Placement Information
This page will help students navigate the physics and astronomy curriculum, including how to identify an appropriate introductory course.
Registration for Spring Term 2027
Students interested in PHYS 0108 or PHYS 0109 will all register via PHYS 0108 and must fill out the placement survey . After filling out the placement survey and after registration for all students is complete, students will be automatically moved into the appropriate course. Both courses are scheduled at the same time and have combined lab sections, so switching between PHYS 0108 and 0109 sections can happen without affecting their schedule.
See below for more information about these courses.
Getting Started in Physics and Astronomy
All students enrolling in introductory courses in physics and astronomy must complete the placement survey. Registration may require advising or waivers, and this survey can help identify such situations.
For students seeking calculus-based physics courses (PHYS 0108, 0109, 0111, and 0114), the placement survey is required. These courses have math and physics prerequisites or corequisites, and prerequisite waivers will be granted only to students who have completed the placement survey.
For Potential Physics Majors and STEM Students
Students planning to major in the sciences or prepare for pre-health, pre-engineering, or other preprofessional programs should start with a calculus-based mechanics course. Students typically start with PHYS 0108 or PHYS 0109, as described below:
- PHYS 0108: Physics of Motion – PHYS 0108 provides a foundational introduction to mechanics and is designed for students with little prior exposure to physics. You should take this course if your math placement is MATH 0121: Calculus 1, or if you place into a higher math course but have little prior physics experience. MATH 0121 is a corequisite and must be taken in the same term as PHYS 0108 if not already completed.
- PHYS 0109: Introductory Mechanics – PHYS 0109 is an accelerated version of mechanics relative to PHYS 0108, and it is designed for students who have successfully completed high school physics (see the Placement Table below for the kinds of high school physics experiences that typically prepare students for PHYS 0109) and have placed out of MATH 0121: Calculus 1. MATH 0121 is a prerequisite for PHYS 0109.
Students completing either PHYS 0108 or PHYS 0109 are eligible to take PHYS 0111: Waves, Optics, and Thermodynamics or PHYS 0114: Electricity & Magnetism (with a MATH 0122: Calculus 2 prerequisite) as a second course.
Your path forward depends on your major or program of study. Potential physics majors should consult our requirements page and the pathways through the major page, but in general they should complete MATH 0122: Calculus 2 and PHYS 0114: Electricity & Magnetism (which requires MATH 0122) as early as possible. STEM majors and pre-professional students (e.g., pre-health and pre-engineering) should consult their program’s requirements and meet with an advisor in the discipline as early as possible.
Instructions for Reading the Table
Step 1: Determine what math course the math department would like the you to take next using their placement chart
(https://www.middlebury.edu/college/academics/mathematics/resources/plac…)
Step 2: Select the column in the following chart that corresponds to that math course.
Step 3: Select the highest level of physics preparation that you achieved down the left-hand side of the chart (gauge how well you did in that course) and select that row.
Step 4: The intersection of these two indicates the physics department’s recommendation for your first-year mechanics course. Please note that placement does not mean credit on one’s transcript.
Placement
To determine the appropriate introductory course, one must take into account your prior experience with physics and your math department placement.
Please fill out the physics placement survey in order to receive proper placement advising. In general, if your math placement is pre-calculus and you plan to take more than one course in physics, then you should take PHYS 0155: Introduction to the Universe. If your math placement is MATH 0121: Calculus 1, then you should take PHYS 0108 and MATH 0121. If your math placement is MATH 0122: Calculus 2 or higher, then your next physics course depends on your comfort and experience with the material. Proper placement advising is done through the survey form, and typical placement results are in the table below.
Placement Table
|
Your Math Placement |
Your Prior Physics Experience |
Typical Placement |
|---|---|---|
|
MATH 0102 or 0103 |
any |
PHYS 0155 |
|
MATH 0121 (calculus 1) |
any |
PHYS 0108 |
|
MATH 0122 or higher |
no experience or low comfort with material |
PHYS 0108 |
|
high school algebra-based physics, AP Physics 1, IB Physics HL |
PHYS 0109 |
|
|
calculus-based physics, AP Physics C |
PHYS 0109* |
|
|
college-level calculus-based physics |
see below* |
*In general, we do not recommend students place out of PHYS 0109, as Middlebury physics courses may differ from your high school experience in depth, content, and sophistication. In rare cases, students who arrive at Middlebury having a particularly strong and extensive calculus-based physics background may be granted permission to bypass introductory mechanics and start directly in PHYS 0111 or PHYS 0114. If you believe your background warrants consideration, please indicate this in the placement survey.
Placement is not course credit.
It is important to understand that placing into a higher-level course does not grant you Middlebury course credit for the courses you did not take.
If you decide to major in Physics, you must still complete the total number of physics and astronomy courses required for the major. Starting in a higher-level course simply means you will take additional advanced electives to reach that total number.
Middlebury College does not award course credit for AP, IB, or other pre-college testing.