Enrollment Policies

We DO NOT permit late adds for undergraduate students. Undergraduate student requests needing department review and/or processing AFTER the close of business (4pm) on the last day of the standard enrollment period (i.e. Friday of week 2 for FWS; Friday of week 1 for summer session 1 & session 2) are considered late adds and will be denied.

Auditing at the sole discretion of the instructor, and must be requested and approved in writing (email request and email approval is fine). If the instructor approves your request to audit their course and the instructor wants to allow you to see their Canvas information, the instructor must log onto Canvas and follow these instructions to add you as an observer (the Department cannot grant you access). Auditors, please keep in mind that auditing does not make you eligible for enrollment; auditing does not make you enrolled or waitlisted for the course and you WILL NOT receive credit for the course, even if you choose to audit for the entire term and/or to complete work for the course. Auditors, please also keep in mind that you are NOT permitted to take exams in the course, nor be present in the classroom during any exams (this would be a violation of Academic Integrity).

Yes, campuswide, prereqs can and do change over time and the UCSD catalog includes the following above each department's course listings: "All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice."

The UCSD catalog does not publish in sync with the quarterly schedule, and so most prereq changes will appear in WebReg before they appear in the UCSD catalog.

Upcoming changes to PHYS course prereqs will be noted on this webpage so that students can plan ahead, so students are strongly encouraged to check this webpage regularly to have as much advance notice as possible for planning upcoming courses. 

Either P/NP or letter-graded courses can be used towards prerequisites, no matter your major/minor/college. But in cases in which the course is double counting as a prereq AND a major requirement, your major dept. gets to decide whether you can take the course on a P/NP basis (our dept. only gets to decide this if you are a physics major). In cases in which the course is double counting as a prereq AND a minor requirement, your minor dept. gets to decide whether you can take the course on a P/NP basis (our dept. only gets to decide this if you are a physics minor). In cases in which the course is double counting as a prereq AND a GE requirement, your college gets to decide whether you can take the course on a P/NP basis. In cases in which you are a non-major, you want to take the course for P/NP grading, and the course is a prereq for a core UD physics course you want to take, see the “Special Prereq Policies for Courses Restricted to Physics Majors.”

Here at UCSD, prereqs belong to the courses themselves and not to any major / minor / GE / professional school / grad-prep program, etc., so there may be situations in which you will need to take courses that are not part of your major/minor/GE/med/grad-prep program/plan if they are listed as prereqs for courses that are part of your major/minor/GE/med/grad-prep program/plan. This particular policy applies to all UCSD courses, not just to physics courses.

If you failed/missed one/more prereqs (including NP grades) you cannot proceed with your proposed enrollment(s). Instead, you must take the failed/missed prereq. UCSD Students: If you fail (or drop) a prereq and do not drop yourself from the course(s) in the subsequent term that require(s) it, the Registrar’s Office will drop you when they run the “Missing Pre-Req Check” during the term in which the prereq is being used (the Check typically runs and drops students prior to the end of week 3). Note: Incomplete grades are considered missing prereqs and will be treated accordingly by the Registrar’s Office.

Planned / Waitlisted courses at UCSD do not count towards prereqs, not even via an EASy request.

Enrolled courses that are in progress at UCSD (but not UCSD Extension) automatically count as prereqs in WebReg when you enroll in a physics course for a subsequent term – no EASy request is required. For example, enrolled summer session 1 courses automatically count as prereqs when enrolling in summer session 2 through WebReg – no EASy request is required.

A non-UCSD course/exam can only be used as a prereq for a UCSD physics course if it has already been approved for equivalency at UCSD and you already have a transcript showing you have already successfully completed the course/exam. 

Students will not be approved "prereserve" a seat in a UCSD physics courses while prereqs are in-progress outside of UCSD. No exceptions are granted. 

If the non-UCSD course/exam already appears on your UCSD record, you must obtain course equivalency, as shown in STEP 1 below, and then proceed directly to WebReg to enroll/waitlist.

If the non-UCSD course/exam DOES NOT yet appear on your UCSD record, you must follow STEPS 1, 2, and 3 in the order listed below. 

The core upper-division physics program, which is made up of courses in the Physics 100, 105, 110, 120, 130, and 140 series, is restricted in the course registration system to students currently majoring in physics. Non-majors who are interested in taking a core UD physics course must complete the prereqs as listed and then use EASy to request preauthorization to enroll. These requests will typically be held until shortly before the start of the term, as the department and campus assess instructional resources and space utilizaiton.

In rare cases, substitute prereqs may be used when requesting preauthorization to enroll in a core UD physics course:

• ECE 107 (B+ grade or higher) may be used in place of PHYS 100A and/or 100B (e.g., for PHYS 130A/B requests, assuming PHYS 4A-B-C-D-E, MATH 18, and MATH 20A-B-C-D-E have already been completed)
• Combo of ECE 35, 45, 65 (B+ grades or higher) may be used in place of PHYS 120 (e.g., for PHYS 122, 124 requests)
• Combo of MAE 105, 107 (B+ grades or higher) may be used in place of PHYS 105A (e.g., for PHYS 105B requests, assuming PHYS 4A-B-C-D-E, MATH 18, and MATH 20A-B-C-D-E have already been completed)

General Information: Graduate-level physics courses are designed for graduate-level students who are pursuing a PhD in physics. Most graduate-level physics courses assume prior completion of the entire undergraduate physics curriculum and this is why most of graduate-level physics courses do not have any prereqs listed. The Department requires physics graduate courses to be taught at a level and pace consistent with the graduate program curriculum. The content and pace of physics graduate courses will not be changed/altered to accommodate undergraduates. If you are seeking to enroll in a graduate-level physics course, your academic record should display that you have the appropriate academic background and preparation for the course. There are unique requirements to enroll in particular The requirements to be approved to enroll in specific graduate-level physics courses are as follows:

1st-Year CORE Graduate Courses (PHYS 200A, 201, 203A, 210A, 212A): Students who have achieved grades of A-, A, or A+ in the UD courses on these topics (i.e. PHYS 100A-B, 105A, 110A, 130A) can undertake the Course Readiness Exam offered shortly before the fall term begins. If you qualify, please contact PHYSICS through VAC within one week of spring grades being posted in order to sign up. Success on this exam will enable students to enroll in the corresponding graduate-level course provided they meet the subject-specific requirements equivalent to those expected of graduate students. Please note that effective FA24, graduate-level core courses cannot replace UD core courses for the major requirements. 

Non-core Graduate Lecture Courses : Students must wait until all grades for the current term have been finalized and then submit a preauthorization request through EASy. The instructor and Department will review the student's past coursework and grades and then determine whether or not to endorse the request. Note re. Conjoined Courses: Undergraduates are only permitted to enroll in the undergraduate side of the class during the undergraduate years.

Seminars (eg. courses numbered PHYS 250-260): Undergraduates attend without enrolling (see events).

Effective Fall 2024, the PHYS 4C-D-E prereqs will be formally updated as follows:

PHYS 4C: PHYS 4A-B or PHYS 2A-B-C, MATH 20A, 20B, 20C or 31BH, and 18 or 20F or 31AH.

PHYS 4D: PHYS 4A-B-C or the combination of PHYS 4C and PHYS 2A-B-C; MATH 20A, 20B, 20C or 31BH, 20E or 31CH, and 18 or 20F or 31AH.

PHYS 4E: PHYS 4A-B-C-D or the combination of PHYS 4A and 4C and 4D and PHYS 2A-B-C; MATH 20A, 20B, 20C or 31BH, 20D, 20E or 31CH, and 18 or 20F or 31AH.

Effective Fall 2024, the PHYS 160, 161, and 162 prereqs will be PHYS 4A-B-C-D-E. 

Before submitting an EASy request, you must read and follow the policies and protocols on prerequisites in the section above. Keep in mind, your EASy request will be denied if one/more prereqs:

• are in progress outside of UCSD
• would be taken concurrently w/ the requested course
• does not already have an approved equivalency with UCSD 
• is merely "planned" or "waitlisted" at UCSD
• is missing (i.e. it was never taken, was failed, or has an incomplete)

If your EASy request is denied, you will be referred back to this webpage to read through the prerequisite policies in the section above.

Requests for UD courses restricted to physics majors MAY have additional requirements, such as specific grade/GPA requirements, unique processing times, etc. See the Prerequisites section, above, for more information. 

 We will not approve your request if you are already enrolled in the course.

You must select the "Unit Limit Exception" request type. We cannot approve a unit limit request for sections w/ 5 or fewer seats available. Content

Rush processing is NOT available. NO EXCEPTIONS. Requests will typically be processed within 5 business days after the date of submission, excluding weekends, breaks, and closures (see campus calendars here). 

You must check EASy and/or your UCSD email account to see the status of your request and see if any follow-up is needed:

Please note that responding to inquiries about the status of EASy requests affects the time reviewers have available to process these requests. Reviewers appreciate your understanding and patience as they work to address all submissions as efficiently as possible.

• Pending Instructor Review/Submission: If your request has been pending at this level for more than FIVE (5) business days (excluding campus holidays), contact your instructor and ask them when the request is expected to be reviewed and processed.
• Pending Department/Program Approval: If your request has been pending at this level for more than FIVE (5) business days (excluding campus holidays), contact your department/program through VAC and ask them when the request is expected to be reviewed and processed.
• Pending Scheduling of the Section: If your request has been pending at this level for more than FIVE (5) business days (excluding campus holidays), contact the Registrar's Office and ask them when the request is expected to be reviewed and processed.
• Pending Registrar's Approval: If your request has been pending at this level for more than FIVE (5) business days (excluding campus holidays), contact the Registrar's Office and ask them when the request is expected to be reviewed and processed.

We DO NOT permit late adds. Undergraduate courses/requests needing department review and/or processing AFTER the close of business (4pm) on the last day of the standard enrollment period (i.e. Friday of week 2 for FWS; Friday of week 1 for summer session 1 & session 2) are considered late adds and will be denied. 

 in Physics, a student is only eligible for Credit by Exam for a physics course if:

• They have taken and passed an approved equivalent of our course outside of UCSD and it is deemed by UCSD to be a university-level course but not one that is UC-transferable (eg. courses taken at universities outside of the U.S. that the UC-System does not recognize)

Please note the following regarding Credit by Examination in Physics:

• Approval for Credit by Examination in Physics is at the discretion of the Department after proof of eligibility has been determined. To prove eligibility for Credit by Exam in Physics, you must submit a physics course equivalency request with a complete syllabus from the university level course(s) you took outside of UCSD that Admissions was unwilling to post to your UCSD record. Please Note: High school courses do not qualify for university credit and therefore cannot qualify you for Credit by Exam in Physics. To earn university credit based on high school coursework (eg. AP courses), you must take and pass AP, IB, or A-Level exams and earn qualifying scores. Coursework that has been successfully transferred to UCSD with course equivalency/exemptions cannot qualify for other equivalencies/exemptions via Credit by Exam. No exceptions.
• Exams take place during finals week, only.
• You can only attempt to test out of physics lecture courses.
• You can only attempt to test out of a physics course if you have already satisfied all of the prereqs for the course (you cannot test out of a course if you are currently taking the one/more of the listed prereqs or if you haven't yet successfully completed all listed prereqs).
• You cannot have already received a grade or a W in the course you want to test out of.
• You cannot currently be enrolled in the course you want to test out of.
• You must be in good academic standing to attempt a course via Credit by Exam.

You must request and attend a physics advising appointment no later than week 8 of the regular academic term (or week 3 of the summer session) to go over exam details and to process the required Credit by Exam form (if approved for Credit by Exam, we will draft and process the form and we will route the form to your college). DO NOT attempt to sign up for Credit by Exam for a physics course or fill out the Credit by Exam form with a physics instructor.

Students seeking to enroll in a UCSD Physics course via Concurrent Enrollment must adhere to the prereq policies and protocols above. Requests may be held until after the end of the standard enrollment period for UCSD students, as priority enrollment must be given to continuing UCSD students for UCSD courses.

Specific Concurrent Enrollment guidance is provided by Extended Studies (see here).

Undergraduate Special Studies courses are those numbered 97, 98, 99, 99H, 197, 198, 199, and 199H. 

The campus has policies on Undergraduate Special Studies classes that can be found here. Departmental policies and protocols for Undergraduate Special Studies classes can be found here. 

All requests to enroll in Physics Special Studies courses must be submitted through the Enrollment Authorization System (EASy) (undergraduate requests must be submitted no later than Friday of week 1 of the term in which you want to enroll). Students should submit their EASy only after they have met with their proposed faculty supervisor and obtained their approval for the project (click here for contact info. of all PHYS faculty).

Students should follow the instructions below to properly complete their Special Studies request in EASy. 

Quarter: Select the term you want to enroll in the special studies course (you must submit a new request for each course each term). 

Request Type: Select Special Studies (do not select "Preauthorization")

Department/Program: You must select the department your faculty supervisor is in. If the faculty member is in another department, then you will need to proceed with the request in the manner deemed appropriate by the department offering the course as opposed to the remaining instructions below. 

Course: Select the special studies course you want from the list. 

Instructor: Select the faculty member who has agreed to work with you. 

Section: In most cases, you will not have to enter anything in this field. If you do, then there is likely to only be one option you can select. 

Grading Option: In most cases, you will not have to enter anything in this field. If you do, then there is likely to only be one option you can select.  

Requested Total Number of Units: Select the number of units you would like to earn for the selected class. If this option is not available and your request is approved, you may select the number of units you would like to earn when you enroll via WebReg. Keep in mind:

• Each unit consists of 3 hours of work per week and 10 hours of research over the course of the quarter. The number of units you request should typically be based on the average number of hours you plan to commit to the course weekly throughout the term).

Number of units previously received for this project: Tally and list the number of units you’ve received from this course (count prior terms and the current term, if you’re enrolled in the course in the current term).

​​​​Prerequisite coursework or knowledge for this project: Indicate any past courses, knowledge, skills, and/or abilities their faculty supervisor has said is necessary to prepare for the project. 

Nature and frequency of contact (hours per week): Spell out how they will divvy up the use of the minimum weekly contact hours for the course. Hours may be spent reading, researching, writing, meeting with the professor and/or group members, or there may be other activities. Here are two examples of what a student might write in this section for a 4-unit Special Studies course (notice that each activity type and corresponding hours are always spelled out, as required for PHYS requests):

• 1hr reading, 2hrs meeting w/ prof/group, 8hrs research, 1hr write-ups
• 8hrs research, 1hr meeting w/ prof, 1hr reading, 2hrs writing

Means of Evaluation (paper, final, etc.): Report how your faculty supervisor has indicated they will determine whether or not you have passed the class. The instructor may require written coursework (eg. weekly write-ups, paper(s), etc.), one/more presentations, completion of an exam, and/or something else. Be sure to get your faculty member to clearly indicate the criteria that will be used to evaluate you when it’s time to enter grades. 

Proposed plan: Draft a 5-7 sentence description of their research or readings project.

Supporting documentation: For students applying for PHYS 199H: Attach your completed Physics Honors Program Application packet. For all other Special Studies courses, you do not need to attach anything to your request.

Please see the Special Enrollment Policies effective SP20 through SP21, only