Resources for Students
Advising
All students work with a faculty adviser who is committed to guiding them in selecting classes to fulfill degree requirements and provide advice on research opportunities, how to apply for a job or graduate school, and any other challenges or concerns.
Program Contacts
| CLASS/PROGRAM | NAME/EMAIL | PHONE |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | Phuoc Ha, pdha AT_TOWSON | 410-704-2174 |
| Dual degree engineering | Jeff Simpson, jrsimpson@towsom.edu | 410-704-4737 |
| Geology | Wendy Nelson, wrnelson AT_TOWSON | 410-704-3133 |
| Earth-space science | Ron Hermann, rhermann AT_TOWSON | 410-704-3011 |
Degree Completion Plan
Degree completion planning is an advising process designed to more efficiently map your path towards graduation. It is required by Maryland Senate Bill 740, the Career and College Readiness and College Completion Act of 2013, which requires all students to file an Individualized Degree Completion Plan (IDCP) by the time they complete 45 credits.
An IDCP takes the suggested degree completion plan of your major (or concentration) and personalizes it for your academic career given your unique needs, goals and aspirations. This plan could help you save time and money by highlighting a more direct route towards degree completion and graduation.
In order to provide the most efficient method of advising, you should complete the following steps before coming to see your advisor:
Degree Completion Steps
1
Open Your Academic Requirements
Go to , click on 鈥淪elf Service,鈥� and then 鈥淪tudent Dashboard.鈥� On the left hand side, select 鈥淎cademic Requirements鈥� from the drop-down menu.
2
Write Down All Non-completed Courses
Using your academic requirements, write down all required and 鈥淕en Ed/University Core鈥� courses that you have not completed.
3
Review the Four-year Plan of Study for Your Major
Suggested plans for completion of degree requirements in four years provide a potential template for your degree completion plan. View the four-year plan of study in the undergraduate catalog:
4
Select tha Appropriate Spreadsheet
Select the spreadsheet from the following list to open it in Microsoft Excel or save it to your computer.
- Geology Plan (XLSX)
- Applied Physics Plan (XLSX)
- Astrophysics Plan (XLSX)
- Dual Degree Plan (XLSX)
- General Physics Plan (XLSX)
- Computational Physics Plan (XLSX)
After the spreadsheet is open in Excel, fill in the top information. Input the total earned units up to today (鈥淭otal Units Earned鈥� box).
Fill in the remaining schedule by term. Use the 鈥淩equirements鈥� guide to the right of the plan to to see when courses are taught and whether prerequisites have been fulfilled.
Make sure you have a minimum of 120 credits in the Total Academic Units box when completed. Make sure you have a minimum of 32 units of upper-level (300-400) courses.
5
Email Degree Completion Plan to Adviser
Save the file as "TUID#_LastName.xls (example: 1234567_Doe).
Email the file to your adviser as an attachment.
6
Meet with Your Adviser
Schedule a meeting with your adviser. Bring a copy of your plan with you to the meeting. You and your adviser will review the plan and when finished and approved, you will both sign the plan. Both you and your adviser will keep a copy of the signed and approved plan.
Student Research
Physics Research
There are many opportunities to work along side professors and graduate research assistants in the physics labs. The department and college can often provide college credit or monetary support for lab work or other related activities such as travel to meetings. Check out what the faculty are working on by visiting their webpage and email them if you like what you see. Faculty always love to talk about their research!
Learn More about Physics Faculty
Geoscience Research
The Geoscience faculty engage in a wide variety of research topics that reach both local and international communities. Check out what the faculty are working on by visiting their webpage and email them if you like what you see. Faculty always love to talk about their research!
Geosciences FacultyStudent Clubs
Geosciences Club
The student-run Geosciences Club meets regularly to talk about geology, hang out and plan field trips to look at the geology and cool scenery in places like Catoctin Mountain National Park. Contact faculty advisor Michelle Casey at mcasey AT_TOWSON to learn more.
Society of Physics Students
We are Towson University鈥檚 award winning chapter of the Society of Physics Students National organization. We support all undergraduate students interested in physics. We host meetings where we teach our members skills that will be useful for their career, and we do outreach in the Baltimore community to promote science.
Tutoring
Tutoring in the departments is mainly done by students and comes in multiple forms. There is Natural Science Tutoring Center in the Science Complex (linked below). Some students have office hours, and sometimes students hold special sessions for a specific class (usually before a test).
Natural Science TutoringCareer Planning
Career Center
The TU Career Cemter is here to help educate and empower you with career planning and implementation. There is a comprehensive database of career information to help you start figuring out what you can do with your major including Physics and Geology.
TU Career Center