Frequently Asked Questions

Please note: all information here is meant only as a guide. Please check the UA catalog and visit with an advisor for all official policies.

Your academic advisor for Physics is David Smith, dlsmith1@arizona.edu. Please include any questions you have in the email or contact him via phone call 520- 626-1231.

All Physics majors are also assigned a faculty advisor. You can talk to your faculty advisor about graduate school and career opportunities, technical course questions, selecting your Physics electives, and getting involved in research. 

To declare a Physics major in the Bachelor of Science in Physics program, or to declare a Physics minor, please email David Smith at dlsmith1@arizona.edu or academic@physics.arizona.edu

To declare a major or minor in another department or college, please visit the advisor for that area. You can search for advisors online.

If you are taking a Physics course through an Arizona university or community college, start first with the AZ Transfer Guide and Course Equivalency search. Here you can find course equivalencies in Physics and other areas that have been approved. Students can also visit the transfer guide offered by the Office of the Registrar to see courses that have also already been evaluated.

For students who have taken or are looking to take a course in the United States, please submit course information online through our Physics Transfer Evaluation form. Please note: it is extremely important that you provide as much information as possible, including a detailed syllabus, weekly assignments and curriculum, and clear information about labs and the amount of time spent in labs and lecture.

For students who have taken or are looking to take a course outside of the United States, please send a detailed syllabus, weekly assignments, and any further course information to ugrad advising for review.

Information is reviewed by faculty and decisions are final. Forms will not be reviewed without full and adequate information about each course. Review of syllabi can take up to several weeks, so please submit forms well in advance of any deadlines.

You can forward all messages to be distributed to the undergraduate (majors and minors) listserv to academic@physics.arizona.edu either as an attached pdf or in a format that can be copied and pasted. Weekly e-mails go out to students on Wednesday mornings. Messages requiring a quicker turn around will be sent on a case-by-case basis.

If you are currently on the phys ugrad listserv, you can send an e-mail to that address. It will first be approved by moderators and then distributed to the listserv. Please note that messages sent out over evenings or weekends may not be approved until the next business day.

Holds are placed on student accounts for many reasons. An account hold can be seen on UAccess Student at the top right of the page. It appears as a red circle with a diagonal line crossed through it. Click on that circle icon and you can click through to see the details of any negative holds on your account. Holds may prevent you from registering for classes or from receiving financial aid.

Click on the link for each hold and review the details of the hold to see how to remove it. If you have a Science Mandatory Advising hold for Physics or Astronomy, you will need to make an appointment to meet with your Academic Advisor, David Smith or Faculty Advisor before the hold can be lifted. If you are a transfer student or out of town, you can schedule a phone appointment.

If your hold is not for advising and placed by another office, read the directions carefully to learn how to remove it. If you have any questions you can contact your advisor, David Smith at dlsmith1@arizona.edu for assistance.