Mapping Introductory Physics Courses Across U.S. Universities: Identifying Patterns to Support Diverse Learners

Introductory physics courses play a key role in preparing students for advanced study in STEM fields, yet their structure varies widely across institutions. These differences can shape students’ access to opportunities and influence their success in physics. This study investigates how introductory physics courses are organized across large U.S. universities, focusing on course structure, mathematical and high school physics prerequisites, and the intended student populations by major. Data were collected from publicly available sources, including course syllabi, institutional websites, and course catalogs, and supplemented with faculty survey responses. These data were used to compare how institutions design and structure their introductory physics sequences. By identifying cross-institutional patterns, this work highlights how introductory physics curricula are differentiated to support students with diverse mathematical backgrounds and academic goals at the program and curricula levels.