium, solution chemistry including acid-base and complex-ion equilibria, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry. The course will also include a brief discussion of organic chemistry, biochemistry, and nuclear chemistry.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for CHM 112

5 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:  CHM211 or permission

This course is the first in a two-sequence semester. The course will focus on hybridization, bond and molecular orbitals, stereochemistry, acids and bases, chemical radicals, kinetics, thermodynamics, conformational analysis, and molecular structure. These topics will be applied to alkanes, haloalkanes, alkenes, and alcohols. The course will also include spectroscopic techniques such as NMR, IR, and mass spec, applied to structure determination of organic molecules.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for CHM 211

5 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:  CHM211 or permission

This course is the second in a two-sequence semester. The course will continue to focus on topics presented in CHM 211 (PS 210) and how they apply to chemical synthesis and structure determination. The topics will be applied to aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids and their derivatives, amines, aromaticity, benzene and its derivatives, organometallic compounds, conjugated and unconjugated unsaturated systems, and pericyclic reactions. Selected applications to biochemistry, medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry, and industrial chemistry will also be discussed.

• Syllabus
• Locations and Class Schedule for CHM 212