The Science Subject Matter Program (SSMP), with emphases in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Physics, leads to a BA degree in the area of emphasis. It also meets the latest California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) subject-matter requirement to enter a teaching credential program in California. In order to obtain a California K-12 Teaching Credential, a program of professional education preparation (a teaching credential program) is required in addition to completing the SSMP. Completing the SSMP and teaching credential program allows graduates to teach all four sciences (biology, chemistry, geoscience, and physics) at the general/integrated 7th-12th grade science level, in addition to the student's area of concentration at the advanced high school level. A typical credential might read, for example, SCIENCE: Chemistry.

Physics is the most fundamental science and underlies our understanding of nearly all areas of science and technology. In a broad sense, physics is concerned with the study of energy, space, and matter, and with the interactions between matter and the laws that govern these interactions. More specifically, physicists study mechanics, heat, light, electric and magnetic fields, gravitation, relativity, atomic and nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics.

The BA degree is recommended for students who are interested in teaching Physics in high school or who want a liberal arts education with an emphasis in Physics. Physics majors are encouraged to take additional mathematics and to develop skills in the use of computers.