Graduate Course Offering

Colorado State University 2026-2027 Course Catalog

Core Courses

PH 571 Math Methods

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: MATH 340

Vector analysis, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, infinite series, method of Frobenius, complex variables, contour integration.

PH 621 Classical Mechanics

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: (PH 341) and (PH 571, may be taken concurrently)

Central forces, scattering, noninertial reference frames, Coriolis force, Lagrange’s and Hamilton’s equations, small oscillations, continuum mechanics.

PH 641 Electromagnetism I

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: (PH 351) and (PH 571)

Electrostatics in a vacuum and a medium, general solution of Laplace’s equation, Green’s functions, magnetostatics in a vacuum and a medium.

PH 642 Electromagnetism II

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: PH 641

Maxwell’s equations, electromagnetic waves, radiation by accelerated charges, special relativity, Lagrangian formulation of electromagnetism.

PH 651 Quantum Mechanics I

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: (PH 452) and (PH 571, may be taken concurrently)

WKB theory, Heisenberg picture, 3D wells, hydrogen atom, time-independent perturbation theory, angular momentum and spin, Clebsch-Gordan coefficients.

PH 652 Quantum Mechanics II

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: PH 651

Wigner-Eckhart theorem, symmetries, density matrix, identical particles, interaction picture, time-dependent perturbation theory, scattering.

PH 671 Statistical Mechanics

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: (PH 452 and PH 462) and (PH 571, may be taken concurrently)

Canonical and grand-canonical ensembles; Maxwell-Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, and Fermi-Dirac statistics; density operator; Bose-Einstein condensation.

Elective Courses

Introductory Electives

PH 521 Introduction to Lasers (AMO)

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: (MATH 340 and PH 353) and (CHEM 476 or PH 451)

Stimulated emission; laser resonators; theory of laser oscillation; specific laser systems; applications.

PH 531 Introduction to Solid State Physics (CMP)

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: PH 451 and PH 361

Crystal structures and bonding, electronic levels and vibrations, dielectric, optical and magnetic properties, quasiparticles, superconductivity.

PH 561 Elementary Particle Physics (HEPPA)

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: PH 451

Particle interactions and detection techniques. Quark model, scattering models and standard model of electroweak interactions, physics of colliders.

PH 550/DSCI 550 Computational Physical Statistics

Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Math 256, Math 261, or equivalent and PH 142

Introduction to computational physical statistics, including analysis of large datasets, Bayesian and frequentist approaches to theoretical and experimental error analysis, sampling techniques in statistics and statistical/quantum physics, and Markov chain Monte Carlo. Physical examples include classical spin systems and Euclidean-time formulation of quantum mechanics. Emphasis is placed on application through numerical methods.

Advanced Electives

PH 631 Solid State Physics

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: PH 531

Selected topics in modern condensed matter physics. Examples include topological phases of matter, superconductivity, heavy fermions, density functional theory, surfaces and interfaces.

PH 731 Condensed Matter Theory

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: (PH 462) and (PH 531) and (PH 652)

Second quantization; electrons; phonons; electron-phonon interaction; superconductivity; magnetism; spin waves; density-functional methods; symmetry.

PH 722 Quantum Electronics

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: PH 521

One- and two-photon spectroscopy; broadening mechanisms; nonlinear optics; coherent phenomena; experimental methods.

PH 762 Elementary Particle Theory

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: PH 561 and PH 652

Symmetries, electrodynamics, renormalization, and the running coupling constant. Hadron structure, QCD, gauge symmetry and electroweak interaction.

PH 770 Quantum Theory

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: PH 652

Formal scattering theory; relativistic quantum mechanics, quantum theory of radiation, symmetries and statistics, many-body theory.

Other Courses

Course Advisory Form 

PH 692 Seminar

Credit: 1    Prerequisite: None

PH 693 Current Topics in Physics Research

Credits: 3    Prerequisite: None

Preparatory course for developing research content to pass masters oral presentation.

PH 698 Research (Pre-MS research)

Credits: Var[1-18]    Prerequisite: None

PH 699 Thesis (for Plan A MS)

Credits: Var[1-18]    Prerequisite: None

PH 784 Supervised College Teaching

Credits: Var[1-5]    Prerequisite: None

Supervised teaching of general physics laboratory and recitation sections.

PH 799 Dissertation (Post-MS research)

Credits: Var[1-18]    Prerequisite: None