ASTRON/PHYSICS 910
Seminar in Astrophysics
0–1 creditsA graduate seminar covering current topics in astrophysics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026 Explore prerequisite map →
The department at a glance
All recorded grades average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
How grades break down
Grades over time
Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison
About these statistics
GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.
Fall 2026
Recorded this termcourses with offerings
instructors recorded
Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.
Find your next class
59 coursesHistorical grades cover up to five years through the selected term. Grade sorting prioritizes courses with at least 100 letter grades.
Radiation Physics and Dosimetry covers ionizing radiation interactions, radiological physics concepts, and dosimetry methods.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sampleSurvey of state-of-the-art microscopic, cellular, and molecular imaging techniques from subcellular to whole animal scales
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Introduction to plasmas covering collective phenomena, waves, instabilities, and kinetic theory with applications to fusion and materials processing.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Oliver Schmitz: The course was rated as difficult, with a difficulty rating of 4, reflecting the challenges of the material and the online format during the pandemic.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Covers plasma wave theory, damping mechanisms, MHD equilibria, instabilities, and nonlinear processes.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2025 · limited sampleECE/NE/PHYSICS 922
Seminar in Plasma Physics
0–1 creditsThis seminar covers current topics in plasma physics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sampleIntroduction to the physical principles of solid-state electronic and photonic devices.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Irena Knezevic: Grading relies on three exams, but homework is important for understanding; one review notes excessive late assignments and difficult textbook readings as a burden.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026ECE/PHYSICS 748
Linear Waves
3 creditsECE/PHYSICS 748 covers linear wave phenomena, wave equations, and asymptotic methods using Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2024 · limited samplePHYSICS 103
General Physics
4 creditsGENERAL PHYSICS introduces mechanics, heat, and waves at the non-calculus level with applications to various fields.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Exams are fair but include one or two tough questions that require significant thought and effort.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHYSICS 104
General Physics
4 creditsPHYSICS 104 is a general physics course covering electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics as a continuation of PHYSICS 103.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Exams are high-stakes with no notes and minimal partial credit, while labs and homeworks involve significant busy work.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHYSICS 106
Physics of Sports
3 creditsPHYSICS OF SPORTS applies physical principles to analyze performance in sports like track, cycling, and basketball.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Homework packets are long and exams can be difficult, but students can recover points through unlimited extra credit worksheet attempts.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026PHYSICS 107 explores the origins of the twentieth-century physical world through selected topics in classical physics, relativity, and quantum theory, emphasizing conceptual meaning over practical applications.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Gerry Bauer: Gerry Bauer's section required five exams, four quizzes, and weekly homework, which reviewers found disproportionately difficult for non-science majors.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHYSICS 109
Physics in the Arts
3 creditsPHYSICS IN THE ARTS covers the physics of sound, musical fundamentals, and optics including photography and color.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Homework is usually due weekly and relevant to exams, with TAs cited as helpful resources. Attending class is considered important, and using the textbook and labs aids understanding, though labs can be confusing.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHYSICS 115
Energy and Climate
3 creditsENERGY AND CLIMATE introduces energy sources and their environmental impacts, applying basic physics principles to evaluate energy issues.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Reviewers note increased workload and tedious lectures, though one finds the course easy if they have prior physics background.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHYSICS 120
Special Topics in Physics
1–3 creditsSPECIAL TOPICS IN PHYSICS 120 explores elementary undergraduate physics topics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2025–Fall 2025 · limited samplePHYSICS 198
Directed Study
1–3 creditsAn introductory-level mentored research project in physics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
PHYSICS 199
Directed Study
1–3 creditsPHYSICS 199 is an introductory-level directed study involving a mentored research project in physics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited samplePHYSICS 201
General Physics
5 creditsCalculus-based physics for engineering students covering mechanics, energy, and momentum.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Exams frequently mirror homework and discussion questions, making practice essential. The material is inherently difficult, requiring substantial effort to grasp conceptual physics and problem-solving techniques.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHYSICS 202
General Physics
5 creditsA calculus-based physics course for engineers covering electricity, magnetism, light, and sound.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Reviewers characterize the class as inherently difficult with tough exams, though the workload is often manageable. Some note that finals combine many concepts, while others report strict grading with no curve despite low test averages.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHYSICS 207
General Physics
5 creditsCalculus-based physics for biological science majors covering mechanics, energy, momentum, heat, and sound.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course is rated difficult, with exams often perceived as harder than homework or lecture content suggests. Success reportedly requires significant self-study, utilizing past exams, and completing all homework and labs.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHYSICS 208
General Physics
5 creditsA calculus-based physics course for biological science majors covering electricity, magnetism, light, and modern physics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Several reviewers report that exams are significantly harder than lectures or homework, featuring ambiguous questions and topics not covered in class. The course is described as disorganized, with lectures that are useless, incoherent, or difficult to follow.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to modern physics covering kinetic theory, relativity, quantum theory origins, atomic structure, and topics in solid state, nuclear, and particle physics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Homework is reported as tougher than exams, with the course providing significant feedback on assignments.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026A calculus-based, rigorous introduction to physics covering mechanics, waves, thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and modern physics with computation.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Duncan Carlsmith, Kam Arnold: The workload involves substantial homework and difficult lab reports, particularly those requiring MATLAB programming. Reviewers note that coding components are extensive and often feel disconnected from lecture content, requiring significant time to complete.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026A continuation of PHYSICS 247 covering electromagnetism, circuits, optics, and modern physics with computational methods.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Brian Rebel, Michael Winokur, Yibin Pan: Exams are described as incredibly difficult, though some instructors curve grades generously. The workload includes dense textbook chapters and substantial homework, requiring students to dedicate significant time to digesting the material and staying engaged with lectures.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026A modern physics course covering quantum mechanics, nuclear, particle, condensed matter, and atomic physics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Jeffrey Schmidt, Peter Timbie: Peter Timbie’s exams were described as incredibly difficult and unrelated to homework, while Jeffrey Schmidt’s course required copying formulas from practice exams to succeed.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026PHYSICS 298
Directed Study
1–3 creditsPHYSICS 298 is a directed study offering an intermediate-level mentored research project in physics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
PHYSICS 299
Directed Study
1–3 creditsPHYSICS 299 is a directed study offering an intermediate-level mentored research project in physics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sampleAn intermediate laboratory course focusing on modern physics experiments, error analysis, and statistical uncertainties.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHYSICS 311
Mechanics
3 creditsCovers the origin and development of classical mechanics, including vector analysis, conservation laws, and Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The class is very tough, but homework carries significant weight in the final grade, making the challenge worthwhile for student understanding.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Covers electric circuits, electronics, and digital logic analysis.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Dan McCammon, Peter Timbie: Reviewers rate the difficulty as high, noting that lectures are scattered or disorganized, requiring significant independent study to understand the material.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025Across course levels
Recorded this termNo released grades for this term.
Recorded offerings over time
Offering snapshots currently cover Fall 2026. Earlier grade records do not provide a complete offering history.