Department of Physics and Engineering
This is an archived copy of the 2022-2023 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit https://pointloma-public.courseleaf.com.
Mission Statement
The Physics and Engineering Department at PLNU provides strong programs of study in the fields of Physics and Engineering. Our students are well prepared for graduate studies and careers in scientific and engineering fields. We emphasize a collaborative learning environment which allows students to thrive academically, build personal confidence, and develop interpersonal skills. We provide a Christian environment for students to learn values and judgment and pursue integration of modern scientific knowledge and Christian faith.
Purposes
- To prepare students for graduate studies in physics or engineering;
- To prepare students for a career in research or teaching;
- To prepare students for employment in various fields of applied physics and engineering;
- To satisfy pre-professional requirements for students choosing to attend engineering or architectural schools.
Tradition of Excellence
The Department of Physics and Engineering offers an excellent education in a vibrant Christian setting. Caring and knowledgeable faculty engage students with one-on-one instruction and in smaller-sized classes. A number of our students gain practical work experience at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) and engineering firms in the area. During the summer, our students participate in research on campus as well as at other undergraduate research programs around the country.
Career Opportunities
Most Physics majors continue their education in graduate school and eventually become research scientists or teachers. The Engineering Physics majors focus on either electrical or mechanical systems. Computer Science Engineering students focus on computer hardware and software. Graduates with this major have the option to attend graduate school or enter the job market in industry or government immediately after graduation. Point Loma offers both a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Physics as well as a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics.
Faculty
Chair - Maria Zack, Ph.D.
Michelle Chen, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Anthony Cortez, Ph.D.
University of California, Riverside
Paul Schmelzenbach, Ph.D.
Oregon State University
Maria Zack, Ph.D.
University of California, San Diego
To view requirements for majors, minors, and certificates, see the Degree Program Information page.
- General Engineering: Computer Science Engineering, B.S.E. (Physics and Engineering)
- General Engineering: Electrical Engineering, B.S.E.
- General Engineering: Mechanical Engineering Physics, B.S.E.
- Physics, B.A.
- Physics, B.A. for Associates Degree Transfer(ADT) Students
- Physics, B.S.
- Computational Science Minor - Physics (Physics and Engineering)
- Physics Minor
Engineering
An introduction to engineering as a career, including problem solving, engineering disciplines, design, teamwork, and communication. Introduction to multiple tools/techniques used by engineers, including data analysis, numerical methods, error analysis, and the use of computers for solving problems in physics and engineering.
Laboratory to compliment EGR 1012. Meets two hours per week.
An introduction to the engineering design process building on the tools introduced in EGR 1012. In addition to designing a prototype, students learn the engineering aspects of teamwork development, ethics, professionalism, and reporting.
Laboratory to compliment EGR 1023. Meets two hours per week.
Introduces the syntax of a high level programming language with emphasis on the programming environment and the use of the constructs of the language to write simple application programs. Topics include data types, sequential, conditional, and iterative statements, one and multi-dimensional arrays, simple graphical animation, the use of objects, and I/O. Programming assignments get progressively more complex and designed to demonstrate the use of computing in a variety of disciplines including the natural sciences.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of Introductory Computer Programming. Meets two hours per week.
As a continuation of EGR 1043, this course deals with more advanced computing constructs and ideas, reinforced in weekly labs. Topics include object-oriented design, inheritance, polymorphism, exception handling, and recursion, along with more intentional development and debugging strategies. Linked lists are introduced as a viable option for implementing basic ADT's. Students gain experience in the design of graphical user interfaces, event driven programming, and larger programming projects.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of Objects and Elementary Data Structures. Meets two hours per week.
Statics of particles and rigid bodies as applied to engineering design. Topics include vector algebra, forces, moments and couples, conditions of equilibrium, friction, and virtual work.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of Engineering Mechanics. Meets two hours per week.
Theory and analysis of electrical circuits. Topics include basic circuit elements, laws of circuit analysis, Kirchoff's laws, loop and nodal analysis, differential equations for modeling electronic circuits, AC and DC analysis, transient analysis, complex impedance and steady state analysis, Laplace Transforms, and frequency domain analysis.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of Circuit Analysis. Meets two hours per week.
A survey of nuclear physics including nuclear models, law of radioactive decay, radiation detection, and applications of nuclear science in engineering and medicine.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of Nuclear Physics. Meets two hours per week.
A systems course focusing on operating systems, topics include basic operating system design, process management, device management, memory management, and file systems. Students are introduced to the basics of software evolution, reliability, concurrency, security and protection in the context of single-core, multi-core, distributed, and virtual environments. Class members gain experience using both GUI and command-line interfaces. In the course of implementing the CPU scheduling simulation, students understand the importance of thorough system testing and attention to system specs as they try to make parts of their systems work with those designed by their teammates.
This course offers an in-depth treatment of the software development process. Software analysis and design study emphasizes an object-oriented approach that is introduced and contrasted with traditional design methodologies. CASE tools are used during the design process.
Theory and analysis of forces, stress, and strain within engineering structural elements and members. Topics include the theory of stress and strain, elastic and plastic deformation, modes of structural failure, compression and tension, torsion, shear, shafts, beams, posts, transformations of stress and strain.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of Mechanics of Materials. Meets two hours per week.
Newtonian mechanics, dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, oscillatory motion, central forces, inertial tensors, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations.
AC/DC circuit analysis, transients, characteristics of equivalent circuits for diodes, transistors, power supplies, transistor/operational amplifiers, and feedback applications.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of Analog Electronics. Meets two hours per week.
Classical electromagnetism including topics in electrostatics, magnetostatics, fields in matter, electromagnetic induction, and Maxwell's equations.
This course provides an introduction to modern computer network technologies. Students gain an understanding of networking fundamentals including layering and the old OSI model, protocols, standards, and network services. LANS, MANS, WANS, Internet and wireless networks are covered. The class will also cover the basics of network security. The class includes hands-on activities.
Electrodynamics with an emphasis on application of Maxwell's equations particularly to electromagnetic radiation.
Boolean algebra, logic gates, combinational logic circuits, state minimization, flip/flops, sequential circuits, asynchronous and synchronous counters. Course emphasizes design aspects using electronic design software.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of Digital Electronics. Meets two hours per week.
This course provides an overview of modern topics in information and computer security, including: network security, web security, compliance and operational security, threats and vulnerabilities, privacy and anonymity, application, data and host security, access control and identity management, cryptography. This class includes theoretical analysis and hands-on activities.
Fundamental concepts of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics; applications to both classical and quantum systems.
Embedded systems are everywhere. They are in your watch, your phone, and your TV. Embedded systems are also found in cars, airplanes, and robots. They are a fundamental part of the "internet of things." In this hands-on course you will learn the basics of designing, interfacing, configuring, and programming embedded systems by working with robots.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of Embedded Systems and Robotics. Meets two hours per week.
This course covers the fundamentals of current pipelined computer designs. Experience with assembly language programming and digital logic and circuit design will be used to motivate the need for certain facets of the more general instruction set architecture. Throughout the course, performance issues, hardware constraints, and memory hierarchy will be shown to inform processor design. Additional topics include integer and floating point arithmetic, I/O and considerations surrounding multi-core architectures.
An introduction to the study of solids, including crystal structure, reciprocal lattices, crystal binding, phonons, and electron band theory.
This course provides students (teams with) the opportunity to design and build a prototype of a project of their choosing. The students will give an oral presentation of their project in a design review setting. This course will normally be completed in a student's senior year.
This course provides students (teams with) the opportunity to hone and finish building the project design initiated in EGR 4072. The students will prepare a scientific paper about their research/project and give an oral presentation of their findings. This course will normally be completed in a student's senior year.
The topics chosen in engineering depend on regular or visiting faculty expertise as well as student demand.
A supervised experience in which the student works with industry professionals to gain experience in engineering.
Independent investigation, under the supervision of a faculty member, of a specific problem in physics or engineering.
Advanced techniques for the analysis of analog electrical systems. Topics include: frequency domain analysis, Laplace transforms, Fourier series, Fourier transforms, and continuous versus discrete signal analysis. Frequency response is analyzed using transfer functions, Bode plots, and spectral plots. Digital Signal Processing (DPS) is introduced.
Physics
An introduction to the science of sound, hearing and music. The course will focus on concepts of sound production, propagation, and perception including topics such as musical scales, instruments, and acoustics.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of The Physics of Sound and Music. Meets two hours per week.
A general introduction to physics including mechanics, thermodynamics, waves and sound. The course is taught primarily at the algebra/trigonometry level but does require limited use of calculus.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of General Physics I. Meets two hours per week.
A general introduction to physics including electricity and magnetism, optics, and modern physics. The course is taught primarily at the algebra/trigonometry level but does require limited use of calculus.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of General Physics II. Meets two hours per week.
An analytic, calculus-based study of classical physics appropriate for science and engineering majors. Includes mechanics, waves, and thermodynamics.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of University Physics I. Meets two hours per week.
An analytic, calculus-based study of classical physics appropriate for science and engineering majors with an emphasis on electromagnetism, circuits, and optics.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of University Physics II. Meets two hours per week.
An introduction to concepts of modern physics including relativity, quantum theory, atomic physics, and high energy physics.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of Modern Physics. Meets two hours per week.
A survey of nuclear physics including nuclear models, laws of radioactive decay, radiation detection, and applications of nuclear science in engineering and medicine.
A lab course designed for a hands-on exploration of Nuclear Physics. Meets two hours per week.
Newtonian mechanics, dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, oscillatory motion, central forces, inertial tensors, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations.
Classical electromagnetism including topics in electrostatics, magnetostatics, fields in matter, electromagnetic induction, and Maxwell's equations.
Electrodynamics with an emphasis on application of Maxwell's equations particularly to electromagnetic radiation.
Fundamental concepts of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics; applications to both classical and quantum systems.
A rigorous introduction to quantum physics including Schroedinger's equation, matrix mechanics, perturbation theory, and applications in atomic and molecular physics.
An introduction to the study of solids, including crystal structure, reciprocal lattices, crystal binding, phonons, and electron band theory.
This course provides students (teams) with the opportunity to design and build a prototype of a project of their choosing. The students will give an oral presentation of their project in a design review setting. This course will normally be completed in a student's senior year.
This course provides students (teams) with the opportunity to hone and finish building the project design initiated in PHY 4072. The students will prepare a scientific paper about their research/project and give an oral presentation of their findings. This course will normally be completed in a student's senior year.
The topics in physics chosen depend on regular or visiting faculty expertise as well as student demand.
A supervised experience in which the student works with industry professionals to gain experience in physics or engineering.
Independent investigation, under the supervision of a faculty member, of a specific problem in physics or engineering.
Physical Science
An introduction to our place in the universe emphasizing religious, cultural and historic perspectives including modern developments in physics and astronomy.
An introductory survey of selected principles in physics and chemistry with a discussion of related societal and environmental issues. This course focuses on topics necessary for the California multiple subject teaching credential (K-8). This class is highly interactive and will make use of many hands on activities.
An introductory survey of the disciplines of geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy with discussion of philosophical and societal issues. This course focuses on topics necessary for the California multiple subject teaching credential (K-8).