Building a Degree Plan

GT 1000 · Lecture 4

Andrew J. Steinmetz

2026-09-18

Front matter

• SWiP introduction
• How was the career fair? Anyone go?

Due dates

What	When	Points
Degree Map – PDF to Canvas, Lastname-Firstname-Degree-Map.pdf	Sept. 25, 11:59 PM ET	100 (10%) · Academic Planning
Team project kickoff	Oct. 2, in class	–
Advising Meeting & Spring 2027 Plan	Oct. 30, 11:59 PM ET	60 (6%) · Academic Planning

Today’s work is the Degree Map.

Why plan now?

You have been here four weeks. Why map out four years?

• Some courses are only offered in fall or spring.
• Prerequisite chains are long. One missed semester can push graduation back a year.
• A minor, research, study abroad, or a co-op all need room in the plan, and room is easiest to make early.
• Your advisor can help you much more when you show up with a plan.

A map is a plan, not a contract. You will revise it. That is the point.

What is a degree map?

The School of Physics’ 4-year plan with no transfer credit starts like this:

Semester	Courses	Hours	Running total
Fall 2026	ENGL 1101, MATH 1551, MATH 1553, CHEM 1310, GT 1000	15	15
Spring 2027	ENGL 1102, MATH 1552, PHYS 2231, CS 1301, APPH 1040	17	32
Summer 2027	Study abroad? Internship?	–	32
…	…	…	…
Spring 2030	PHYS 4605, electives	14	≥ 122

Anatomy of the Physics B.S.

122 credit hours total (Physics B.S. - General).

Block	Examples
Core IMPACTS	ENGL 1101/1102, CS 1301/1371
Field of study	PHYS 2303, PHYS 2304
Upper-level physics	E&M, quantum, thermo
Physics / technical electives	PHYS, approved MATH, NRE
Free electives	Anything: this is where a minor lives

Applied Physics or Astrophysics? Same first year, different upper levels. Use your own 4-year plan.

Per-block hours from the catalog (IMPACTS 43, field of study 18, upper-level 32, electives 18, free 15) sum to 126, not 122, so some blocks overlap. The School’s 4-year plan sums to 122. Physics and Applied Physics both have a Business Option and a Physics of Living Systems concentration, each with its own 4-year plan.

The upper-level core

What every Physics B.S. takes.

• PHYS 3122 Electrostatics
• PHYS 3123 Electrodynamics
• PHYS 3141 Thermodynamics
• PHYS 3143 Quantum Mechanics I
• PHYS 3201 Classical Mechanics I

• PHYS 4142 Statistical Mechanics
• PHYS 4143 Quantum Mechanics II
• PHYS 4321 Advanced Laboratory I
• PHYS 4604 Professional Dev.
• PHYS 4605 Scientific Comm.

You need a 2.0 GPA across all 3000- and 4000-level PHYS classes. Pass/fail only counts toward free electives.

Prerequisites set the order

Your map is really a set of chains. Build the chains first, then fill in around them.

• Math: MATH 1551 → 1552 → 2551 → 2552
• Intro physics: PHYS 2231 → 2232 → 2303 / 2304
• Upper level: intro physics + math → 3000-level → 4000-level

When in doubt, check Oscar.

Example: PHYS 3143 Quantum Mechanics I requires (PHYS 2213 or 2304) and MATH 2551 and MATH 2552 (or equivalent).

The 3143 prerequisites are from the School of Physics requirements page (Quantum minor section). In the 4-year plan, MATH 2552 and PHYS 2304 are both spring of year 2, so QM I lands in fall of year 3. Taking 2211/2212 instead of 2231/2232 moves two hours to physics/technical electives. Consider drawing the chain on the board. Check which upper-level courses are offered only once a year.

Transfer credit counts

AP, IB, dual enrollment, and courses from other schools all go on your map.

• List each one and which requirement it satisfies.
• Check that it actually shows up in DegreeWorks. If it doesn’t, find out why now.
• More credit is not automatically better. Skipping a course you are shaky on can hurt later in the chain.
• DegreeWorks can have errors where classes that should count, don’t. Check with you academic advisor about these.

Ask who arrived with MATH 1551 or PHYS 2211 credit. Encourage anyone who placed out of calculus but felt unsure to talk to their advisor before spring registration.

Room for more

Your free and technical electives are where the degree becomes yours.

Option	How it fits
Minor or certificate	Physics’ minors are 15 hours; up to 6 can double-count toward your major
Undergraduate research	PHYS 2699 / 4699, at most 9 hours toward the degree (Astrophysics: at most 3 hours of 4699 as an elective)
Internship	One semester or a summer, full- or part-time
Co-op	Alternating semesters of full-time work and full-time classes
Study abroad	A summer program or a full semester away

The School offers minors in Physics (non-physics majors only), Astrophysics (open to Physics and Applied Physics majors), and Quantum Sciences and Technology (open to all). Research gets its own lecture on Nov. 20. The Montgomery Machining Mall tour on Sept. 25 is also a good fit for students who want to build things in lab.

Study abroad: the deadlines are earlier than you think

• Oct. 12: Georgia Tech Europe, Spring 2027. First-years can apply; admission is conditional on your first-semester GPA (2.5 minimum).
• Dec. 1 – Feb. 15: most Summer 2027 programs. This is the most realistic option for first-years.
• Feb. 1, 2027: most exchange programs for Fall 2027 / the academic year.

Search programs in ATLAS. If US Citizen, make sure you have a Passport.

Coming up: Education Abroad 101: Faculty-Led Programs, Tue., Sept. 22 · Education Abroad Fair, Tue., Oct. 20

Deadlines were pulled from ATLAS on Sept. 16 (see planning/lecture-04-study-abroad-deadlines.md). Re-check the GTE Spring deadline the morning of class. Remind them a passport can take weeks: https://ea.oie.gatech.edu/apply-us-passport

Tools

Tool	Use it for
Georgia Tech Catalog	The official requirements
DegreeWorks	What you have done and what is left
GT 1000 Degree Map template	A starting table (Excel)
GT 1000 textbook: Degree Map	Worked guidance
School of Physics 4-year plans	A semester-by-semester plan for each major
Oscar	Official info on classes
Course Critique	Student-run info on classes and instructors
GT Course Vis	Student-run info on classes and prereqs.
Degree Roadmap GaTech	Student-run info on classes and prereqs.

If there is time, pull up DegreeWorks live (with a test or personal account) and show where transfer credit and “still needed” blocks appear.

Starting your map

1. Open the template and your DegreeWorks audit.
2. Enter your transfer credit and your Fall 2026 schedule.
3. Lay out the math and physics chains through graduation.
4. Optional: Mark time for research, study abroad, an internship, or a co-op.
5. Fill the rest with core and electives. Check each semester’s hours.

Before you submit

Due Sept. 25, 11:59 PM ET · Degree Map assignment

• Every semester through your expected graduation.
• Every required course appears, and prerequisites come first.
• Transfer credit listed with what each one satisfies.
• Minor courses, if any.
• Where study abroad, research, an internship, or a co-op could fit.
• Credit hours per semester, a running total, and ≥ 122 at the end.
• One PDF named Lastname-Firstname-Degree-Map.pdf.

This map is also the starting point for the advising meeting assignment due Oct. 30, so a careful job now saves work later.