Building the department map…
Department paths
Courses with no prerequisites inside the department that unlock the most downstream work.
Generated from Rice University’s catalog, prerequisite, and concentration data. Spotted an error? Departments can adjust labels, ordering, and notes without a code change, so contact us.
The shortest canonical route from each entry point to a gateway course.
Each of these unlocks the largest share of downstream work on this map. Courses from other departments can appear here when they genuinely gate PHYS coursework.
Intro tiers at the top, advanced work below; arrows point from a prerequisite to the course it unlocks. Courses from other departments appear where they gate PHYS work. Click any course to see what it requires and unlocks without leaving this page; hovering lights up its neighbors. The lists on this page carry the same courses in text form.
Showing the 30 PHYS and feeder courses that have prerequisite links. 55 more PHYS courses have no recorded prerequisites. They are listed under Tracks below, not drawn as loose dots here.
The concentrations and majors that build on PHYS, and how their requirements are structured. Expand a program to see which courses satisfy each group, then plan it in the Planner.
Core Requirements2 required · verify with the official sheet
Select 1 from the following:; Select 1 from the following:; Select 3 courses from the following:
Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Astrophysics15 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements; University Graduation Requirements
Core Requirements2 required · verify with the official sheet
Select 1 from the following:; Select 1 from the following:; Select 2 courses from the following:; Select 6 additional credit hours of departmental (PHYS) or (ASTR) courses at the 300-level or above.; Select 1 course from the following:; 1 course from Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research (CMOR) course offerings at the 300-level or above.; 1 course from Mathematics (MATH) course
Core Requirements2 required · verify with the official sheet
Chemistry; Mathematics and Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research; Physics; Select 1 from the following:; Select 1 from the following:; Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Core Courses; Select 1 course from the following:
Core Requirements2 required · verify with the official sheet
Mathematics and Science Courses; Select 1 course from the following:; Select 1 from the following:; Select 1 from the following:; Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Core Courses; Computation Course; Design Laboratory
Upper-level clusters, grouped by the gateway that opens them.
Gateway: PHYS 311
The deepest prerequisite chains in PHYS. These are the routes that take the most semesters to climb.
7 courses deep, ending at PHYS 492
6 courses deep, ending at PHYS 411
6 courses deep, ending at PHYS 412
5 courses deep, ending at PHYS 480
Elective Requirements2 required · verify with the official sheet
Advanced Coursework in Physics and Chemistry; Select 3 courses from the following:; Advanced Laboratories; Select 2 courses from the following:; Advanced Coursework in Mathematics (MATH) or Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research (CMOR); Select 2 courses from MATH or CMOR course offerings at the 300-level or above
Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Astronomy15 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements; University Graduation Requirements
Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Physics and a Major Concentration in General Physics15 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements; University Graduation Requirements
Total Credit Hours15 required
Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Chemical Engineering15 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements; University Graduation Requirements
Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Electrical and Computer Engineering15 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements; University Graduation Requirements
Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Materials Science and NanoEngineering15 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements; University Graduation Requirements
Required Courses for Mechanical Engineering2 required · verify with the official sheet
Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research Courses; Mechanical Engineering Courses; Select 1 from the following:
Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Mechanical Engineering15 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements; University Graduation Requirements
Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Physics and a Major Concentration in Computational Physics15 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements; University Graduation Requirements
Total Credit Hours15 required
Total Credit Hours for the Major in Physics and a Major Concentration in Applied Physics15 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements; University Graduation Requirements
Total Credit Hours15 required
Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Physics and a Major Concentration in Biological Physics15 required · verify with the official sheet
Additional Credit Hours to Complete Degree Requirements; University Graduation Requirements
Total Credit Hours15 required
All PHYS courses in the Rice catalog
Grade medians are for verified students. Sign in with your school email to see them.
Use your school emailNo section schedule with instructor names for PHYS yet.
No clubs or organizations on record under PHYS yet.
This shows once five students share their club memberships.
Physics does not run a page here yet. When it does, its events show up here and on the Rice campus feed.