Good evening, all.
I am a transfer student beginning at the University of Minnesota this fall. I am pursuing a Physics/Math double major, afterward I will enter graduate school to study theoretical high-energy physics. I currently have credit for the standard introductory physics sequence, as well as the standard foundational math sequence for engineering and science (Calc 1-3, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations).
My question, to anyone knowledgeable in the topic of physics graduate study, is this:
What are the most applicable and beneficial upper division/ graduate mathematics classes for graduate study in physics? I would like to prepare myself as best I can mathematically so that I can focus almost entirely on physics courses throughout graduate study.
Please, any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
On the web, people are recommending courses like partial differential equations, differential geometry, complex analysis. Some of these may be required or elective courses within the math major.
Fourier Analysis, Group Theory are others. However, take a look to see if your physics program includes a Mathematical Physics course. That will cover most of what you need and you can add in mathematics courses that complement it.
@ucbalumnus PDE, Complex Analysis, and Differential Geometry are among the lot I’ve been considering, I’ll probably stick with them if they’re as important as everyone has said.
@xraymancs UMN offers two Mathematical Methods courses for the Physics major, the lower division one is required, while the graduate level course is available as an elective. I plan to take both within my first two to three semesters if possible. Can’t find any mention of a Group Theory course in the catalog, aside from the 8xxx-level math graduate courses. Fourier Analysis is certainly an option; my decision was between this and Basic Probability and Statistics, though I’m hearing this course isn’t quite as applicable as I heard initially thought.
Thanks a lot for the advice, I appreciate it immensely.
Junior or senior level abstract algebra courses that are commonly required for math majors should have some group theory.